Do you think the limitless name changing facility on Mumsnet is a good or bad thing?

[A580Hojas]

And do you know of any other chat forums that have the same feature?

A good thing. I name change frequently. I'd be off if they took away the facility.

A good thing definitely

Agree that MN know instantly how long you've been around. I've been around so long my ''baby'' is in her second year at university and I don't think I've ever purposely wound anybody up. If anybody reported me MN would know that so our screen names as they appear to us aren't what mn moderators go by. To them we're a number, I think I can view my number somewhere.

A good thing for me as I change all the time. A bad thing for the quality of discussion on the site.

A very good thing on the whole.

Its what makes mn and they know it so they will never change it

There are many good reasons why people might not feel they could share personal birth stories, family problems or domestic violence if they may be identified.
Theres a trope the mn always say ltb but I’m really grateful for the support I got here to do so as a young mum. I couldn’t have accessed that if this forum wasn’t anonymous

one of the upsides in my opinion is the creativity around names as they are never repeated.
Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be another terry pratchett reference some obscure village character from Ubervald crops up on a thread all angry about loo brushes existing

It can be disorientating to come back after a while away and not recognise any names but some people like anyfucker and Mrs terry pratchett will still be (at least mainly) posting in their usual names and you get back on with the names around you now quickly enough

I’ve spotted someone I know through a series of name changes funnily enough, since the point is mainly anonymity, they ran on a particular political theme at the time that struck me as something they would say and once the ‘I wonder’ had occurred to me I started to notice their speaking style in their posts and vernacular was fitting as was what they said with what I understood of their opinions.

Takes all sorts to make the world and when you give people anonymity you get something special and wonderful but also dark and real.
Also you get total bullshitters wasting everybody’s time.

im team name change and enjoy plucking them out of the chat. A nice little in joke for those that get it but of course I rarely know who spots them but it brings me a little joy in the day

some people like anyfucker and Mrs terry pratchett will still be (at least mainly) posting in their usual names and you get back on with the names around you now quickly enough

The ease of name changing makes me respect the people who don’t even more. Even the ones I rarely agree with- hats off for sticking with one name and standing by your posts.

You have to be careful and just not mention stuff that's not relevant. If you are going to do that then the NC feature is great.

If you're not posting stuff that matters if anyone knows then there's no need. But that's just me, the function is there to be used as people choose to, whatever reason they have for it-good or bad.

I like it. It helps us stay anonymous and be willing to ask more personal and private questions.

bitchplopping love it!

Years ago people would namechange and you could tell who they were instantly by their way with words and posting style but that doesn't happen often now.

As a disabled, mixed race, childless, unable to drive to to my disability MNetter I trigger a lot of unwelcome opinions. I've been accused of grooming children, told no one should marry me because I can't drive, been called a drain on society and been told that my feelings and opinions on any number of subjects the vast majority of which were not child related are invalid as I don't have children.

Literally the only reason I am still here is because I can name change frequently to avoid being hounded and harassed by people who think it's okay to let their racist/ableist views come out on MN

Love it!

This is a very good point!

Especially when so many threads appear in the Daily Mail and on tv now.

Sometimes name changing is just fun.

WRT to the Daily Mail, and the wider media picking up threads. MN share the threads on their FB pages, encouraging them to be shared to others. There's been so many threads where people have expressed surprise that threads have appeared elsewhere, or lazy journalism or whatever I don't think they know how the internet works.
Every click on here equates to revenue for a site that is free to use.

great thing. I name change every couple of days because I don’t want to be identified by anyone irl

Definitely a good thing.

MN has a record of all the names that each person uses.

Great thing and one of the reasons I post here and not very often on the Irish site I am on especially as you cannot edit posts so they are there forever. I have gotten great advice over the years off MNers but would not like to be forever linked to anything I have posted as some posters would just come on to bash you over the head with previous postings.

The OP asks if there’s other sites that allow it. I have no idea, I’m only on here.

Those posters who have changed often, can you see all the threads you are on with all the different IDS?

Or do you have to log on separately for each name?

Good. I name change every so often.

@FiveShelties you can see all your threads in all your various names in the same place.

Yes, everything works - Threads I'm on, notifications etc. And obviously the pseudonyms are transparent to MNHQ so they can detect sock puppets.

They all show up the same so you do need to remember what username you used to comment and not accidentally sock puppet (which I have done before)