ATS will never let you delete your account

I decided to close my ATS account a few days ago, reason being is that Im just tired of it. I looked and looked on how to go about canceling my account. I finally contacted ATS. They told me that I (anyone) can never cancel/delete their account here on ats. So even if you die your ATS account will still be very much alive just inactive. The official response from ATS was to "log out" They told me that Its called the "Hotel California Syndrome" that you can "check out but you can never leave" I understand Im on the world wide web and anything I post is forever on the web, I don't care about that. I don't like the feeling of having no control over an account that I made. I guess it all comes down to money, the more accounts they have the more popular they get, the more advertisers will come knocking. The more money they make. God forbid people start deleting their accounts, I wouldn't want them to be short making their BMW payments.

reply to post by tac109


The problem is this ...

If everyone were able to remove their account/posts/threads, then not many threads would make any sense. As I understand it, that is the primary reasoning for this policy ... I'm not sure how that translates to the aformentioned BMW's though.

Originally posted by tac109
So even if you die your ATS account will still be very much alive just inactive.

That is my understanding, as is everything in life.

reply to post by tac109


Here's the official explaination on why we won't do that:

ABOUT ATS: Posting and Ending Your Membership

Why does it seem like everyone wants to go with a BANG?

reply to post by AccessDenied


You know. Attention and what not. It's too simple to just log out and not come back. Everything has to be a big production with fireworks and brass bands.

Like my late, lamented pappy used to say, "Don't go away mad. Just go away".

It also hurts the overall postcount and member stats, which are vital when attempting to woo potential advertisers and the like. If all the banned members had every one of their posts deleted it would seriously effect the overall numbers, such as two very prolific banned members who between them had just shy of 25,000 posts.

reply to post by Helig


The post count has nothing to do with it. If we cared about our post count, why would we have such a stringent standard on one-line responses? We'd be wide open to members spamming with one-liners left and right to bump our post total. ATS has always been about quality, not quantity.

Mind you when we hit a milestone, such a specific 5,000,000 posts, etc., we certainly celebrate it as it is worth acknowledging. But it is always secondary to quality.

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
The problem is this ...

If everyone were able to remove their account/posts/threads, then not many threads would make any sense. As I understand it, that is the primary reasoning for this policy ... I'm not sure how that translates to the aformentioned BMW's though.

That is the reason.

[edit on 11-16-2009 by chissler]

Originally posted by tac109
...
So even if you die your ATS account will still be very much alive just inactive.
...

That's an odd thing to say. Let's say that they did indeed accounts when members died... How would you let them know that you died? And wouldn't you want some part of you to keep on existing long after you're gone, instead of wiping you out as if you never existed?

That said, it makes sense to me to keep posts up, whether they're making money from it or not... I can only imagine what threads would look like if they removed posts from threads:

Poster one: What is the best evidence of aliens visiting earth?
/Missing Post/
Poster three: Wow. That's amazing! I didn't know that photograph existed! Where did you get it from?
/Missing Post/
Poster four: You should really share that wih more people! It's probaby the smoking gun!!!
Poster five: What are you guys talking about?
Poster three: ??? It's gone! The government took it! Censorship!!! Hiding the thruth!!!

And so on. They would be actually be stupid to remove any posts that are not T&C violations...

BTW, I'm a member at many forums, big ones and small ones, and I'm not aware of a "delete account" button on any of them...


[edit on 11/16/09 by Gaspode]

Originally posted by tac109
I don't like the feeling of having no control over an account that I made.

I may still not be comprehending. Exactly what "control" do you want? is the problem that your posts will be here as long as there's a site? That doesn't seem to be it.

Is it that your account shows as "member" instead of "banned"? Because those are basically your options. This all makes little sense to me. If you no longer want to participate, log out. It isn't a difficult process.

You have all the control over your account. Log in and participate, or don't.

His point is that on any other site on the net, if you have had enough of their website and all it offers you can close your account and it no longer exists, no problem.

