# Severing ties with SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 9, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255 "2010-01-09T05:30:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/1 "2010-01-09T05:30:43Z")
Dear SDMB management; Please cancel my username and anything else that connects me with the SDMB! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/2 "2010-01-09T05:55:41Z")
Generally speaking, we don’t cancel names or anything else. We just figure if people want to leave, they can just leave. The main thing that will sever the relationship is that you don’t post again. That way, not one will ever know if you’re gone. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/3 "2010-01-09T14:01:27Z")
The OP sounded to me (“anything that connects me with the SDMB”) like he wanted all trace of his presence erased - any posts he made, possibly any posts that _refer_ to him, etc. Not that you’d do any of that either, but he’s definitely wanting more than you think he is, **samclem**. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/4 "2010-01-09T14:35:33Z")
Is it Oscar season already? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/5 "2010-01-09T14:42:29Z")
Hmmm…well, as someone who had almost 3,000 posts wiped from the existence of another board, due to a “misunderstanding”\*, perhaps the best thing would be to PM the OP and ask him to clarify his/her position? - I actually wanted them to stop sending me reminders when people responded to posts I could no longer participate in, as I was suspended from posting priveliges. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/6 "2010-01-09T16:42:37Z")
> [@kitemaker\_chuck](#): > > Dear SDMB management; > > Please cancel my username and anything else that connects me with the SDMB! > Thank you. We don’t “cancel” usernames. And from the registration agreement: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/faq.php?faq=vb3\_board\_faq#faq\_sdmb\_rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_sdmb_rules) > [@](#): > > Please remember that postings on this board are visible to anyone with access to the Internet, and are retained in a database indefinitely. In addition, the SDMB is open to third-party search engines (“spiders”). ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/7 "2010-01-09T16:56:33Z")
As I understand it, the only connection between your SDMB account and the “real world” is your email address (and any other information you may have voluntarily provided in the user profile). Assuming that you keep your email address hidden, there should be nothing to worry about; that is, I don’t think I can run an external ‘query’ against SDMB which will map my nom-de-board with me. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/8 "2010-01-09T17:12:56Z")
What about this. Perhaps the user is worried that somebody else may now be able to post on this message board using their username. If thats the case, a courtesy banning or some such might not be a bad idea. Obviously a little more info or communication from the OP would help clear things up. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/9 "2010-01-09T17:22:42Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > What about this. > > Perhaps the user is worried that somebody else may now be able to post on this message board using their username. > > If thats the case, a courtesy banning or some such might not be a bad idea. > > Obviously a little more info or communication from the OP would help clear things up. Only if he gives someone his password. If there’s a security breach the OP is welcome to contact me off the board, we do have other things we can do. But you have to tell us, you have to clue us in to the situation. A quick glance through the OPs latest posts shows a recent disagreement with someone else on the board and that could have some bearing on the situation. I can’t say for sure if that is a factor or not but it’s possible. It would be unfortunate if someone got so bugged at another poster that they quit this place entirely but it wouldn’t be the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/10 "2010-01-09T18:10:45Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > … a courtesy banning… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/11 "2010-01-09T18:20:04Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > What about this. > > Perhaps the user is worried that somebody else may now be able to post on this message board using their username. > > If thats the case, a courtesy banning or some such might not be a bad idea. > > Obviously a little more info or communication from the OP would help clear things up. I’d go a step further and request my (if it were me) user name to be changed. Many people use the same user name across many boards (or variants of the the same name) and often times people in real life may even recognize the user name as someone they know, this would help break that connection as well. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/12 "2010-01-09T21:01:51Z")
I believe in the past some users have been voluntarily suspended (on sabbatical.) You could suspend his account. Oh, and I believe the OP is talking about [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547050). ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severing-ties-with-sdmb/524255/13 "2010-01-09T21:59:24Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I believe in the past some users have been voluntarily suspended (on sabbatical.) You could suspend his account. > Oh, and I believe the OP is talking about [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547050). The key word is voluntarily. He didn’t ask.