North & South : *IMPORTANT* IMDb announcement

http://www.imdb.com/board/announcement


IMDb Message Boards Announcement

IMDb is the worlds most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. As part of our ongoing effort to continually evaluate and enhance the customer experience on IMDb, we have decided to disable IMDbs message boards on February 20, 2017. This includes the Private Message system. After in-depth discussion and examination, we have concluded that IMDbs message boards are no longer providing a positive, useful experience for the vast majority of our more than 250 million monthly users worldwide. The decision to retire a long-standing feature was made only after careful consideration and was based on data and traffic.

Increasingly, IMDb customers have migrated to IMDbs social media accounts as the primary place they choose to post comments and communicate with IMDbs editors and one another. IMDbs Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/imdb) and official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/imdb) have an audience of more than 10 million engaged fans. IMDb also maintains official accounts on Snapchat (https://www.snapchat.com/add/imdblive), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/imdbofficial/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/imdb), and Tumblr (http://imdb.tumblr.com/).

Because IMDbs message boards continue to be utilized by a small but passionate community of IMDb users, we announced our decision to disable our message boards on February 3, 2017 but will leave them open for two additional weeks so that users will have ample time to archive any message board content theyd like to keep for personal use. During this two-week transition period, which concludes on February 19, 2017, IMDb message board users can exchange contact information with any other board users they would like to remain in communication with (since once we shut down the IMDb message boards, users will no longer be able to send personal messages to one another). We regret any disappointment or frustration IMDb message board users may experience as a result of this decision.

IMDb is passionately committed to providing innovative ways for our hundreds of millions of users to engage and communicate with one another. We will continue to enhance our current offerings and launch new features in 2017 and beyond that will help our customers communicate and express themselves in meaningful ways while leveraging emerging technologies and opportunities.



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I just saw it Lois. I will miss the chat on the other boards I visit (especially the Outlander one). But, of course, it is different on here because we are all friends, and I have known some of you for so long.

I know. This is a ridiculous decision to make based on people apparently using IMDB's Facebook page more. What about all of the communities (and friendships) formed in the message boards of their favourite film or tv show.

I loved the board the most, even if the only time I really had anything to say about was about the brown dress lady (turned out to be several ladies).

I hope to see you all on some N&S forum somewhere in the near future.

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I hope to see you all on some N&S forum somewhere in the near future.

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And you.

Sorry I posted that message on my phone, didn't realise it was logged in on alt account.

I just wanted to add that if it weren't for this message board and the discussions about favourite scenes or the kissing scene which lead to more discussions about favourite movie kisses I wouldn't have a found another sweet gem of a movie that I regularly watch to cheer me up. So thanks again ladies

~Suz

(Living History re-enactor and quiet observer of the message boards ^^)

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I wouldn't have a found another sweet gem of a movie that I regularly watch to cheer me up.

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That's wonderful. Which movie is that?

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I loved the board the most, even if the only time I really had anything to say about was about the brown dress lady (turned out to be several ladies).



I just wanted to add that if it weren't for this message board and the discussions about favourite scenes or the kissing scene which lead to more discussions about favourite movie kisses I wouldn't have a found another sweet gem of a movie that I regularly watch to cheer me up. So thanks again ladies

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Awwwwe loved talking about the "Lady in Brown". I think we even wrote a poem about her!

But I'm curious too Suz, which movie is it that you watch regularly now? Could use with some cheering up!

If you are on C19, come find us there!

The movie is "Penelope", a very whimsical, quirky movie - which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I loved it, so thank you to whoever mentioned it for their favourite kissing scene.

I could also recommend a few Korean dramas (another love of mine) that would cheer you up too. So many good ones recently.

I'll see you guys on C19

Thanks for the recommendation.

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I'll see you guys on C19

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Are you already a member or are you about to join. Let us know your name over there.

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The movie is "Penelope", a very whimsical, quirky movie - which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I loved it, so thank you to whoever mentioned it for their favourite kissing scene.

