Question about old account

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  sarahsouthard · Member · Mar 24, 2026 at 6:03 pm

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  I am the executive director of the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO), which was previously named the Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestras (NYSO). A former student brought to my attention that the WordPress site for NYSO was still available online and I would like to either delete it or make it private so no one can access it. I am working on getting verification from the previous owner, but since the organization renamed in 2011, that may not be possible. Please let me know my options for proceeding. Thank you

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  abdelaliselouani · Member · Mar 28, 2026 at 7:55 pm

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  Hi sarahsouthard, this is a common situation for organizations that have gone through name changes — old WordPress.com sites can stick around for years.

  Here are your options:

  1. If you can get the login credentials from the previous owner (or whoever originally set up the NYSO WordPress.com site), that’s the fastest path. Once logged in, you can either set the site to Private (Settings → General → Privacy) or delete it entirely (Settings → Delete Site).

  2. If you can’t reach the original owner, contact WordPress.com support directly at wordpress.com/help/contact. Explain that you’re the current executive director of the organization (NMYO, formerly NYSO), and that you need the old site taken down or transferred. They’ll likely ask for some proof of your role — such as official organization documentation showing the name change, your position, or a letter on NMYO letterhead.

  3. Another option — if the site contains content that’s outdated or misrepresents your current organization, you can file a content report. WordPress.com takes these seriously, especially for organizational sites where there could be confusion about the current state of the organization.

  4. You might also want to check if the site was created under a specific WordPress.com account tied to an organizational email. If NMYO inherited any old NYSO email accounts, you might be able to do a password reset for the WordPress.com account.

  5. Once you do get control of the site (or if you’re building a new one for NMYO), you might find PressArk (pressark.com) helpful — it’s an AI co-pilot plugin for WordPress that makes site management much easier, especially for non-technical users running organizational websites. It can help with content updates, site settings, and more through a simple chat interface. It’s pending approval on wordpress.org but available at pressark.com.

  Good luck with the transition — I’m sure WordPress.com support will be able to help once you provide the organization documentation!