My name & posts appearing on Google!

[Devonseeker]

Hi there!

I did a search on my name and to my supprise one of the first things that came up was a personal post of mine on this board which could easily be viewed by anyone.
I would like to change my user name and have been looking to delete my existing account and start a new one. As an idiot I used my full name as a user identity, that will teach me!!

I can't seem to do this using the board faciilities so does anyone have any ideas or can someone help me do this!
God Bless,

Graham (or should I say Mr X!!)

[skh]

Dear Graham,

please send a PM (personal message) to a Site Admin, i.e. anybody with their name in orange, like Art, Selene or Kat Lady and tell them the new user name you'd like to have. They will change it for you.

peace /|\
Sonja

(The messaging function is in the User Control Panel, you can access it by clicking on the link "(0 new messages)" in the upper part of the window. If you need help, just reply to this thread.)

[skh]

And another thought -- if you want your introductory thread edited so that the name doesn't appear any more, just tell me. I can (on special request, as a moderator) edit thread titles and posts, but not user names

peace /|\
Sonja

[Selene]

This might be a good time to remind everyone that posts in the public forums are just that...public.

Here are some tips Kernos wrote several years ago:

Though PHPBB is about as secure as a public board like this can be and much of the efforts to improve PHPBB regards security issues, all boards have security exploits by their very nature of being open.

There are however some simple things you can do to protect your privacy and perhaps reputation on the board.

Do not put any information in the optional areas of your profile (e.g., your IM addresses, occupation, interests, etc.) that you do not want to become public.

We suggesting using handles rather than real names; use an email account other than your main email address - hotmail, yahoo, msn are good choices as they are easy to change. Give a general location instead of a specific town. I use Ozarks because I live in a small town, so could be easily tracked down.

Change your password frequently. This is a 'duh', but most people do not do it. And do not give it to ANYONE. Use GOOD passwords that include letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use words or phrases. If my password were 'antlers', I could be easily guessed.

While we ask for a birthdate upon registration, it is not required that it be public. If anyone hasn't explored the Profile section of their User Control Panel, I suggest you have a look through it to make sure that it doesn't reveal anything you don't want it to.

Please note that if you change your e-mail address, your account will automatically be deactivated and a confirmation e-mail with a reactivation link sent to the new address. You will not be able to sign in again until you click the link to reactivate your account.

And, as always, be mindful of the content of your public posts and don't reveal anything you don't mind the world knowing. Posts in the OBOD-only forums and other private forums are not accessible by search engines and should be secure (skilled and determined hackers notwithstanding).

[Devonseeker]

Hi!!!

Thanks sooo much for all your help guys, this has helped put my mind at ease.

Blessings from Devon,

Graham.... (Ahh! ...Devonseeker!!!)