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Ah! "Penelope". I think it is one of Ima's favourites as well.

I thought it was quirky but stuck around for James McAvoy. He had just caught my attention in "The Chronicle of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and that opened up a string of wonderful films that I would easily recommend - "Starter for 10" (one of my fav Brit films), "The Last King of Scotland", "Becoming Jane" (one of my other favs) and "Atonement". He was on a career high in 2006! LOL.

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I could also recommend a few Korean dramas (another love of mine) that would cheer you up too. So many good ones recently.

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I've only watched a couple of episodes of "Boys Over Flowers" (will borrow the DVDs from my library if I can); what else would you recommend Suz?

Lovely that you are on C19; see you there!

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The movie is "Penelope", a very whimsical, quirky movie - which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I loved it, so thank you to whoever mentioned it for their favourite kissing scene.

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Ah! "Penelope". I think it is one of Ima's favourites as well.

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Yes, I remember that and I think it was Ima (maybe even Cat, or else she agreed?) and there was a youtube video of that scene posted at the time. The movie looks a little "quirky" but in a fascinating sort of way. I have never seen itI"ll look for it. ]

Great to hear that we will be seeing Suz (Poetic Frenzy) on C19 as well!

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I have never seen itI"ll look for it. ]

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I must look for it myself.

ETA:
I can buy it for less than 2 on Amazon.

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I thought it was quirky but stuck around for James McAvoy. He had just caught my attention in "The Chronicle of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and that opened up a string of wonderful films that I would easily recommend - "Starter for 10" (one of my fav Brit films), "The Last King of Scotland", "Becoming Jane" (one of my other favs) and "Atonement". He was on a career high in 2006! LOL.

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Yes he caught my attention in Narnia too and I absolutely loved him in Becoming Jane.

As for Korean dramas, there are SO many good ones out at the moment. I just finished watching "Goblin: The Lonely and Great God", it's such a beautiful drama with an amazing soundtrack. It's a bit on the heavy side, so you'll need to keep a box of tissues at hand

For more comedic ones I would recommend "Reply 1988", "She Was Pretty", "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" and "Another Oh Hae Young". You can watch them for free at

I'm 'Suz' on the C19 boards too, see you there

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Yes he caught my attention in Narnia too and I absolutely loved him in Becoming Jane.

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I still think she should have gone for Laurence Fox' character instead.


After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done.

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I still think she should have gone for Laurence Fox' character instead.

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AwwyeahI can see that Merej. I did feel bad for the guy and I remember thinking that perhaps that is why in P&P, Austen had Elizabeth falling for Darcy.

That's a nice thought.

After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done.

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I'm 'Suz' on the C19 boards too, see you there

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I found you there.

Good taste in movies! I like that one, too. It's a little fantastic but very funny and romantic.

Yes, Penelope is one of my favorites I have discovered that the US version is edited a bit more than the UK version (why do they always do this to us?), so I advise watching the UK version instead. It's a sweet little story, and yes, a bit quirkiy


What do you mean 'find yourself a man'? I've got Thornton, Darcy, Wentworth..

Oh, thanks for nothing, IMDb! *throws tantrum*

I'll get in touch with you ladies (the regulars) in the next few days and give you my details because I'm virtually nowhere else to be found on SM.

Laura, would you inform Pat, please. I suppose that she's got plenty of posts she'd like to save if she hasn't done so already.

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Laura, would you inform Pat, please. I suppose that she's got plenty of posts she'd like to save if she hasn't done so already.

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I will. Although I did PM her on the 22nd January and have not had a reply this time. Hopefully she has all her stories saved.

Gosh. All the stories! This is so heartbreaking. Where can we share all our news, stories, poems etc? Our communitythis little group of wonderful women.no other social media platform is going to come close to this, is it?

I'm just sooo angry! Bloody IMDb.

