Is it a bad idea if you keep logging in a website?

I rarely log off any site, but many seem to be set up to automatically log off users, since they often ask me to log in.

I used to log off of sites when I had a house mate and we used the same computer. At work, I would log out of my e-mail account if I was going to be away from my desk. A few people have played tricks by jumping on someone’s computer and sending a “prank” message to co-workers.

Someone recently told me that if you don’t log off from a site, you leave certain ports open allowing access to your ‘puter. I don’t know if this is true, but surely someone will be along to correct me.

@Ben_Dover That is scary! I don’t know about that too,and I hope fluther isn’t like that.

@Doctor_D I log ot and close all windows before shutting down my computer.

I generally do my logging in the woods along with other stuff.

I don’t since I’m pretty much the only one that uses this computer and nothing on my computer is nearly as embarrassing as the stuff in my bedroom/office.

But you are a fool if you don’t log out on public computers.

@Ben_Dover This isn’t true at all. Your browser is in charge of the ports, so you need not worry about specific websites. Sites like Fluther cannot open or close a port by itself, other than the automatic opening of port 80 or 443 when a page is loaded by the browser. Also, leaving a port open does not at all mean someone has access your computer.

Logging out and closing your browser before shutting down is unnecessary. Your browser is automatically closed during the shutdown sequence, and most cookies are cleared.

Most websites have a “Remember Me” option when logging in. Checking this will allow you to come back to the website without the need of logging in again. When this is not checked, closing the browser will automatically log you out of the website, so there is no possibility of someone having access to this site by opening your browser.

The only benefit of logging out of websites is the risk of someone physically using your computer without your permission to visit these websites you have logged into. The only places you should always log out of sites, as @blah_blah said, are public computers such as your library or school.

I never log out. I always just x it out and then go back to it later. I like doing that better because then I don’t have to waste time logging back in.