Heads up: some academic research taking place

So let's say I ask to opt out. How does MN keep track of me if I NC?

Content analysis is a very limited methodological tool that presents a decontextualised picture. It doesn't tell you why people opted to use language in the way they do. It merely imposes the researcher's meaning on that choice of language - a meaning that by its very nature is potentially unlikely to match the poster's motivation for opting to express it in the way they did. In essence, its semantic naivety and really such research, without triangulated qualitative data, will reveal very little

Spot on and reflects what I said but more eloquently.

I also do not want to be included. Thank you.

Please don't include my posts, thank you.

Well, if posters think that they're posting in a relatively safe closed group, perhaps in a moment of despair looking for a handhold, then ethically, the researchers need to take account of that. It's not acceptable to dismiss this precisely because mumsnet functions in exactly this way for many posters and to nit account for this is not really being ethical at all.

1. Content analysis is a very limited methodological tool that presents a decontextualised picture. It doesn't tell you why people opted to use language in the way they do. It merely imposes the researcher's meaning on that choice of language - a meaning that by its very nature is potentially unlikely to match the poster's motivation

I do not want any of my posts included.

For clarification -

• you don't understand if the researchers have sought proper permission from their ethics committee and need to check this with them. You shouldn't really assume this

• You don't know if people will be contacted before their words are used in the study surely this would have been discussed in the basic process brief of the study? Have you even seen that?

• You haven't sought any veto powers which seems amateurish if your name is going to be connected to something which you've not really taken the time to fully understand.

• You don't know the status of the Opt-in / Opt-out legalities of this and they appear to not have explained that to you before hand. again, this is surely something both you and the researchers should be clear on

It just seems a bit "can we do this? Yeah sure why not!" which doesn't feel very professional or invoke any trust in what will happen with our data.

I don't want my posts included either.

No thank you not me

I would not like my posts to be included please.

Not because I'm worried about anything identifying me but because you're having to check back with the researchers over most of the questions being asked here and to be honest, I would have expected you to have nailed that sort of stuff down before agreeing to it so I don't trust that you understand yourselves what you are signing us as posters up for.

I can see a problem if the researchers present the (anonymised) text as the words of parents. No-one knows if people posting here are really mothers or fathers or parents. Just what they claim to be.

Some are out and out trolls, fetishists and pervs. Some have been con artists. No-one knows the numbers. Could be significant.

I wouldn't let a student use it as a 'parent database'.

Count me and any previous usernames out please.

Please opt me out.

Thank you.

I don't understand why people are opting out?

Speaking personally it's because when I agree to be a research subject, I always have full knowledge of what I am agreeing too, how the data / blood samples etc will be used, and what the purpose of the research is. Again, speaking personally I think it's a bit unethical to conduct research on people without their knowledge (I do realise this happens all of the time though)

MMHQ Can I clarify - will the researchers have access to anything only MNHQ can see, or is it purely just anything that is available publically? Thanks.

I don't understand why people are opting out? If it's because you don't want to be 'outed' you do know that mumsnet share posts on twitter and FB daily and mumsnet talk always features high on google searches? If you want anonymity this is not the place!!

Feel free to use my posts. I'm not very interesting though.

What AnElderlyLadyOfMediumHeight said.

I cannot understand why people are opting out. Why? It is far more ethical and interesting than the straight lift from MN site to Daily Mail site, and you cannot opt out of that.

How strange

What MargaretCavendish and picklemepopcorn said. The option to opt out and the anonymisation of (already theoretically anonymous) usernames are simply good practice.

It's a hell of a lot more anonymous (and ethical, and potentially valuable) than the lifting of threads (including usernames) by the DM et al, which we all know goes on and still post anyway.

‘I post on a large scale Internet forum for privacy.’

Dear God.

Bearing in mind that all posts are publically available anyway, and can be cross referenced with the database at the click of a mouse, I’d say that opting out publically makes you more visible rather than less - especially if this applies across user names

If I didn’t want my comments to be the subject of public scrutiny and analysis then I wouldn’t be posting on MN anyway.

Looks like most posters are opting out.

I'd like to opt out please

Forgot to say - pop me on the list of non-consenting people as well, thanks!

Pleas exclude my posts.