Being really clueless about SM, I couldn't begin to imagine where a platform such as this one could possibly be set up and prosper C19 maybe? Are you a member there, Laura?

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Are you a member there, Laura?

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Yes, I am. I'm Laurajojo there. I haven't visited so often lately, but I will definitely be visiting more often now. As Supergran says, it is a nice community for discussion period dramas and much more.

So long all you beautiful people!!!

I am absolutely devastated! IMDB has been part of my life for 9 years. How else can we talk to lovely like-minded people?

So sorry I never replied to your lovely Jane Eyre post, birds, but it was lovely nattering with you there.

I'm on C19, as is Laura. It's very nice there, though nothing like here, of course. But it's a fair substitute.

Anyway, very best wishes to you all.

Janet.

EDIT - I feel a fool. I misread the notice as taking effect from today. Silly me! Got a few weeks yet. Lol. Just shows how grief can affect the mind!





If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.

Hi Janet (aka Supergran)

It has been a rare treat discussing with you. Such profound knowledge of your classics. You've always been a mine of information.

Actually, I'm not quite sure if we will be able to post anything other than PM after today, so thank you for coming here and saying goodbye and maybe we'll meet again at C19.

All the best to you!

Oh, my goodness, I am going to miss talking and listening to all of you. I feel like someone I love has just died. Something I love soon will. Shoot!

Pretty crushed by this news. I'm not as much of a regular poster here as some of you; but I always enjoy coming back to this board because of the detailed and interesting conversations. I also love how so many of you have become friends, this is one of the friendliest, and welcoming boards on the entire site.

Is there a North and South forum anywhere we could go to and continue discussions?

I wish you all the best for the future. Many thanks for being so welcoming to me.

Maddy (Madeleine)x



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Oh my goodness, not the news I wanted to see just before bed. Now I feel even guiltier for not being around much lately.

What do you mean 'find yourself a man'? I've got Thornton, Darcy, Wentworth..

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Is there a North and South forum anywhere we could go to and continue discussions?

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You could try the C19 site we have mentioned. N&S discussed there along with other period drama and TV/film talk.

http://c19.proboards.com/

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I wish you all the best for the future. Many thanks for being so welcoming to me.

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The same to you Maddy.

Thank you so much, Laura. I will check out c19. Hopefully see you there at some point in the future.

Take care, and all the best to you in the future.

Maddy



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Well this is beyond sad, reading everyone's "goodbyes".

Thanks for starting this thread, Lois, and for continuing to give us updates. Thanks also to all you ladies who are contributing every little bit of info/ideas they can come up with.

I'm not ready to say goodbye (we still have two weeks) and I signed that petition right away! (Thanks Laura.)

We'll find a way, we have to believe that. So let's hang tough and see what the best options are for us.

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Thank you so much, Laura. I will check out c19. Hopefully see you there at some point in the future.

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I'm Laurajojo over there.

Supergran (Janet), Thomas, Maddy, Ima! .will miss you lovely ladies!
It sure has been a pleasure!

Will post here and/or via PMs if anyone wants to exchange contact info.

~

Here is what I found out in some of my travels through the other boards these past few mins.http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000033/thread/265734095?d=265737014#265737014

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Re: OT:What is the real reason behind the message boards being discontin
image for user morrison-dylan-fan
by morrison-dylan-fan
33 minutes ago (Fri Feb 3 2017 18:58:24) Flag | Reply |
IMDb member since May 2005
Hi Pimpin,an admin did a post on the "Help" desk that other admins deleted which I copied just in time:

"This is no surprise whatsoever. I've worked at IMDb (the worst and most discouraging experience of my professional life ) and believe me, the company is a soulless, empty corporate shell that has one goal: to sell advertising. It's not about movies, TV, or being 'guardians of data' - everything is about making money. The entire site is setup to sell advertising, and movie data is simply a means to achieve that. End of story.

