I was thinking about this lately because I tried to get my accounts deleted on some asshole ridden forums. I also noticed that on vBulletin, admins can restore deleted / edited posts. Doesn't that go against the vBulletin agreement when someone installs a forum on their host? I mean, if somebody joins a forum and REALLY doesn't like it and wants to leave, they should be able to get a free pass out of the place. SMF and Proboards have that feature for deleting posts and your profile, which is awesome. You can also change your name, but the sign in name is different. This isn't about DP. I'm just speaking in general terms. Also, please no flames.
yes if a big forum wants to take a noise dive by deleting massve amounts of posts by deleting members... I would never do that... If you do not want to be on my forum anymore, just do not come back. being on a forum or not has nothing to do with vbulletin, and I doubt even vb would even delete your account, even if you requested it, and if they did, more power to them then. They create the software, they can not tell me the rules of my own forum, or how to run my forum, not going to happen.
Don't you mean nose dive? I see where you're going with the whole "we don't wanna lose our precious posts" thing. But in all honesty here, forums about video games are usually run by complete airheads. It doesn't really matter what the subject of the forum is about. I also don't get why admins have to act so contrary about things like deleting posts and accounts. If you don't wanna be there, you'll never be a constructive poster or whatever, so why should it matter if they delete you from the record books?! Many, MANY others have made enquiries about the same thing. When you get put on an e-mail list for some stuff you don't have an interest in, whether it was by choice or whether you were subscribed by other means, then usually you can click on the little unsubscribe link and that then resolves the spam issues. But many forums don't have this option at all. They do have that feature for removing yourself from any future replies to topics, but as for the accounts themselves, they have no such way to delete your membership. The only reason I'm asking this is because I'm not happy with the treatment I've received on certain web groups. In fact, I regret even registering with them in the first place. But I can't forsee the future. I don't have a crystal ball that told me I'd have any trouble. Sigh.
It messes up the entire forum post if someone wants to be deleted. If you don't like a forum, simply leave and don't go back.
A forum will also take a beating if you have special rules to delete one, and not delete the other...sure you may have one member that does not post much, ok, so you delete him, then you have another another member that has 5-10k posts, so you delete him too? Then you got complaints that you deleted so, and so, why not delete me too, then a year later you get complaints why was my account deleted? Then if you delete accounts, they may just want to come back as forum spammers...there are a few reasons why I would not delete accounts. There is nothing in your profile that is of any value anyway, and some do not even put anything in their profile, if you do not want to come back, then remove anything in your profile, and be gone...you do not have anything anyone would want...
Trust me. If I could get 100% removed, I wouldn't look back. But if you're banned, you cannot delete the info stored in your profile. But I can see why it would be frustrating if there were missing posts or broken links in a forum. Then again, wouldn't they eventually become inactive anyway?
thats true, but you were not talking about banning...I am not worried about them becoming inactive, by deleting accounts, you could be removing 100' or 1000's of posts, then posts will be out of place... one simple rule for all...no deletion...I would however obligate banning them...try asking dp to delete your account and see how far you get...at one time they would not even change your user name, I think they do it for $$$ now..not too sure though...a forum is under no obligation to delete your account even if you disappear and never to return...
I'm cool with DP. It's these other boards that piss me off. I guess if they're not going to grow up and leave me alone or delete my accounts, then I shouldn't even give two shits about them. I think they just do it deliberately sometimes.
Well I think it could be a wild combination of all these issues. Like too many fannies populating the net. When the net was used for just gathering info, it was better. Now you get jokers.