DM = Direct Message Peter… an option by selecting a members NIC 
Ah ok, thanks.
Also known as a PM, Peter, (not to be confused with the other sort 
)
1 Like
Thanks Angela, sorry to appear thick.
1 Like
Peter, you most definitely AREN’T thick. There is a tendency in the techie world (and others) to use a lot of abbreviations and it can be extremely confusing…
Just want to say, if anyone does want to follow me, today I’m cutting the grass and then taking the dog for a walk in the forest, and then it will be beer o’clock and barbie time.
1 Like
IIRC Peter was once involved in the property selling business which is awash with acronyms so he is well used to them
He just like to offer opportunities for me to show off my techie-ness as Mat Davies so nicely described it 
1 Like
Blimey,that was 25 years ago Graham.
Must admit never came across ‘DM’ (PM yes), hamburger menu or ‘NIC’ and a million others. Why don’t we have a glossary of all these techno terms for muppets like me ?
There is Peter
from the Hamburger menu on the SF topic bar look through the User Guide
1 Like
I’ve skipped some of the above discussion about the follow thing.
@james Can I just check - can I refuse to be followed?
I just find the whole idea slightly creepy. Having in a previous life been mildly “stalked” on a forum the last thing on earth I want is anyone following me. Sorry!
3 Likes
AFAIK there is no option to refuse following but as I mentioned in the thread, it’s all transparent and if you receive notification that someone is following and you are unhappy about it, first ask the follower their reasons and if you feel it is abusive or likely to be threatening, report it to @james or @cat who are able to take administrative actions.
SF is a safe place to be and people who disrespect the T&Cs don’t remain on here very long from what I have experienced over the many years I have been a member of SF.
Thanks for your reply Graham. Not entirely happy with lack of direct control. @james
For me at least “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. Seems to me the way things are at present works perfectly well. If someone is interested in a particular topic they will be following it anyway. To start following someone on everything they are posting seems slightly bizarre. For example, I enjoy reading @Geof_Cox when he is talking about politics, but why would I want to follow him if he is posting about driving licences or marmite???
Horses for courses Sue. Sometimes, thread drift and all that, there may be a useful reference from a person of note in a thread you are not watching and you might otherwise miss it.
because he has some valid pointers worth reading on those too 
1 Like
Well I realise that pearls of wisdom drop from every keystroke - but really?
No disrespect to anyone on here - some of whom really do make a significant, interesting contribution, but I won’t be following any of you - I have a life to lead. Especially in the summer when the garden calls. 
And I know it won’t happen, but if it should, if anyone starts to follow me around I will be VERY concerned. It’s like that scene in As Good as it Gets where Helen Hunt is being followed by the waiter with her drink. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it.
4 Likes
I agree completely with you there, Sue. I don’t like it either!
2 Likes
I am not sure that it is a particularly useful enhancement. Just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done.
(the recent addition of the Users Map and seeing who is currently online I do like)
3 Likes
If it were incognito I might tend to have sympathy with that sentiment @AngelaR but it is transparent and most users won’t even notice its there to use anyway so no cause for worry imo.
It’ll all be forgotten about in a day or so when the novelty wears off…
I’m sorry that you don’t have sympathy for how I feel about it. I don’t like it and I don’t have to explain any detail as to why.
@james is, of course, at perfect liberty to do whatever he wants with his site - I realise that and have no complaint to make on that front. Those of us who have found the site useful will probably continue to use it and appreciate the fact that he has made it available to us.
2 Likes
It doesn’t bother me at all to be honest but then I use FB and Insta where it is all about following / unfollowing people. But I can absolutely see why if you don’t use social media much you might not like the idea of people ‘following’ you.
I can also absolutely see why it is useful from an admin point of view too.
There are often threads / posts / people I need to keep an eye on (not necessarily due to anything untoward either) and it is very hard to keep track when SF isn’t your day job but requires a similar level of input.
Anyway, now that I know that @james is following me I can use the site to make announcements of a domestic type nature that might otherwise get ignored if I just mention them over the dinner table.
Just a thought…
3 Likes