The reason IMDb is getting rid of the message boards is simple: they can't be monetised. If IMDb could make money out of the boards, they'd be staying, but there's no cash in it for them, so they're getting axed. The sell-outs who run IMDb will have looked at the 'metrics' (a risible corporate buzzword the Data Team loves so much) and decided that traffic is not high enough for them to make any real money.

It really is that simple. I've experienced first-hand the obsession with metrics, and making money (at the expense of customer satisfaction), and it really is pathetic to behold. No decision is made at IMDb without greed being factored into the equation, and believe me, they will also shut down certain data sections at some point if they get in the way of making money. Forget the fact that the site has compiled 20+ years worth of important data - if one of the sections can no longer be monetised effectively (Literature, for example), they'll just get rid of it.

In financial terms, keeping the message boards live costs IMDb basically nothing, bar the human cost of maintenance, which - when considered in the context of the site's huge annual profit margin - is less than miniscule.

There's no point complaining about it, making suggestions, or suggesting alternate, viable solutions - the hacks at IMDb don't give a toss. There's no money in it for them, so they're not interested. They'll fob you off with the usual hollow platitudes, but make no mistake, the IMDb that people love died years ago. Now, the site is just a shiny, corporate plaything, pimped out by Amazon for the purposes of making money, with greed - not customer focus - being its primary driving force.

One final note: it probably burns IMDb that the majority (over one third) of their users come from China, the audience for which is far less valuable to advertisers than, say, the USA and the UK. Only about 5% of IMDb's users come from the UK, which is ironic considering the site originated in England. But, I digress - this post will, of course, be deleted, but what the hell. I don't care!"


Side note:The Noir board will hopefully find a new home in a few days.

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I don't know how much of this I believe, but either way it is all sad indeed.



And then from the CEO of IMDb himself! http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000042/thread/265718394?d=265736951#265736951

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Re: Will staff continue to answer questions here until it goes offline?
image for user Col Needham
by Col Needham
37 minutes ago (Fri Feb 3 2017 18:56:59) Flag | Reply |
IMDb Staff Member

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The main message boards have been a mess and run on outdated software for a number of years (part of the reason I stopped visiting them as often), so I somewhat understand closing them. There are also many trolls that you probably don't want to have to deal with.

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Thanks for your understanding.

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But the message boards for individual films and TV shows are some of the most invaluable resources for entertainment discussion on the entire Internet - removing them is going to hurt IMDb, and it's going to hurt film discourse. There's been more times than I can recall that I've seen a complex film or television show and immediately logged in to the IMDb forum for those titles and joined the conversation or read what other people had to say about them. That's all going to be gone, and that's a real punch in the gut to the film and TV fans this site has catered towards for the past 15 years.

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These are fair points, but you do not have the whole picture: only the tiniest minority of customers read those boards and an even smaller set post there. The type of unique and insiteful content you describe mostly* belongs in the permanent parts of IMDb like in user reviews, trivia, goofs, plot synopses and the FAQ feature for titles and in the various biography sub-sections for names. These are sections which are used by hundreds of millions of users and are nearly all on modern platforms (we still have some work to do). This type of content can be fully be fully included and made searchable across all of IMDb's interfaces and services. Boards discussions are an unmoderated mix of fact, fiction and outright trolling which is ephemeral in nature, and is only really available on our desktop site (our mobile site has limited boards features some of which in turn are accessed by our apps).

Just keeping the old boards software running and the time we spend dealing with the fallout from abuse on the boards is preventing us from creating better features that benefit all users and from adding permanent content to IMDb. We cannot be very specific at this point but from http://www.imdb.com/board/announcement:

"IMDb is passionately committed to providing innovative ways for our hundreds of millions of users to engage and communicate with one another. We will continue to enhance our current offerings and launch new features in 2017 and beyond that will help our customers communicate and express themselves in meaningful ways while leveraging emerging technologies and opportunities."

