There should be an adult way to permanently close a DU account.

[grntuscarora]

My understanding has been that the only way to close an account is to create a gobbledy password, but I've tried that twice without success.
Seriously, we joined as adults, let us exit as adults. Have a close function!!
If there is one that I don't know about, please inform.

[4now]

1. lol

[grntuscarora]

2. Anything to add besides lol?

[4now]

3. Is this a joke post?

[grntuscarora]

4. If you know a way to delete an account, please share.

I site searched and got nothing except changing passwords to ones you can't possibly remember. Seriously, if there is an ADULT way to do it, please share.

[4now]

5. Sorry. I didn't know that this was a problem.

I don't have an answer but here is a bump. Maybe somebody else will know.

[grntuscarora]

6. Sweetie, you're on here for life.

I didn't get it either.

[Chan790]

7. Walt Starr it.

[fleur-de-lisa]

8. LOL! Classic! eom

[canetoad]

30. LOL

I laugh every time that's reposted.

[Make7]

9. I've never really understood this issue when it comes up.

What would be accomplished with a newly created 'close account' function that doesn't happen by people simply logging out of DU (on all their devices) and then just never logging in again?

[steve2470]

13. amen! nt

[dorkzilla]

15. Perhaps it would allow people to share why they're unhappy enough to leave?

It's probably like breaking up with someone; you want to tell them why instead of just ghosting. Perhaps it's a largely masturbatory exercise, but it also could help Skinner retain star members or help with membership in general if he was made aware of issues - outside of the usual primary infighting - that may help him keep the ship afloat financially.

I guess it would sort of be like hitting the "walk" on the light-post to cross the street--we're pretty sure it doesn't do shit, but it makes us feel better.

[Alekzander]

22. I think it is Skinner trying to keep membership numbers, doesn't matter if they are active or not.

[Make7]

19. We could call it the "I Am Done Trolling You" button.

Wouldn't that just be an invitation for people to post all kinds of ridiculous crap and then when the trail is too obvious for anyone to miss, they just hit the "I Am Done Trolling You" button to erase their entire history and sign up with a new account to start all over again?

What percentage of the board would become "Account Self-Deleted By User" posts? 20%? 30%? Reading old threads would be interesting - if you could still figure out what the conversation was about...

Perhaps adults should realize that when they post things on a public message board on the internet, people will be able to read what they say for years to come.

[div class="excerpt" style="margin-right:3px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:-1px -1px 3px #bfbfbf inset;"]Opt-Out and Modification of Provided Information

Democratic Underground users may request that their personal information be deleted from Site records by sending an email to [e-mail]. The Site will remove personally identifiable information from its records for any user that requests removal, provided that the user’s account remains inactive for seven days. Any user whose information is removed from Site records shall thereafter be bound by rules for “All Users,” as provided above, except that information in the public domain, such as a user’s forum posts while a Registered User, will not be deleted from the Site’s records.

[font style="font-size:0.85em;"]http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=privacy[/font]

[MADem]

23. Some people just NEEEEEEEEED to slam that damn door!!!!!

A ton of cellphones were ruined back in the early days of mobile phones when people would "bang down the receiver" like we used to do on sturdy MA BELL landlines!!

People like to be dramatic...."I'm GOING.....and I'll never darken your towels AGAIN! Harrrumpppph! So THERE!!!!!!"

Without the opportunity to sanctimoniously push a button, there's no "Harrumph" factor there. Much easier to just leave, and if you don't want to come back, either change the password or the email address to something that is pure garbage and move on.

[rug]

10. Post nude pictures of Ted Cruz.

[Ptah]

11. Got any?

[rug]

12. Just one.

[dorkzilla]

14. What did that poor fish ever do to deserve such derision?

That fish is a beautiful creature compared to that talking meat puppet.

Poor Mr. Fishy.

[MADem]

24. Those would probably be a comedy hit! nt

[LanternWaste]

17. Exiting DU as an adult merely means a cessation in posting without explanation

"we joined as adults, let us exit as adults..."

Exiting DU as an adult merely means a cessation in posting without explanation, rant, apology or diatribe.

[GulfCoast66]

18. But drama. They want drama!

It is not enough to leave. There needs to be a big production to highlight how the wicked establishment has run them off this one great site.

It is kind of funny that they are forced to ignobly leave!

[WayBeyondBlue]

20. This thread pretty much says why

Honest questions get childish response.

Don't want to be tempted to violate your TOS out of respect. (bites tongue)

[BDize]

21. You do know don't you

that when you create a gobbledygook password, you're not supposed to write it down?

My understanding has been that the only way to close an account is to create a gobbledy password, but I've tried that twice without success.

For real, how does someone create a gobbledygook password and successfully remember it?

Adult way to leave DU - log out and never log back in

Semi-adult way to leave DU - create a gobbledygook password by closing your eyes and typing random letters and numbers. Or have a 5 year old neighbor kid do it and make him promise never to divulge what he typed in.

Crybaby way to leave DU - whine about not being able to leave in an adult way.

[MADem]

25. Better still--change your EMAIL ADDRESS too, to something garbage-y.

If you don't have a "real" email address, they can't send you a temporary password if you've forgotten your old one.

So change the email address to [e-mail] ... or something on those lines....

[onecaliberal]

26. It's really easy. Log out, go away. Never come back. Wa la!

[PoliticAverse]

27. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...

[zipplewrath]

28. No, you can't.

And the reality is that they have no interest in providing such a feature. They only want to remove those people that reduce their numbers. If you want to reduce them by merely one, they have no interest. The bottom line is that any web site wants to advertise the maximum number of participants, not the nominal. The advertisers are pushing back, but in the end I suspect they care little about who "Leaves" and more about who comes back. Those are the "eys" that are the most "profitable".

[hunter]

29. There's no advertisers paying attention to membership numbers that I'm aware of.

Otherwise you'd have sites all over the internet claiming 10 billion members.

The only numbers advertisers pay attention to are page views and ad clicks. Their own software counts those.

Unnecessary and childish drama has been a consistent problem here on DU. A "delete my account now!" button would only add to that drama.

DU has had other features, since removed, that provoked unnecessary and childish drama, for examples, "unrecommends" and visible ignore list counts.

I know certain people would love to claw back all their words before they exit, but how would that make DU a better place?

Just as it is in "the real world," sometimes the wisest choice is to simply walk away.