What are the event privacy options?
When you create an event, you choose its "Privacy":
- Public: Anyone on and off FetLife can see the event. Only FetLife members can see the attendee list, the organizer, and the address.
- FetLifers: Any FetLife member can see the event and RSVP to it.
- Friends: Only members who are invited and the organizer's friends can see and RSVP to the event.
- Private: Only members who are invited can see and RSVP to the event.
Friends events
On a Friends event, "the organizer's friends" means the friends of the person who created the event. Friends of co-hosts don't get access unless they're invited. Co-hosts, and anyone who's invited or has RSVPed, can see the event too, even if they aren't friends with the organizer. If someone who isn't the organizer's friend removes their RSVP, they lose access.
Friends events show "{nickname}'s Friends-Only Event" on the event page and on event cards. They show up on the Events page, in the Events tab of your feed, and in search, but only for members who can see them. People who aren't logged in can't see Friends events.
What people who aren't logged in see on a public event
If someone opens a link to a public event while logged out, they see a slimmed-down event page with:
- The name, tagline, and category
- The date and time
- The city, state or region, and country
- The description
- The cover picture (explicit cover pictures are blurred)
- The dress code, price, and accessibility info
- How many people are going or interested
They never see who is attending, who is organizing, the exact address or name of the location, the link for virtual events, or event discussions.
Public events can also be listed on FetLife's public event pages for cities, which search engines like Google can find. FetLifers, Friends, and Private events are never shown to people who aren't logged in.
Can I change the privacy later?
- You can switch an event between "Public" and "FetLifers" at any time. Open your event, press "Manage", go to the "Privacy" tab, choose the new option, and press "Update Event Privacy".
- You can also switch a "Public" or "FetLifers" event to "Friends" the same way. Everyone who already RSVPed stays on the list and keeps access. Once an event is "Friends", it can't be changed to another option.
- A "Private" event can't be changed to another option, and other events can't be made "Private".
If you need a different setting, create a new event (you can duplicate your event to save time).
Other privacy settings
On the same "Privacy" tab, or under "Additional privacy settings" when you create an event, you can:
- Turn on "Request-Only Event". Members have to request to attend and you approve or deny each request. If you turn this off later, all open requests are accepted.
- Choose what to "Only show the following to people who've RSVPed to the event": the "Address & Name of Location" (or the "Link" for virtual events) and the "Attendees".
- Choose "Who can invite people to the event?". New public and FetLifers events start with "Attendees and event organizers". New Friends and private events start with "Only the event organizers".
Blocks
If you've blocked the organizer, or the organizer has blocked you, you can't see their event.