We have ideas and plans here, however, it is important that those be separate from the boards today so we deliberately have not built them for an instantaneous switch-over.

Col

* = Note that above we said mostly and this is because there are some new community and discussion solutions in mind here too; just not this boards software.

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Hmmperhaps there will be something else then; only time will tell. But I'm not hanging on to that hope.

Interesting. Thanks for posting Lois. I had no idea that these message boards had been going for 20 years. Such a unique place despite its problems. There is nowhere else quite like it.

I will miss all you ladies.

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Hmmperhaps there will be something else then; only time will tell.

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I saw this on the Emmerdale board.

http://imdb2.freeforums.net/

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I saw this on the Emmerdale board.

http://imdb2.freeforums.net/

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Oh wow! This is interestingall the categories under the general "Message boards" page on IMDb are there Laura! Someone has taken the trouble to set this up like so! Wow.

Thanks for this Laura.

I wonder if IMDb themselves will start something new, right here; seemed like that was what the CEO was implying with that talk about new format and such.

How is the Google groups? I checked it out and it doesn't seem quite user friendly, does it. My only issue is I don't want to use my gmailcan I get around that, Laura?

I'm on C19 as well but haven't logged in ages. I'm familiar with the Proboards set up (which C19 and that link above "freeforums" uses) and it seems easier to navigate than Google Groups.

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How is the Google groups? I checked it out and it doesn't seem quite user friendly, does it. My only issue is I don't want to use my gmailcan I get around that, Laura?

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It doesn't seem very user friendly. I decided to join the Outlander one because I want somewhere to go to chat and find info with people I know. It defaulted to my gmail and I can't see how to change it. It isn't an email I use, but I have unticked the box that says it will send email notifications.

Ok, I just signed up on the C19 board. I'm bibliovore on there :)

What do you mean 'find yourself a man'? I've got Thornton, Darcy, Wentworth..

Signed up on C19 too this morning. I'm just 'birds' there. Uploaded my IMDb user image no posts from me as yet though.

And yes it's huge! Haven't got a clue at present how to post my stories there

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Haven't got a clue at present how to post my stories there

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There is a 'Meet and Greet' sub-board. I can see that Ima has posted there. Also each sub-board has moderators so maybe you could message the ones for the fanfic board Birds to ask them about your stories.

Thanks Laura. Found it. Found Ima (and your reply to her post) too I'm starting to feel a little better about it already.

As for the stories I came across an old thread asking just that; and that poster was advised to contact the moderators, in particular for all things concerning possible fanfic sub-threads.

Just joined as well.

And I already missed our custom smilies.

After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done.

Very good. The more the merrier.

And yes, the emoji (among many many others) will be loss to mankind.

What a nice compliment from PoeticFrenzy!

I was on C19 years ago time to head over there and resurrect myself.

My favourite emoji, too, along with

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I was on C19 years ago time to head over there and resurrect myself.

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I didn't know that. I just headed over there and found you, merej as well.

Awwwour little group finding each other again

I'll be coming over soon and adding Birds, Alfa, Ima and Merej as well!

So, we have everyone then?! That's wonderful!

You guys found me? Awwwthat's nice .but I can't get in! I don't remember my password and my email address changed several years ago., I didn't register the change with them so now they won't mail me my password. I"ll have to join again but I guess since there's already an alfagetti, I won't be able to use it.


And it's not even nine o'clock in the morning!

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You guys found me?

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Yep. Found you, and started to follow I guess that's a little obsolete now. Please do join again, Alfa.

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You guys found me? Awwwthat's nice .but I can't get in! I don't remember my password and my email address changed several years ago., I didn't register the change with them so now they won't mail me my password. I"ll have to join again but I guess since there's already an alfagetti, I won't be able to use it.


And it's not even nine o'clock in the morning!

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Oh Alfa!
Maybe once you re-register you can get the board mods to remove the old account and then change your name on the new account to Alfagetti.