Thanks so much for your helpful input, Dusty!

Don- we're trying to clear up some confusion in your descriptions- otherwise we won't be able to help.

1) you can be "signed in" (logged into the fotmd site, as shown by seeing your name at top right link as Dusty outlined in red.... but unless you have JOINED a Group, you still won't be able to access that particular Group's discussions. Again- see Dusty's red outline showing where to JOIN a GROUP.  When you are in a group and something is inaccessible, do you see the button that either says "Join Group" or "Leave Group"?  If you see it, what does it say...join or leave?

2) we can't confuse discussion Forums with Group discussions. Anyone online (even non site members) can see the discussions in our site Forums.  However, with GROUP discussions, you will not see the whole discussion and will not be able to post in the group unless you have JOINED that group- see Dusty's screenshot.
To clear up what you are referring to- please post here the URL or link of the location that you cannot access. Even if it says no access allowed, please Copy that link address and post here, so I can see where you are when you are having this trouble accessing.

3) additionally, as Dusty asked, I too must ask- when you say you are 'restricted' what does that mean?- are you getting an error message?- if so what does the message say?  Or, if an error message is not popping up, what are you seeing?- a "404 Page not found" page?  Or, just not seeing the replies to a discussion?  What exactly are you seeing, or being told in a message?

4) Have you tried accessing these places on a different device? (a phone, a tablet, a laptop, a desktop)  Try a different device to see if it happens from that device too, so we can know if the issue is only happening on one device you're using.

Please try to respond to these particular questions i've laid out above, so I can try to help you.

@don-grundy, what do you mean when you say "forums I follow are restricted?"  Forums should be available to anyone logged in.  Group discussions are limited to those who have joined the Group.

First, make sure you are logged in.  You should see your Username in the upper right-hand corner, as in this screen shot.

If you are definitely logged in, all the Forum Discussions should be open to you, but you will only see the first comment (or maybe the latest comment) of discussions within the Groups. You have to join that individual Group to see the rest of the comments.

If you are sure you are logged in, and you are sure you are talking about Forums rather than Groups, then please explain what you mean by "restricted."  What happens when you click to see a Forum discussion?

Magic, I'm needing to see your IP address from the location you usually use and where you are usually seeing this issue happen... so maybe let me know when you are logged in from your normal home location- then I'll get the IP address that I can double-check on about possibly you being blocked from our end.  Thanks!  You can just email me using the "contact site owner" email link at bottom of site to let me know once you're logged in from home.   :)

There's something else I'd like to check on, Magic.  But you'd need to be logged in at the time I check on it.  So if you are able, please try to get logged in and STAY logged in today, so I can do this check.  I need you to be logged in at the time I do this checking.  Thanks!

Here is what my site platform developers (and my server provider) think:

"So it seems that he's tried different browsers etc. and still intermittently gets this issue.
I'd suggest that he contacts his ISP to see if they are somehow occasionally blocking your site, or maybe a server that might be used on the route to your site."

The idea is that your ISP internet service provider servers are intermittently blocking access to fotmd.com for one reason or another, seeing it as a possible threat. Perhaps that has to do with higher UK protection settings, or not.

It's a good idea to contact them- it's likely that they can whitelist FOTMD.com or adjust that server's settings to stop blocking.

--> Be sure that ALSO on your end, you go into any virus protection programs you might have (and also your browser settings), go into any cookie preventing extensions on your browser, or AdBlock programs etc, and add fotmd.com to any whitelist/'allow' lists there might be within those programs and software.

If this frequent access blocking was coming from fotmd software or fotmd servers, then a whole bunch of members would be experiencing this, and that doesn't seem to be the case. Something you have going on is blocking you from accessing fotmd.com and the pages on our site server.

I had a similar problem the other day and I just figured the site was offline for awhile.  I came back later and got right on, so I don't know what the issue was.  That's the ONLY time I've had a problem getting on in 2020.

weird. I have no advice for you. Sorry.

Magictime, I have a question, but maybe I'm just a little slow this morning.  If you get an error that you can't enter the site, how are you able to post comments here? What are you doing to bypass that error screen?  I wonder if you are not running some kind of virus-protection or internet firewall software that wants to double check that you want to visit this site.  I'm no expert, though, so my questions and comments may just reveal my own ignorance. 

This is helpful additional information, thanks.   :)

I've asked a couple of knowledgeable folks about this to see if they have any ideas.

Meanwhile, if any other members are experiencing this, please post it here.

Try not using the bookmark you created a while back.  See my last post.  Also purposely log out when you do it. Clear your browser cookies.  then come to the site by typing in the location fotmd.com and not using your old bookmark to get there. Replace your old bookmark with a new one.  Tell me if you get the problem when doing the above. 

BTW, the email link at the bottom of the site "contact site owner" works outside the site, through regular email.

Magictime, to help determine if this is indeed a browser issue, try a different browser.  If you usually use Firefox, try Chrome or vice versa.

I've never heard of this happening before either.

Magictime, I've never heard of this happening before, and I'm not sure what it means.

Have you tried coming to the site by directly typing in fotmd.com into your browser location window, instead of using a bookmark you may have created a while back?  Try that.  If it gets you here ok by typing in the address new, then make that the new bookmark and get rid of your previous bookmark.  This could be a bad bookmark or a browser issue.

Important--> When does this happen?  When you are just trying to get to the home page and have not logged in yet, OR when you are already logged in and trying to go to some page on the site?  Please tell me exactly what page you are on when this happens, and what you are trying to do when it happens.

I just had a few days where I haven't been able to access the site - I just get a message saying 'You do not have permission to access this server'. This has happened many times now, usually for a day or so, sometimes for more like a week. I don't know if it's to do with me being in the UK or what, but I don't think the problem is in my end - it always resolves itself without me doing anything. Just wondering if anyone else has this issue or if anything can be done about it.