Closed Accounts

TeddyTedson

Would an idea not be to put a 24hour wait before you can make your first post. It might be a small help

Steve

I know this is done for data protection reasons or whatever but couldn't borards attach conditions to closing accounts? i.e. unless you have a verifiable privacy reason or whatever to close then you don't get a new one for 6 months a year without being treated as a general ban re-reg.

Also -wrt to email address retention, is there anything to stop me signing up using 'steve@trollmail.com', trolling boards, changing my email to 'somethingelse@trollmail.com' and then closing my account ready to start afresh..?

dr.bollocko

Overheal wrote: »

What's the alternative?

Maybe instead of what works IRL (3 strikes, etc; progressively harsher sentences) mods should just start getting progressively harsher on the behavior thats causing the problem, not the user exhibiting the behavior. ie. ban the use of 'thats gay' as an acceptable phrase (we did this) instead of putting up with users that say it, until theyve said it too many times (ie. first time "meh dont do it again", 5th time "ban!"). Just as a [bad] example.

If you can keep your nose clean (while being a regular poster) for X amount of time then the history should be wiped clean. Seeing as it can be wiped clean by closing your account, switching off yer router for a while and re-regging it strikes me as only fair really.

Overheal

Agreed. At most, archived infraction/ban history should only show up to admins or something. Mods don't need to see years old infractions that hold no bearing on the user's current post style. The last 12 months, perhaps.

pickarooney

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Seeing as it can be wiped clean by closing your account, switching off yer router for a while and re-regging it strikes me as only fair really.

I still don't get why people are insisting that closing your account gives you any advantage over not closing your account when re-regging.

LuckyLloyd

Overheal wrote: »

What's the alternative?

Maybe instead of what works IRL (3 strikes, etc; progressively harsher sentences) mods should just start getting progressively harsher on the behavior thats causing the problem, not the user exhibiting the behavior. ie. ban the use of 'thats gay' as an acceptable phrase (we did this) instead of putting up with users that say it, until theyve said it too many times (ie. first time "meh dont do it again", 5th time "ban!"). Just as a [bad] example.

Eh, the way things were?

Overheal

when?

Mr.Biscuits

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Got a bunch of previous bans and infractions and worried it'll be held against you? Just close yer account and re-reg.

Don't get that logic as any user that wanted a clean slate could just re-reg without closing their account. In fact, closing their account and then re-regging would make the odds of getting rumbled, all the more likely than had they not just left their original account open.

dr.bollocko wrote: »

If you can keep your nose clean (while being a regular poster) for X amount of time then the history should be wiped clean.

Whether a user has 'learned' from their misdemeanours or not is irrelevant - there should always be a record of member's infractions and/or bans, otherwise, were there an amensty point, you have a situation where a user could post racist comments for the second time on the forum but because two years has passed, they will get moderated as if it's the first time that they did it - can't be right.

MugMugs

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Overheal wrote: »

What's the alternative?

Maybe instead of what works IRL (3 strikes, etc; progressively harsher sentences) mods should just start getting progressively harsher on the behavior thats causing the problem, not the user exhibiting the behavior. ie. ban the use of 'thats gay' as an acceptable phrase (we did this) instead of putting up with users that say it, until theyve said it too many times (ie. first time "meh dont do it again", 5th time "ban!"). Just as a [bad] example.

If you can keep your nose clean (while being a regular poster) for X amount of time then the history should be wiped clean. Seeing as it can be wiped clean by closing your account, switching off yer router for a while and re-regging it strikes me as only fair really.

I was about to have a go at your post before this but then you wrote this. This speaks perfect sense.

You get banned and infracted in 08 etc and it can still be held against you despite a clean nose since.... That's where half the problem is really. Bravo Doc! Imma diggin what yo sayin....

dr.bollocko

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Whether a user has 'learned' from their misdemeanours or not is irrelevant - there should always be a record of member's infractions and/or bans, otherwise, were there an amensty point, you have a situation where a user could post racist comments for the second time on the forum but because two years has passed, they will get moderated as if it's the first time that they did it - can't be right.

I don't get your logic at all.

Mr.Biscuits

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I don't get your logic at all.

Oh, I think you know quite well what my point was but I'll humour you and pretend that your post wasn't really just about about turning my 'logic' remark back on me.

You (and others) suggest that there should be an amnesty of sorts after 'X' period of time for users that receive bans and/or infractions - let's say that time period is: two years.

