Update/Member account closing and reopening guidelines - Let us know your thoughts!

The updated guideline around account closures, sounds fair on face value @Former-Member @Former-Member 👍

I do think though that there are often exceptional circumstances which need to be taken into account, on a case by case basis.

And this bit seems a little confusing to me, and could be worded in a clearer manner ....

Account closure and reopening procedure:

• Up to 3 account reopening within 6 months.
• If a member decides to close their account again after the third reopening, we will not be reopening their account after that.

Using my own example ... I had a very active account for almost 4 years before I asked for it to be closed in early April this year, as a result of conflict within the forums. A few weeks later, I was permitted to open a new account with the same username because I really needed my forum family. Unfortunately, due to an anonymity breach outside of my control, I was forced to reluctantly close that account two and a half months later. Thankfully I was permitted to return under a new username last week. So ... does that mean I have now had 2 reopenings in the past 4.5 months? And does that mean that if I needed to close my account again (for any reason) that I would not be permitted to open an account again? Is that within 6 months, 12 months ... or ever? Which effectively means ... a lifetime ban. That bit scares me! Nobody closes their account purely for the sake of it ... Its my belief that there is always a valid reason to do so ... as in my own case. Clarification would be appreciated.

Emelia ❓🌸

Hey @Emelia8 thanks for posting today!

That’s right as mentioned by @Former-Member , If a member decides to close their account again after the third re-entry into forums, we will not be re-opening further accounts after that.

If you’d like to discuss your individual circumstances, we’d recommend you reach out to the team via team@saneforums.org and we can work through it there.

If this update has had a heavy impact on you, we’d encourage you to connect with the SANE Help Centre team by booking a call here, or for a web chat session.

Many thanks,

Nashy

What about account locks/pauses? Do you help implement those?

For example, if I was having trouble staying off the forums but was simultaneously finding it detrimental at the time. I might want to lock myself out of being able to post for a week or two, but not have the willpower to stay off just by logging off and not turning on notifications.

This is something I used to come across on a different forum when I was younger - I'd try to change my password to a nonsense jumble of letters, but then soon enough would go through password recovery to get it back. I'd then change my email address to a false one, so that I couldn't reset my password... But then that annoyed the forum admin because their admin emails would bounce, and so my old email would stay on file and I could still reset my password and get back on. Which just wasted time as well as still being possibly detrimental.

Hi @TheVorticon ,

Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate your insights on this process. Currently, we do not have an account lock or pause system. When a member does choose to close their account, we will always ask for confirmation and wait 48 hours before we action anything. I will definitely have a chat with the team about the feature you suggested and let you know of the outcome.

We always encourage members to lean on forums break instead of closing/reopening accounts. However, we also understand, as you have mentioned, it could be difficult to do so.

Thanks again for your input TheVorticon

I've just read this @Former-Member and am feeling quite shocked at the prospect of such heavy handed management of accounts when this is supposed to be something of a safe place.

I get that there might be disruptions for forumites when accounts are closed and reopened, I do, I get that.

BUT, to summarily decide that after 3 closures of an account, over whatever period of time, because you've said it's at 3 closures, not 3 closures in a short length of time, that has terrified me.

It reminds me of all the supposedly helpful and supportive people I've had the misfortune to deal with over my life.

Do things our way, or you get dismissed because you're not sticking to the way things are supposed to be.

I'm in shock right now. This is not okay. Perhaps I've missed something. I really, really hope so, or this place just became yet another unsafe place for me.

Hi @Last-Lament,

I'm sorry to hear that this has brought up some memories of difficult experiences for you. We want the forums to feel like a safe place for our members, so it's always valuable to hear feedback from our users. If you desire, you're welcome to flick an email with your concerns through to the forums team (team@saneforums.org - also please note, our Community Managers work Monday - Friday so you will need to wait until then for a response). You can also provide feedback by emailing feedback@sane.org (read more about SANE's Feedback and complaints policy here).

If you're in need of some extra support, please don't hesitate to reach out:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467

Samaritans: 135 247

Hi @Last-Lament,

I want to reiterate @Jynx's post above, that we are really sorry to hear the impact that reading about this guideline has had. Ensuring that our community members feel safe is our priority, and I've sent you an email to help clarify and give you a chance to ask any questions you may have.

One thing I did want to make sure I clarify is that we do take into account personal circumstances. We work closely with forum members behind the scenes when there is a request for an account to be closed to support each person to make decisions for their account. That might include offering alternative options to account closures, such as changing a username, taking a break or turning off notifications. There are lots of options.

We work with each person to understand the circumstances as to why they are closing their account, and do take into account personal circumstance if flexibility is needed on a case by case basis.

We are reviewing this process again at the moment and it may change, but we will let you know if this is the case

Again, hoping that this helps to give some reassurance that we do consider indiviudal circumstances and needs, and can be flexible when it is needed 💜