We've had several inquiries regarding these topics lately so I'm going to clarify our policy on each:

Account Deletion

As a rule of thumb, we do not delete accounts. Technically we could, but we do not, for a multitude of reasons. First, account deletion is a permanent and irreversible process. Many people have asked for bans and deletions, only to return a couple of days or weeks later and change their minds. Should you come back under a new account, and request access to your old profile, PMs, reputation comments etc., this will no longer be possible. And we will not only not be able to restore your old account, but it will also not be possible to assign your old posting history to your new profile.

Secondly, account deletion only removes your account per se, but also not the above-mentioned content. Your posts, PMs, VMs, reputation comments etc. would still remain in the database, though unassigned to a particular profile. They would appear as if a guest account made them - unless someone manually pruned them. For people with thousands+ of posts, this could prove quite a tedious job. In addition, your old username and posts would still appear where others quoted them. Public posts are also cached by search engines and recorded by countless other people with varying motives. So in reality, account deletion doesn't achieve too much, not to mention deleting accounts and posts makes existing threads unintelligible and searching difficult.

For those who wish to suppress their accounts for privacy reasons, there are other options available, such as name change, suppression of individual posts containing private information and sensitive data (such as names or photos), temporarily placing one's account on global ignore or banning on request. If you have individual posts, pictures or classification threads you'd like removed, message any staff member and we will assist you.

Banning on Request

If you plan to leave or take a break from the forum, we advise simply not visiting or logging in anymore. However, we also issue bans on request in some cases. If you have an exam coming up or you need to spend some time away from the forum and you believe only a temporary ban would help, contact any staff member. Please note that your ban will be announced in the banning thread with the reason request, and thus visible to regulars. Members often inquire when they see someone's profile in grey, so there is no way around this.

Please only make serious requests. Don't joke around or troll and then complain when a staff member has granted the request.

Multiple Accounts/Users

As per our rules, multiple accounts are not permitted. More specifically, we only allow one account per user, and only one user per account.

Some users registered new accounts because they had issues logging in with their old ones. This is not necessary, as the forum software comes with a reset password option. Should you have trouble logging in or remembering your password (or username), you can click on the 'Forgotten Your Password' link. This link brings up a page where you should enter your registered email address. An email will be sent to that address shortly, with instructions for resetting your password. You must be able to receive emails to your registered email address for this to work. You may need to check your spam filters and folder if you do not see the email in a few minutes.

If the email address is no longer valid (or you've changed it to something fictional) -- or should you have any trouble with the above-mentioned process -- you will need to contact an administrator to reset your password manually. Simply scroll down to the end of the page and click on the "Contact Us" link in the footer.

If you have been banned on request and wish to return earlier, it's also not necessary to register a new account. Here too you can use the "Contact Us" link, send us an email and we will lift your ban.

If you wish to change your username, post in this thread or contact an adminsitrator.

N.B. Moderators cannot name change, only administrators and super administrators have this ability.

Some members have registered or expressed the intention to register additional accounts in order to express new philosophies and beliefs, or due to viewpoints they do not wish associated with their old/new identities. Many of us have written things we feel embarassed about years later and much as we understand this feeling, it is no reason to create new accounts. Ideological growth is a normal part of someone's worldview. In addition, posts are dated, and you have the option to change your ideology in your profile or express the change in your signature.

If we find multiple accounts we will merge them, usually into the newest account.

If two or more people are living under the same roof and share the same IP address (e.g. husband-wife), they will need to register an account for each user. Sharing one account is not permitted. If you are using the same computer, make sure you are logged in with the correct account before posting.