Hi Foxy,

AC has given the standard method for "copy and paste" hyperlinks to OLO. Just remember to delete the "S" from https so it reads http. I think the "S" means secured which prevents the hyperlink from operating as an unsecured hyperlink which it does without the "S". The danger is if the hyperlink were to contain something malicious such as a virus then clicking on it without the security would instantly activate the nasty contained there in. AC correct me if I'm wrong.

The 's' does indeed denote a secure site in that the data is encrypted. That's not to say that http sites aren't secure, just not as secure.

When we take the 's' out that doesn't mean the URL now points to an unsecure site.

The issue is the age of the OLO programme. When we enter a URL the system needs some way to recognise that it is a URL. It does this by looking for instances of 'http://' and when it sees that it knows its found a URL. But the programme preceded the https age and so doesn't know that "https://" is a URL.

Taking the 's' out just help the OLO programme recognise the URL but doesn't compromise the security of the link.

Thanks mhaze, always learning. Knew the "S" had some significance. This program is very old, one time, years back, Graham was thinking of a newer program, but as far as I know the idea got shelved due to cost.

Hi Paul1405,
I'm just going to cut and paste here.
"Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, which is the primary protocol used to send data between a web browser and a website. HTTPS is encrypted in order to increase security of data transfer. This is particularly important when users transmit sensitive data, such as by logging into a bank account, email service, or health insurance provider."
http://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/what-is-https/

I think there's a specific reason why OLO hasn't upgraded to a better looking forum or fixed the https issue.
The OLO website is built on older software, and migrating over to newer updated software would take a significant amount of time and coding skills.
Also all the existing site content in databases also would need to be migrated.
I'm not sure if there's a simple coding fix to make the site recognise the https links.
I have a friend who may know how to fix it, I'll message him and ask.

I'm going to deliberately add a secure link below and then show him this message so he can see what's wrong.
https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/what-is-https/

Thanks AC,

Yes this site could be turned from a Model T into a Farrari, the new 'Facebook' of politics and social debate, but the problem is cost, and as far as I known 'Google' don't pay a lot to advertise here. What has intrigued me over the years is the numbers who join, must be thousands by now, but then choose never to contribute. In words of my granddaughter now 17 going on 25 (wahine); "Get real Pop!"

"Get real Pop!"
Paul1405,
Your grand daughter is right, listen to her. You never know you might even find yourself contributing constructive posts !