Sure if it was a forum type account all your posts will still exist on that site. But if you have closed your account it closed, it is not in hibernation waiting for you to come back it is CLOSED. Meaning you can no longer log into it as it’s CLOSED.

I don’t understand why you can’t close an ATS account. If someone wants to leave let them, don’t hold them here against their will. It is quite worrying to be honest that once you sign up to this site you can’t leave. Remind anyone of the Mafia?

And the only real way you can "escape" is to get banned.

Personally I think the issue needs readdressing.





[edit on 16-11-2009 by Agent-ATS]

reply to post by Agent-ATS


What's the difference between logging out and not coming back, and closing an account manually and not coming back? What sort of person needs self-restraint to keep himself from logging in or typing in an address? Perhaps if something should be addressed it's the addictiveness of ATS? Perhaps we should organize an intervention for those folks that cannot keep themselves from logging in?

Seriously folks. Let's just make a big deal out of every little thing we can...

reply to post by Agent-ATS


Mafia? Do we drag someone back to their keyboard and make them log in at gunpoint? Escape? Just walk away. I'm sorry, I fail to see what possible issue this could be for someone.

"Hold them against their will" makes no real world sense to me, at all. It's an account you create with whatever made up name you want to use, until you decide to quit using it. When you decide to quit, quit. "You" aren't held here for any reason, unless there's some disconnect distinguishing between "you" and a virtual account that has no physical relationship to real world "you", other than you were permitted to create and use it here. That's a whole other issue.

Originally posted by yeahright
reply to post by Agent-ATS

 

"Hold them against their will" makes no real world sense to me, at all. It's an account you create with whatever made up name you want to use, until you decide to quit using it.

That the point it doesn’t stop getting used, it only stops getting logged into.

It is in all sense and porpoises still an active account whether you like it or not, unless you get banned.

I repeat the issue needs readdressing. Things have moved on since the old days when membership was needed much more than it is now.

Originally posted by Agent-ATS
That the point it doesn’t stop getting used, it only stops getting logged into.

And how exactly is it used if it isn't logged into?

reply to post by Gaspode


The point is if you no longer wish to be associated with ATS, or in fact any site, you should be able to close your account, and no longer be part of that sites statistics for advertisers etc. etc.

[edit on 16-11-2009 by Agent-ATS]

Originally posted by yeahright

Originally posted by Agent-ATS
That the point it doesn’t stop getting used, it only stops getting logged into.

And how exactly is it used if it isn't logged into?

Because you will still be used as an active member to show advertiser and such, thats how.

[edit on 16-11-2009 by Agent-ATS]

This is not a personal thing for me against ATS, I really like this site.

BUT if I chose to leave one day for whatever reason, I expect to be able to close my account with no questions asked.

And for it to be CLOSED.

reply to post by Agent-ATS


Oh, I see. Your concern is that the site could somehow use your "live" membership in a stat for advertising.

Maybe you haven't seen this link to Quantcast at the bottom of about every page. Nowhere are the number of "live" accounts addressed. In fact, since people who aren't logged in see more ads than members who log in, the site actually makes way more money from advertising on the non-members.

Members help generate revenue by participating. Creating the content that brings people here to read it. Just having a "live" account on the board does nothing positive or negative.

Like TV ratings and radio, it's about raw numbers visiting. "Live" has nothing to do with it. If the concern is that somehow ATS is making cash off keeping your account "live", that isn't happening.

So to review, participating members create the content that brings in the traffic. The bulk of the traffic and what generates the revenue are the people who come to read the content. The ones who don't/can't/won't log in see more ads.

If you no longer wish to be associated, don't even view the site. By then, whatever is happening should be of no concern.

reply to post by yeahright


In all honesty, you don’t think it odd that you can’t close your account here at ATS?

Personally I do. I dont know of any other site on the entire internet that does this do you?

I’m sure it’s a conspiracy.

lol


EDIT: I've been checking Quantcast since ATS where in the above 14,000 bracket.
I've never seen a site rise up the ranks as fast as ATS.


[edit on 16-11-2009 by Agent-ATS]