Please delete my account

[rmssetc]

1.

Sorry for the confusion. You're given 24 hours to edit your content and then that's it. Whatever you post to the community, belongs to the community.

2.

Your reputation is yours and yours alone to protect. We'll gladly step in if someone takes it too far, starts stalking you or makes a threat but we can't and won't protect you from yourself if it gets reported. However, your reputation is entirely up to you.

Those two statements seem to be contradictory. One way to take responsibility for and "protect" one's reputation would be to remove statements that you've made in the past, yet that's not possible. Removing posts doesn't necessarily "destroy" a thread, as evidenced by the threads that have been edited by moderators.

You're both telling the OP to be responsible, and denying them the ability to perform a major action related to being responsible --- that's in your legal right, and something that the OP should have been aware of as part of the ToS, which do spell out Scubaboard's assumption of copyright and discretion to retain content.

 

[The Chairman]

Those two statements seem to be contradictory.

They're not. If you've changed your mind about something: admit it. Trying to cover it up does more harm in the long run. Street cred doesn't come from being perfect: it comes from learning from your scars.

My first cave dive was without any training or having the right gear. It was a disaster and a near tragedy. I learned later that there was training for this and saw the logic and wisdom immediately. Back then, cookies were not a "thing". I was taught to use arrows and much of my diving was without the use of cookies. That's not how it's taught now, and I'm willing to change my approach. While I have a few critics that would like to embarrass me, I have no problems changing to keep up with the current practices. If someone points out that I'm holding on to the old, then I'll gladly change them and don't mind people seeing my progression.

 

[kelemvor]

1.


2.

Those two statements seem to be contradictory. One way to take responsibility for and "protect" one's reputation would be to remove statements that you've made in the past, yet that's not possible. Removing posts doesn't necessarily "destroy" a thread, as evidenced by the threads that have been edited by moderators.

You're both telling the OP to be responsible, and denying them the ability to perform a major action related to being responsible --- that's in your legal right, and something that the OP should have been aware of as part of the ToS, which do spell out Scubaboard's assumption of copyright and discretion to retain content.

I think you've misunderstood. I'm sure Pete will speak up as he has no problem doing THAT . It seems obvious to me that he meant a person should be careful what they post on the internet. Not that they should hope the various places they post that information will allow them to remove it.

Let's face it, even big sites like facebook only let you remove posts from our profile. The posted information still there forever. Mirror sites (archive.org for example) re-posts by users and screenshots notwithstanding. For example when I get background check data for a new hire it includes their social network posts. Even ones they've deleted.

You're only fooling yourself if you think going back and changing or deleting stuff you effectively share with the world through the internet will ever really be gone.

 

[BoltSnap]

Even ones they've deleted.

How are you able to get copies of their deleted FB posts?

 

[northernone]

1.


2.

Those two statements seem to be contradictory. One way to take responsibility for and "protect" one's reputation would be to remove statements that you've made in the past, yet that's not possible. Removing posts doesn't necessarily "destroy" a thread, as evidenced by the threads that have been edited by moderators.

You're both telling the OP to be responsible, and denying them the ability to perform a major action related to being responsible --- that's in your legal right, and something that the OP should have been aware of as part of the ToS, which do spell out Scubaboard's assumption of copyright and discretion to retain content.

Revising your history by hiding the parts you don't like isn't something I'd like a community to facilitate.

I lurked for a decade on this forum (and several others) before joining this community. If I say something online, I'm either prepared to stand behind it or apologize/clarify/recant/modify it later.

My digital identity is close to eternal, thinking I can hide online and expunge my online public correspondences is naive. Those who have the ability to purge an identity online aren't posting personal information on public forums or anywhere else.

Digital anonymity is a fascinating topic.
Cameron

 

[kelemvor]

How are you able to get copies of their deleted FB posts?

I'm not sure how the interaction with Facebook works, I'm assmung facebook sells the data. But you know how it works when you assume.

I got the information as part of a background check packet that was provided by whatever company my employer hired to do background checks. It was a hard copy so I don't have any more detail than that. It also didn't include every post, so someone (or some thing) must have gone through and decided which posts were interesting.

The packet didn't indicate if the posts were anything special (as far as deleted or not). I only know because I hired someone I knew. Wish I could have gone back and deleted that decision as it turned out to be a bad idea.

 

[rmssetc]

They're not. If you've changed your mind about something: admit it. Trying to cover it up does more harm in the long run. Street cred doesn't come from being perfect: it comes from learning from your scars.

I haven't read the OP's threads, so this doesn't necessarily apply to whatever they wrote that they'd like removed, but ...

It seems like there's a frequent trope here of someone posting about a way of doing things, followed by 10s (100s) of posts debunking that method. Somewhere along about page 6 (or 16, or 36), posts crop up like "I haven't read the first N pages of this thread, but here's why the OP is wrong...". That's the exact kind of case where it would be great if the OP could edit (or remove) their post more than 24 hours ago, particularly if the concern is that newbies wouldn't read all 57 pages of the thread.

"Admiting" that you've changed your mind many days and many posts after the initial statement, in a post that appears pages after the original material, is almost useless. The initial statement is -- and always will be -- easier to spot (search engines, people that don't read all pages in a thread, etc) than the public change of mind, meaning that an ill-conceived post (whether ignorant or intentional) has much more longevity and impact than any future admission.

I also find it interesting that your view is that a person asking to have a post deleted has had a change of mind but doesn't want to admit it (and again, I haven't read the OP, and probably will not). I can easily imagine a scenario where someone holds firm to their opinion, but simply wants to stop arguing it in public, and would like their posts removed -- not as an admission that they were wrong, but as a way of reducing the contentious environment.

My first cave dive was without any training or having the right gear. It was a disaster and a near tragedy. I learned later that there was training for this and saw the logic and wisdom immediately. Back then, cookies were not a "thing". I was taught to use arrows and much of my diving was without the use of cookies. That's not how it's taught now, and I'm willing to change my approach. While I have a few critics that would like to embarrass me, I have no problems changing to keep up with the current practices. If someone points out that I'm holding on to the old, then I'll gladly change them and don't mind people seeing my progression.

It looks like you're more self-confident than the OP. Bravo. That doesn't mean the OP's wrong for wanting to cease the public display of something that they no longer want associated with their name. (It also doesn't mean that the OP will -- or should -- get what they want under the ToS.)

 

[boulderjohn]

All the really old threads on ScubaBoard are still around. If you were to go back to 2004 and scroll through a bunch of old threads, you will see two things:

1. Posts I made in my first year here that I would just as soon never see the light of day. I don't care, though. I thought something then, but I think something different now. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."
2. Most of the participants have usernames you will not recognize. People come and go on ScubaBoard. Many of the most prolific posters in that era are long gone. I suspect most have stopped diving altogether. When you decide to leave ScubaBoard, your memory will not last long in the community. The long time members will vaguely remember the most active members, but they will then go on to read the posts of the most active posters of the present era.

 

[Bob DBF]

I can easily imagine a scenario where someone holds firm to their opinion, but simply wants to stop arguing it in public, and would like their posts removed -- not as an admission that they were wrong, but as a way of reducing the contentious environment.

If that is the case, report yourself and the mods will decide if it's too contentious to stay. If one wants to stop arguing, just move to another thread and don't go back. Been there done that.


Bob

 

[Bubblesong]

@The Chairman, hear our cry!

We want some foolish posts to die!

If entrenched in a thread

They’re verbal “Walking Dead”!

Some Noob will give “Zombie” advice a try.