Admins,As the forum is setup now, google has access to it and completely indexes all of the posts. The reason why that is a problem is because a lot of people here use their real names and once their posts are indexed, they'll be forever immortalized on the web. Now, a lot of folks here get into heated arguments and many times don't mean what they say or say it sarcastically. Since employers these days always do a google search on employee's name, this could have some unintended consequences. This is why almost all websites don't allow spiders to index forums.What's the official position of this site on these things? Would it be possible to just block Google from indexing forum only? Technically, it's easy as creating a text file. http://www.google.com/webmasters/3.html#B3 This would not impact Wilmott's google rank (no idea if people are worried about that) at all since the value of this site is primarily in the articles section.Thanks,MikePS: People could still search the forum using the built in search engine so all of this would cause no grief to no one.

Mike,I have to say that I am not keen on this idea. Anything that hinders people's knowledge of the site is going to affect its long-term viability. To keep most of the site free we have to rely on free publicity, such as google. Most members of the Forum are over 21, I would expect that they understand that what appears here can be viewed by anyone. (If they don't appreciate the consequences of their actions then this is a relatively painless way for them to learn that valuable lesson!) A lot of employers will already know about the site, so Googling is irrelevant. The other side of the coin is that people can also check up on their possible future employers here...at least one example springs to mind!P

QuoteOriginally posted by: PaulMost members of the Forum are over 21, I would expect that they understand that what appears here can be viewed by anyone. (If they don't appreciate the consequences of their actions then this is a relatively painless way for them to learn that valuable lesson!) You mean painless to you

Mike has a legitimate point; however, there is no requirement here to use your realname -- goofy aliases, pseudonyms or meaningless acronyms are not prohibited, sofar as I know.Anyone who has read Leo Strauss' Persecution and the Art of Writing willrealize the wisdom of either using an alias for political writings, or, alternatively, maskingwhat one really believes using the time honored technique of esoteric and exoteric writing.

wilmott.com is a place where most us improve our knowledge of the craft. It follows that earlier posts are often dumber than newer ones, and if a potential boss sees a remark by you as a newbie, he may think you are still one.We see all stream of thought somewhere here,and some is of the standards of things people say in the pub.I've seen olny one post which would make me not hire someone. This was a guy who asked for the questions and the answers for CSFBs tests. He clearly wanted to bullshit his way into a job that he wouldn't be able to do. This is a confection of malpractice and stupidity that would put him out of my view.He was, however smart enough to do this without revealing his name.