A little concerned about my options to delete my account

From what I understand...You cant delete your account... Why on Earth would that Be...That seems mighty odd. I hope I'm wrong, but if not...WHY! Does anyone else here not have a problem with this...

Have you tried contacting an admin or something?

I can see some concerns with not being able to delete an account, but won't voice or elaborate on them here until there is positive proof that there is no way at all to delete an account.

reply to post by Texan123


You can always get banned. lol JK!
But no, my understanding is you can not delete your account. You're stuck here forever!
Just don't use it anymore, if that will make you feel better.

The reason you can not delete your account outright is to prevent there from being gaps in content in existing threads. ATS does not disclose nor share your information so it shouldn't be a concern but you at one time being a willing contributor to threads can not decide one day you will renig on that contribution and leave multiple threads full of holes like Swiss cheese and damage content.

It sucks yes but then again, it's also understandable from their point of view.

reply to post by Helious
The odd thing is...I dont wont to delete my account..Its just that when I learned I couldnt...It kinda screwed with me...And still does

Originally posted by Helious
The reason you can not delete your account outright is to prevent there from being gaps in content in existing threads. ATS does not disclose nor share your information so it shouldn't be a concern but you at one time being a willing contributor to threads can not decide one day you will renig on that contribution and leave multiple threads full of holes like Swiss cheese and damage content.

It sucks yes but then again, it's also understandable from their point of view.

edit on 22-12-2012 by Helious because: (no reason given)

Well, that reason is a little cheesy-holey itself. Not all posts are replied to (which doesn't mean they are not valuable), and those that are usually contain quotes, so the relevant parts would still be there.

Anyway, I do agree with the OP that there should be the option to delete one's account AND/OR to delete and edit the posts themselves. Other forums have that option, and they seem to be surviving just fine.

As I understand it, you can have it closed....but because of the nature of User Content and the integrated part the message archive plays to the whole thing here....the holes that deleting accounts would just blast through thousands upon thousands of threads going back would be real destructive.

I could be wrong..but that is how I've understood it in seeing bits and pieces discussed since coming here.

*Err.. Sorry Helious..I'd missed your note saying about the same thing.

You'd screw up the Hotel California Matrix if you deleted your account......

Can't have that happening..once you've checked in...that's it Bro...

Des

I'm gonna take this↓ statement a little further.....

Originally posted by Helious

The reason you can not delete your account outright is to prevent there from being gaps in content in existing threads. ATS does not disclose nor share your information so it shouldn't be a concern but you at one time being a willing contributor to threads can not decide one day you will renig on that contribution and leave multiple threads full of holes like Swiss cheese and damage content.

....because once you have posted it, it's no longer yours. Yeah, they give you a couple hours to edit, but officially, as soon as it has been posted, it becomes the property of 'The Above Network'.




[color=696969]That's my understanding of it anyways. I could be wrong.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000

....the holes that deleting accounts would just blast through thousands upon thousands of threads going back would be real destructive.

That's kind of a scary thought. It's hard enough the way it is. I already can't figure out what the hell half the people are talking about, even when the full conversation is there. lol

Originally posted by Destinyone
You'd screw up the Hotel California Matrix if you deleted your account......

Can't have that happening..once you've checked in...that's it Bro...

Des

edit on 22-12-2012 by Destinyone because: (no reason given)

Hey, that actually works too. You CAN check-out...by closing an account. You just can't ever leave... A piece of us all will always be here in essence no matter what happens. It's almost kinda spooky, huh?

You also cant change your username which is a bit strange, I tried to change mine and was told at the time it would affect the integrity of their database which I've never heard off...

ATS is the biggest conspiracy!

I'm sure if you contact an admin & provide a reason why they may delete your account, now i have a question regarding facebook, i find it more interesting how we can't delete our facebook account.

Originally posted by Texan123
reply to post by Helious

 

The odd thing is...I dont wont to delete my account..Its just that when I learned I couldnt...It kinda screwed with me...And still does

edit on 22-12-2012 by Texan123 because: Keep your a and I'll keep my o

Well then, this ought to really bake your pumpkins..

ATS owns anything you submit to it as intellectual property. As in, they can sell anything you post and keep the cash.

You're an unpaid worker

Originally posted by roughycannon
You also cant change your username which is a bit strange, I tried to change mine and was told at the time it would affect the integrity of their database which I've never heard off...

ATS is the biggest conspiracy!

I know, haha, it's not like ATS uses a database or anything.

It's all one big fat INI file..

Corrupt databases, haha the lies they spread... sheesh

Originally posted by roughycannon
You also cant change your username which is a bit strange, I tried to change mine and was told at the time it would affect the integrity of their database which I've never heard off...

ATS is the biggest conspiracy!

I have commented on this before I will give you the same reason I gave them.

You see when I'm quoting your username is right in the text box I am writing in.
this post goes into a text table in mysql as my post.
you go change your name other users don't have a clue who I am quoting from.
because the name change never effected my text with your quoted name.

best logical answer.

reply to post by roughycannon

Originally posted by roughycannon

You also cant change your username which is a bit strange,.....

Personally, I think that's a good thing. Trolling would be much more of an issue if people could keep changing their username.


You can change your avatar though....... Seriously, how long you gonna force him to keep jumping? He's gotta be getting tired.

Originally posted by amraks

this post goes into a text table in mysql as my post.

What is that? Is that a typo, or an abbreviation?

Originally posted by FeelingPure
I'm sure if you contact an admin & provide a reason why they may delete your account, now i have a question regarding facebook, i find it more interesting how we can't delete our facebook account.

You can. www.facebook.com...

Originally posted by BrokenCircles

Originally posted by amraks

this post goes into a text table in mysql as my post.

What is that? Is that a typo, or an abbreviation?

mysql is a database engine.

reply to post by winofiend

I look at it this way on the intellectual property. Yes...I suppose by submission, ATS owns it and could even use it in a context other than it sits here today...tho I doubt that actually happens for being used in any other way.

At the same time, I have a handful of very long, in depth and/or passionately created threads which I don't simply take pride in.....at some point, I'll refer people to them in my professional contacts as examples of my writing and ability to produce work. It never started that way for even a passing thought in side benefits to the big threads, however.... The more I'm moving in the direction I am with school, the more that becomes relevant in the long term sense.

(That stands for ANYONE who really puts 110% time into a thread. Any one of us can point to our writing here as a body of work for a future thing where that may matter....so contributing good stuff matters! )

@ Thread

Speaking of writing... I check this out occasionally to see what the numbers are and for those who haven't discovered it, it's on the forum page, down a way on the right side.



As far as I know, all 15+ MILLION of those messages are referenced or indexed through search? I've never heard of anyone talk about vast numbers held out of the system in archives or anything. Of course a large number are probably staff stuff none of us see....but that makes no difference to database load.

I think it's a wonder it all runs as well as it does given how it's just evolved over time and grown to these numbers.

(call this my Merry X-Mas message to those who keep the place running here too... it's quite a deal to have free as it is)