You can check out, but you cannot easily leave...

DEactivating your facebook account only disables it.  Traenk now wants to go the extra step.

Traenk wants to DELETE his account and all its data?  Why would he want to do that?  What kind of special processing does that take?  Read on, and see what issues await you if you decide to do the same.

I want to delete my facebook account.  Why not?  I have no permanent nor confidential data up there. 

Hmmm, I see the prompt to deactivate my account easily.  What about deleting it?  Maybe the inability to delete an account explains why so many have duplicate accounts on facebook?  It is not an easy process. 

Case in point:  I just deleted ?one person's? account that had a duplicate.  Same name, but two copies.  Odd!  Even odder?  One of the accounts wanted to keep in touch via Twitter--via an email sent within minutes of unfriending both accounts.  Who monitors account status that closely? 

Here's something really odd:  A spammer sends me counterfeited facebook emails to get me to click a link--within one hour of deactivating my account...  This spam claims I have new friend requests within an hour of deactivating my account?  No, facebook is a great tool, but it does have some odd issues. 

So what's wrong with creating a second ME account?  After all, with the primary account deactivated, I should be able to duplicate it.  No, in facebook, your account is anchored to your registered email addresses.  Maybe that seems like good security to you.  But what's that really mean?  If someone else wants to, s/he can register my name to any DIFFERENT email account, right?  It is this lack of good authentication that should cause you to question whether anyone you meet on facebook is that person in actuality. 

Enough discussion of odd problems on facebook.  Let's get back to actually deleting my account.

Ok, let's dig into the online help.  Yes!  Here is the delete function!  I invoke it--only to find that I must wait two weeks before the account and all data are irreparably deleted--or at least that what I've been told.  But then again, I did avoid posting anything significant to so public a forum, right?

I like facebook.  I may return.  Why wait two weeks to delete an account?  Why all the pictures of current friends as you deactivate the account?  Why make it so hard to allow users to say goodbye??? 

I got it!  I wonder if ending your facebook account is somewhat like breaking the distribution chain in a chain letter?  I may be walking into a lot of bad luck, maybe...  Am I really ready to forgo all those posted pictures of cute cats, pensive puppies, and somewhat wild-eyed political pundits?  Sure!  Cut me a break; kill the account.  Do it sooner than two weeks please.