Thread: Can you please delete my account?

I'm not affiliated in any way with DogForums, but I have run my own unrelated forum using the same software for about 8 years.

I don't delete accounts because it can mess up the database. I used to delete accounts, and when you do, you either have to delete all posts by that user, which can screw up any threads they started or posted in, or leave behind these phantom messages that "belong" to no one. It also can mess up the search function.

The other problem is that the majority of the people who ask me to remove their accounts are troublemakers. Spammers and trolls. Keeping their profile on record lets me keep track of them (email, IP address, that sort of thing) when they inevitably return to cause more trouble.

It's just easier all around to have a blanket "don't delete accounts" policy. We also don't delete posts. We may remove them from public view, but we don't delete.

If someone does not want to be a member of my forum anymore, that's just fine. Stop visiting and stop posting. Edit your profile so it contains no personal information such as real name, location or instant messaging options, and so you don't recieve messages about the forum via email.

on all the other forums I've joined you only have to PM the administrator and ask them to delete your account - and they so it as soon as possible.

May I ask how many forums you've joined and then asked to have your account deleted? Why would you do that?

If you don't like the forum, just don't visit it anymore. In a very short time, all five of your posts will sink into oblivion and nobody will ever remember that you'd ever been here.

If you went to, say, Disneyworld, and didn't particularly like it, would you ask the people who run the park to delete all evidence that you'd ever visited?

By the way, those flashy advertisements are what makes it possible to keep this forum running. I have very little trouble ignoring them (and I'm sure the sponsors will be thrilled to hear that.)

Originally Posted by RonE

May I ask how many forums you've joined and then asked to have your account deleted? Why would you do that?

While I can't speak for the original poster, I know I have joined many message boards hoping to find people to discuss things, people to ask questions of, some sort of community atmosphere only to find out after I joined that it was not a place I wanted to be (i've also left a few because, while i liked the board, i didn't have the time to keep up on it and felt was better to remove the temptation than to fall behind in more important things like raising my family). Like the original poster, I have asked admins to delete my account and the admins were most willing to do so for me. I have never had any place refuse to delete my account when asked. Usually the admins would ask me if there was a problem causing me to leave, but once I explain the circumstances, they are most helpful and encourage me to return if I find I have more time or whatever.

As for keeping track of IP's, I have ran my own proboards account in the past and people's IP addresses (internet provider address, for the person who asked...) change each time they log in and out. Most IP's only have a certain number of number sequences to give to their customers and no customer has their own specific IP address. The ones who don't change are the ones who stay connected to the internet non-stop. (from my experience anyway)

Originally Posted by PuggleMommy

As for keeping track of IP's, I have ran my own proboards account in the past and people's IP addresses (internet provider address, for the person who asked...) change each time they log in and out. Most IP's only have a certain number of number sequences to give to their customers and no customer has their own specific IP address. The ones who don't change are the ones who stay connected to the internet non-stop. (from my experience anyway)

That's not entirely true. Although most newer internet accounts are given dynamic (a range of) ip addresses, most ISP's are allocated a fixed number of Static (constant and unchanging and specific to individual users) IP's. The only reason that dynamic IP's are used at all, is because there is not an unlimited number of ip's, so the pool of addresses to pull from was getting kinda low.
An ip address is like a street address, given to your computer by a server at your internet service provider's place of business. It allows other computers, wanting to send information to you, to know where to locate your computer.

I was going strictly by seeing the numbers change for members of the board I used to have.

The only reason we would have even look at an IP address would be if we suspected multiple registrations, in violation of forum rules.

Personally, I would weed out the registrations of inactive members to get a more accurate picture of how many members the forum really has. With this bulletin board software, it's not worth the effort.

We had a member on another forum I moderate that was banned for extreme behavior. He demanded that we go through and delete each of his 4,000+ posts.

We didn't do it.

The I.P. address helps us assess the likelihood that that two posters are posting from the same computer and Internet service. Having someones I.P. address does NOT enable a malicious user to log on as someone else. For that, you will need the password. It is your responsibility to protect your password. Moderators cannot see your password and cannot recover it if you forget what it is.

