Not a TAAT but a general rant.
Seriously, what do trolls get out of it, they post either ridiculously unbelievably dramatic or almost fetish based posts. Tell the most heart-wrenching stories and posters respond, giving them honest and open advice that, in my case is honest and considered, possibly with some self-disclosure to show solidarity. Then going back to see if there is an update and the thread has been pulled.
Therefore, any support that someone else may have got from being in a similar situation has vanished, and the troll gets some twisted thrill out of getting responses and being fed?
No wonder we are a nest of vipers if we can't even trust that the posts are even real, especially when they are emotive. Also, what does it leave for the rest of us who are not trolls, but need support in some dark times that they are regarded with suspicion because certain themes are similar to certain repeat trolls.
That's not even to start with lazy journalists skimming threads that they can then copy and paste into their dross filled articles, potentially exposing individuals who want their anonymity. Why is it always Mumsnet, and not the opposite one?
I know nothing can be done, but I hate taking the time and care to respond to individuals, thinking about their situation just to have a blue note that it has been taken down for trollisms. It's almost futile to try an be rational to others online because anonymity takes away any consequences other than a ban that is easily circumvented.
With Mumsnet as big as it is and as prevalent in the media as it is, I wonder if verified posters could be a thing, so we provide our real details to Mumsnet, but keep the functionality of the name changing, which doesn't change the account. Yes, it could be faked, but less so, the only difference would be the name appearing in a different font or colour or with a (V) next to them.