Example:

Member A: Get's banned for racist remarks/personal abuse in Jan 2010, which is then wiped Jan 2012 giving him a clean slate (as far as mods can see from his record at least).

Member B: Never been infracted nor banned in his time on Boards.

Feb 2012: both members post a racist remarks and/or are guilty of person abuse.

Now, according to you - both of these users should be treated the same, just because two years has passed in the interim and that to me is illogical, in the extreme.

A quick glance at some of the DRP threads tells us that past behaviors on this forum (well over two years in some cases) is something that the relevant CMods here take into consideration when deciding if someone was/is derserving of a ban and so it should be.

If someoe wants to distance themselves from their rap sheet and open a new account, then so be it - why should that be any incentive for Boards to wipe the slate clean for rule breakers?

All your amensty will do is give trolls an incentive to have a list of alternate accounts as long as their arm. A list that they will just cycle through causing bother and then just leave each account on the back burner before coming back to use it when, at a later date it's "wiped clean".

Insect Overlord

I would have thought blatant racism would get a perma-ban from any forum, regardless of the offender's history. Pick a better analogy.

dr.bollocko

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

A quick glance at some of the DRP threads tells us that past behaviors on this forum (well over two years in some cases) is something that the relevant CMods here take into consideration when deciding if someone was/is derserving of a ban and so it should be.

If someoe wants to distance themselves from their rap sheet and open a new account, then so be it - why should that be any incentive for Boards to wipe the slate clean for rule breakers?

All your amensty will do is give trolls an incentive to have a list of alternate accounts as long as their arm. A list that they will just cycle through causing bother and then just leave each account on the back burner before coming back to use it when, at a later date it's "wiped clean".

But that scenario is not based on what I am suggesting at all.
Because we're just a forum on the internet and not the indonesian judiciary system.
Because an alternative would not be based purely on an automated time system.
Because the intent is to reward good behaviour / learning from past behaviour and not to punish the wicked, because again, we want more good posters, not more pissed off posters.

But sher, whatever, carry on with the incorrect analogy and the assumptions about my intent because I question your opinion.

Overheal

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I don't get your logic at all.

Oh, I think you know quite well what my point was but I'll humour you and pretend that your post wasn't really just about about turning my 'logic' remark back on me.

You (and others) suggest that there should be an amnesty of sorts after 'X' period of time for users that receive bans and/or infractions - let's say that time period is: two years.

Example:

Member A: Get's banned for racist remarks/personal abuse in Jan 2010, which is then wiped Jan 2012 giving him a clean slate (as far as mods can see from his record at least).

Member B: Never been infracted nor banned in his time on Boards.

Feb 2012: both members post a racist remarks and/or are guilty of person abuse.

Now, according to you - both of these users should be treated the same, just because two years has passed in the interim and that to me is illogical, in the extreme.

A quick glance at some of the DRP threads tells us that past behaviors on this forum (well over two years in some cases) is something that the relevant CMods here take into consideration when deciding if someone was/is derserving of a ban and so it should be.

If someoe wants to distance themselves from their rap sheet and open a new account, then so be it - why should that be any incentive for Boards to wipe the slate clean for rule breakers?

All your amensty will do is give trolls an incentive to have a list of alternate accounts as long as their arm. A list that they will just cycle through causing bother and then just leave each account on the back burner before coming back to use it when, at a later date it's "wiped clean".

So you think older members should be treated more harshly for infractions committed years and years ago versus a rereg who picks up a new name every month?

How does that encourage people to stay?

Callipo

Overheal wrote: »

So you think older members should be treated more harshly for infractions committed years and years ago versus a rereg who picks up a new name every month?

How does that encourage people to stay?

Overheal for admin!

Can we still take the p1ss like that?

I get confused real easy

Steve

Consider this:
Two users register in 2010.

User A immediately posts *stuff* and gets infracted.
He doesn't post for 2 years and then posts *stuff* and gets a ban because he clearly didn't bother to read the rules again.

User B does the same, immediately posts *stuff* and gets carded, however, in the intervening two years he racks up thousands of infraction free posts and has contributed in a general positive way to the site. He again posts *stuff* but this time his positive history is taken into account and he just gets another warning or a telling off.

Which is fairer? Which is more benefit to positively growing the community with people who can exist in the boards environment?

This is why we have human mods that can make human decisions based on information available to them and not robots who blindly follow strict instructions - this makes boards work, and has not hampered the sites growth in any way so why should we try to fix a system that's not broken?
That's also why we don't tolerate 'rules lawyers' who attempt to 'walk the line' and then squirrel out of a ban on a technicality.