Normally (and I have no idea if this is the case with the OP) when someone asks to have their account deleted, it is because they are unhappy with the forum and think that deleting the account will somehow teach someone a lesson.

but my password was given out by the forum mods themselves

I can only attest to how THIS forum works. I'm sorry you've had a very bad experience with another one.

On vBulletin forums running up to date versions of the software (ie, not version 1.2 or something), admin and mods can't see your password. It's encrypted. Admin could change your password if you needed it changed, but mods can't.

I can't speak for how other forum software works.

Originally Posted by PuggleMommy

As for keeping track of IP's, I have ran my own proboards account in the past and people's IP addresses (internet provider address, for the person who asked...) change each time they log in and out. Most IP's only have a certain number of number sequences to give to their customers and no customer has their own specific IP address. The ones who don't change are the ones who stay connected to the internet non-stop. (from my experience anyway)

IP Address is actually Internet Protocol Address. How often it changes depends on your service provider. Most providers use dynamic addresses rather than static b/c they are managing thousands and thousands of users and it's much easier for them to let the ips be dynamically assigned.

If you want your IP Address to change, you can usually unplug your router or modem from the internet for a while (it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 8 hours), plug it back in and it will most likely be assigned a new ip address by your service provider.

Unless someone owns their own ip address, it's not extremely helpful information for an outside person to have. It's really only going to tell them the region of the country (and that may not be accurate) and who owns the IP (most likely a major ISP).

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

IP Address is actually Internet Protocol Address. How often it changes depends on your service provider. Most providers use dynamic addresses rather than static b/c they are managing thousands and thousands of users and it's much easier for them to let the ips be dynamically assigned.

If you want your IP Address to change, you can usually unplug your router or modem from the internet for a while (it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 8 hours), plug it back in and it will most likely be assigned a new ip address by your service provider.

Unless someone owns their own ip address, it's not extremely helpful information for an outside person to have. It's really only going to tell them the region of the country (and that may not be accurate) and who owns the IP (most likely a major ISP).

Exactly. And knowing someone's IP address doesn't magically give someone full access to your computer and all the information to it. Just like knowing your street address doesn't give someone accsess to your security system, a key to your front door and your automatic garage door opener. At the same time, without your an IP address, nobody would be able to communicate with you via the computer. How secure your computer is, is totally up to you. Hackers get listings of thousands of IP addresses, and basically take that listing and see if they can hack into individual ip's. A dynamic IP (one that changes) may protect you from getting hacked by the same person twice, but does very little as far as actual security goes. That's not what IP's are for. That's what firewalls, spyware checkers, virus scans, and windows settings are for. The whole purpose of your IP address is for other computers to be able to identify a certain set of numbers as being you.

Originally Posted by whimsy

If there was a way of hiding my I.P. I would grab it, my company hasn't mentioned it so I guess it's available to whoever goes to the trouble of finding it.

I've heard of websites you can route through that hide your IP address. I've never used them though to know if they really work.


lovemygreys - thank you for the correction. Everyone I've talked to calls them what I did. But it sounds like I at least had the part about the number changing correct.

the-tenth - I've wondered why, then, is the "ban IP" an option on message boards and stuff? I've actually heard of people who try to join a board and find out that their IP was banned when someone else had it.

IP ban can be useful when someone is creating new accounts over and over and over again and flooding a forum.

I always check to make sure that no other current member has that same address or similar address before blocking. Typically, even if the users IP changes each time they come in, the first three sets of numbers are the same, and it's only the last set that changes. Even at that, it's only a temporary fix. At most, it gives trolls a chance to cool off and get bored with trying to get in, since they tend to have the attention span of a kitten. But I've had one banned member go so far as to go to a local public library to try to make up a new account to "support" his account that got banned. It's hilarious the lengths people will go to for approval, even if they have to make up an alter ego to approve themselves.

Lorina, I did that once (created a new account after being banned). THere was a mega-message board place that unfairly banned me and a bunch of my friends (truely, they had no reason) and I created a new account just to tell one of my friends on there how to get a hold of me since we hadn't gotten that far yet. But beyond that, I think that people who do that are morons! LOL THanks for explaining that!

Whimsy, stick around mesage boards long enough you figure these things out. I've been going to different message boards for, oh goodness, around 5 years now! LOL