If you've visted your profile "edit" tab recently you'll have noticed that there is a place to enter your AIM or ICQ or Yahoo messenger user name. If you do this, your username will show up on your profile page and when you are logged in to your chat account that information will show up on your profile page, too.

There've certainly been times I've been online and seen that a member was online and wanted to ask a question about the site, for example, but we've had no way to do that except via email through the contact form on the profiles, which is not as immediate. I'm working on ways to help members of the site connect with each other, but it's important to me that you have complete control over how much information to share.

So, please only include information if you want others to see it. Your email address is always hidden from users and they can only contact you through the contact form if you've enabled that. But all your other profile information (passwords excepted of course!) is visible to all users.

You can also choose to share your screen name but not reveal your online status by unchecking the box next to "expose my online status."

Meanwhile, I'd be grateful for feedback about what kinds of features you'd like to see on the site, and especially about how much interactivity you want to have with each other!

...because public space really matters!

Elizabeth