How do I get a response?

[billknny]

I tried the "Contact Us" button, but my request has been completely ignored.

Let me preface this with saying I understand the limitations of what I am asking. I read the "Rules". Not only read, but I understand the limitation both practical and social

What I want to happen is to have my account deleted as completely as possible. I know that there are limits, but the rules specifically spell those out.

Is there some other way to ask for this to happen that I am missing? Or is this just never going to happen despite what the rules say is possible?

[senormechanico]

If you say something awful enough, you can get banned. That's almost the same...

[GordMay]

... Is there some other way to ask for this to happen that I am missing?
Or is this just never going to happen despite what the rules say is possible?

I believe:
No
Yes

[estarzinger]

I made the same request about a year ago, and was told that - it was technically possible to do, but that they refused to do so (at least for me)

[boatman61]

Maybe just go to the User CP and edit/delete everything you entered about yourself then just don't log in again..
Pretty much what I've done on FB.. all photo's, personal info etc then closed my account.. according to the process which gave me 2 weeks to change my mind by just logging in again.
However I've a feeling that in 20yrs FB will have more dead than alive members.. including me..
Hotel California..!!!

[goat]

You just need to channel your inner Bob Perry, Scoobert, Smackdaddy etc. Learn from the masters, grasshopper.

[JPA Cate]

I don't really understand why, but the policy is to not delete accounts. I did not see the abovementioned request, nor do I know who has received it, but billknny should hear back at some point from one of the [volunteer] moderators. It is that what with time zone differences, and mods only being on line part time, things do not happen quickly.

As Boatie wrote, if you quit logging in, you will fairly effectively disappear, but your old posts will remained in archived threads.

Ann,
JPA Cate, moderator

[Factor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I don't really understand why, but the policy is to not delete accounts.

I understand why.

[goat]

It would be a nightmare for moderators to remove all posts made by, referred to, responded to and quoted and yet retain some kind of coherence in a thread. Especially those threads which could be many years old.
Just stop logging in and forget you were ever here. Out of sight, out of mind.

goat

[JPA Cate]

Yes, if accounts were deleted, then the person's posts would disappear, not only leaving weird gaps, but in some cases, losing interesting and valuable information. And then, as goat stated, there would be discontinuities leading to incoherence. The other point is that people should take responsibility for their actions: including what they post.

From my point of view, the policy is what it is. CF seems to bumble along with it as it is.


Ann

[alansmith]

You are in my web, said the spider to the fly.....

[Caribbeachbum]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I don't really understand why, but the policy is to not delete accounts.

A couple of speculations, one cynical, one technical.

Cynically speaking, if you're not paying for a service, it's really you that's being served to a paying customer. The more registered users, the more they can get for advertising -- that kind of thing.

Technically speaking, some hash linked to the registered user account is probably a primary key in the database. No one wants to pay an expensive DBA to write a procedure to do a clean cascade delete, and without that, you get orphaned records and ultimately a corrupt database.

Perhaps I should change my user name to DROP TABLE users;

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Caribbeachbum

Perhaps I should change my user name to DROP TABLE users;

Another XKCD fan I see

For those unfamiliar with the reference:

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Caribbeachbum

Perhaps I should change my user name to DROP TABLE users;

ermmm... ok. We can update your user name so long as no one else has grabbed that awesome username.

But your point is accurate.

When an account is deleted, posts are orphaned. They exist but are not searchable. We don't typically mass deleted posts because it wrecks thread continuity. Responses to a deleted post are left in limbo and the threads begins to look like a bunch of random stuff - folks talking to themselves.

We can change up usernames when there's a need or even lock an account so that it can no longer be logged into but really, just opting to not long in the the simplest thing.

If a member no longer wants to get e-mail from us there are controls in in each account to unsubscribe.

We won't take it personally - much... OK, I might sulk, just a wee bit.

[RaymondR]

I discovered that the forum is not all fun when a number of my posts turned up in the table of evidence of a property settlement case recently.