Ever see a post so specific that you are sure you know the OP, IRL?

[chessica]

For ages I’ve wondered if friends, family, colleagues, neighbours etc use mumsnet but I suppose most people wouldn’t really say if they did. Recently I’ve seen a really identifying post, which is a very big coincidence if it’s NOT the person I know!!

Got me thinking - how many people have recognised someone?

I have been recognised, and have recognised.
Once each in 15 years.

I recognised my brother, he was posting in bereavement about a family tragedy and was fully identifiable (he included names and other details).

He did also include some very obvious lies in that and other threads (I searched his history to be sure that it was him), but then he always did bend the truth!

No, not yet

I read a thread recently where I was certain I knew the OP. I haven’t mentioned it in real life because I think it would make things awkward. I also didn’t post on the thread because I felt like it would be somehow inappropriate to comment anonymously in that situation.

Yes, quite an innocuous thread but OP mentioned a dislike for something that she is the only person I know who dislikes the thing (let's say it's After Eights) and suddenly everything else about it made sense.
I managed to resist advance searching and have now forgotten her name!

god forbid this happens. I’m worried now that Grumpy knows who I am. I bet everyone on MN is!!

on another note, I don’t like after eights as they make me feel very sick.

I'm friends with one of the consultants in one of the saddest threads of this year. I didn't post until she had very sadly passed away as it felt inappropriate to do so.

Her posts were so brave and her last photo will stay with me for a long time.

I saw my mum on here once, posting about how awful I am :(

Oh that’s rotten.

I saw someone get outed in real time once. The thread was pulled.

I’ve spotted two people on here. No idea of I’ve been. I name change every year or so, when I’ve posted anything too identifiable.

 @Sleepeezey

Damn! That must have stung. I'm really sorry.

I know my SIL posts due to a baby names thread, their children have quite unusual names. I would never tell her but she's very nice and normal.

I've posted personal information about my childhood and issues with my pregnancy. So I'm sure people in real life could put 2 + 2 together.

I'm not afraid of being 'outed' on here, and consequently have only ever changed my username once. I have never posted anything I'd be ashamed to let others read, and that includes political conversations or a traumatic past, which I've sometimes disclosed to try to help others in similar situations. The shame of that history belongs to others, not to me.

I've sometimes thought about ways in which certain political views would make me very unpopular in a workplace where particular drums are beaten quite a lot and there's a culture of views being shouted down and silenced. But I am perfectly entitled to have those views, and to express them forcefully as women are often lambasted for doing.

I'd have no apologies to make, even if I was recognized, and within talk guidelines will post as I see fit.

Yes, a family member. It was a good lesson in remembering that what OP says is only one side of the story and may not even be true.

I have recognised someone. I didn't know her, but did know a relative who had told me about her. The situation was quite unusual and identifiable.

I once saw a sock puppet pretending to be the person on the other side of the family dispute being posted about. The whole thing was ludicrously OTT in any event, but if any contributor to that thread were in doubt that it was the work of a very amateur creative writer, that was the clincher.

The whole thread was a hoot. If I'd behaved in such a bizarre way on an internet forum I'd take a step back and do some serious soul-searching with myself to explore why the fuck I'd done it. And would certainly blush to show my face on these boards in the same username again!

When my kids were younger I occasionally ranted on here if I was finding them difficult. I used to post a lot years ago, so my search history made me fairly identifiable. Now they are grown up/ late teens with their own children possibly in the not too distant future (which I somehow never envisaged when I joined in 2006) and the reality of things being on the internet for ever really hit home and I had huge regret. I’d hate for them to find those posts and think that was actually how I felt about them, when in reality I was just having a bad moment.

@Sleepeezey I don’t know if you have a good relationship with your mum now or how long ago it was, but if it was in the past try not to take it to heart too much. When mumsnet started it was small and felt quite personal and everyone “knew” you. It was a bit too easy to speak as you would to a friend on a bad day. I’m older and wiser now, have changed names a few times, and am very much more careful what I post (and I utterly adore my DC).

A friend of mine recognised someone on here. Apparently almost everyone was on her side, but my friend said she’d left out a couple of vital details which would have potentially changed the level of support given by others. My friend didn’t say anything as it was a work situation, she didn’t want to out herself and it was in another team anyway.

There’s a bloke who posts here who is an ex of someone I know. We enjoy laughing at his made up stories. Horrible bloke but paints himself very differently.

I name change and delete accounts every so often so I don’t think anyone would recognise me. 😬

Yes on education there is a mother of twins who gives a lot of detail about them and its obvious who she is to people in our village

I've spotted two people (and also been spotted) on threads about the area I live in, because none of us has been hiding it. I don't really care because if I haven't already bored them with the mundane details of my life, they are most welcome to catch up on here

Yes, someone from work. She mentioned our company by name which I suppose was pretty stupid of her! I never said anything to her in person though and didn't go searching for other posts by her.

Two family members have shared things on WhatsApp groups that I know have come from Mumsnet so I'm sure they're on here somewhere.

I saw one post in a niche topic that was v likely to be my employee. but I'm not 100% sure and I didn't want to invade her privacy, so I tried to forget it.

My sister recognised me and told me