Handling deleted users

[chalshaff12]

The app does not yet have the functionality implemented to delete a user.

However if/when this is implemented, how do we want to handle posts and comments by deleted users?

Those posts/comments can just disappear, or they can remain while showing the user as 'deleted' just like it does on Reddit.

Actually, IIRC on Reddit, the posts disappear but the comments remain with a 'deleted' user.

Also, what happens to that user's votes? Do they remain or get subtracted from the posts and comments?

[mary060196]

@chalshaff12 , thank you very much for raising this concern. It would probably be good to do what is easy for the database to handle. For example, if a user is deleted, both the posts and the comments would be deleted. The total number of votes should remain the same because they do not connect directly to that user, even when he or she is deleted.
I am not sure what the opinion of the product would be, so I assign Joe to this issue; he might give a clearer answer to this.
Thank you for your patience, @chalshaff12 !

[mary060196]

@dirtydupe , in light of the question that @chalshaff12 asked, what should happen, potentially, when a user is deleted (or deletes his or her account)?
Thank you for your reply!

[dirtydupe]

@chalshaff12 Good questions. You are remembering correctly. In my opinion it would be sufficient/simpler to remove the username and retain the votes. The comment/post could also remain so any conversations in the comments also stay.

[dirtydupe]

@mary060196 We will have to give users that option eventually as well as the option to delete posts and individual comments. As I said above, I think that we should retain the content and votes of a user unless the user explicitly deletes a comment or post. In that case we remove content, comments and votes from the database all together.

[mary060196]

@dirtydupe , got it: thanks! When this feature is added to the website, this is how content will be handled. I am not sure how much effort from now and on the guys from the Back End team will give for connecting such a feature to the server, so it is unclear when the feature will be added.

[chalshaff12]

If the content is retained, will it still display the username? Or will it show that it is a deleted user?

[dirtydupe]

I was thinking we handle it similarly to reddit, where [deleted] is displayed instead of the username.

[mary060196]

That's a very good idea, @dirtydupe ! If you'd like, this is how the feature will be.
Thank you very much! Good luck on the final!