* By *stuff* I mean something that was in breach of forum rules and is actionable.

Callipo

Steve wrote: »

Consider this:
Two users register in 2010.

User A immediately posts *stuff* and gets infracted.
He doesn't post for 2 years and then posts *stuff* and gets a ban because he clearly didn't bother to read the rules again.

User B does the same, immediately posts *stuff* and gets carded, however, in the intervening two years he racks up thousands of infraction free posts and has contributed in a general positive way to the site. He again posts *stuff* but this time his positive history is taken into account and he just gets another warning or a telling off.

Which is fairer? Which is more benefit to positively growing the community with people who can exist in the boards environment?

This is why we have human mods that can make human decisions based on information available to them and not robots who blindly follow strict instructions - this makes boards work, and has not hampered the sites growth in any way so why should we try to fix a system that's not broken?
That's also why we don't tolerate 'rules lawyers' who attempt to 'walk the line' and then squirrel out of a ban on a technicality.


* By *stuff* I mean something that was in breach of forum rules and is actionable.

Big hugs alll round?

is that it?

Steve

If it works then yeah..

*hugs*

Overheal

Callipo wrote: »

Overheal for admin!

Can we still take the p1ss like that?

I get confused real easy

Yes Yes. "Overheal for Mod" "Overheal for President" "Overheal for Admin" "Please lift Overheal's Siteban". Bla bla bla :rolleyes:

starbelgrade

How does one go about closing an account?

Sharpshooter

Just go to your User Control panel,and scroll down to
Miscellaneous,it's the last link.

You can click on it to see what the procedure is.:)

4zn76tysfajdxp

starbelgrade wrote: »

How does one go about closing an account?

Never you mind.

pickarooney

Kevin Duffy is gone now too? "But he was just here yesterday, seemed in great form..."

starbelgrade

Hot Lips wrote: »

Just go to your User Control panel,and scroll down to
Miscellaneous,it's the last link.

You can click on it to see what the procedure is.:)

Hmm... I think that might be a trick - if I click on that, are you sure it won't just close my account?

Insect Overlord

starbelgrade wrote: »

Hmm... I think that might be a trick - if I click on that, are you sure it won't just close my account?

You have to tick a few boxes and enter your password before your account is closed, I believe, so you can't be tricked into it that easily.

paulaa

Can someone tell me what is the situation in Ireland between the data protection act and closing forum user accounts please

D

I think it follows on from being able to tell sites (such as facebook) that you no longer want to make use of their services. You state as much and they are legally obliged to no longer retain any information on you.

Closing your account is roughly the same. It is stating to boards that you no longer want to make use of the service and you do not want boards to retain any information on you.

I could be completely wrong so feel free to correct.

paulaa

Thank you very much D. I had never heard anything about this before

Do you know if it's just your name etc that can be taken down or your posts too ?

tbh

paulaa wrote: »

Thank you very much D. I had never heard anything about this before

Do you know if it's just your name etc that can be taken down or your posts too ?

it's only personal info - as far as I remember, that's just your email address. your posts are never removed, although if there's something you're worried about, drop the forum mods a line and explain what the problem is - I'd never refuse to delete a small number of posts, even if I thought the reason wasn't great.

edit: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=72337168&postcount=8

Just to confirm - we don't delete Boards.ie accounts.

We have discussed this with the Data Protection Commissioner and really it only matters for personal details on your account.

On request to hello@boards.ie, we will mark your account as 'Closed account' and delete any details you have entered into your profile.

We will scramble your password, turn off your ability to receive private messages and visitor messages, remove your ability to receive notifications of friend requests and to subscribe to threads and also turn off any notifications you receive from threads you may have subscribed to.

Your email address and IP address will be associated with your record for a time, as per the Data Protection Act, but will also be removed from our records after 40 days.

Your posts or threads will not be deleted, pretty much to keep conversations intact and not disrupt the flow of discussion.

Once this is done it is permanent and irreversible.

Darragh

paulaa

tbh wrote: »

it's only personal info - as far as I remember, that's just your email address. your posts are never removed, although if there's something you're worried about, drop the forum mods a line and explain what the problem is - I'd never refuse to delete a small number of posts, even if I thought the reason wasn't great.

edit: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=72337168&postcount=8

Thanks tbh, that's good to know. My posts are probably not great but I'm not ashamed of them

I was following a conversation about this on another forum a while ago but they didn't say anything about being able to close an account. In fact the mods said they don't close them, ever.