Are you a secret Mumsnetter?

[CandidFruit]

Does your family/friends/colleagues know you’re on here?

Do you sometimes find yourself bringing up topics into conversation that you’ve read on MN?

Have you ever “caught” anyone on MN in public, or have been “caught” yourself?

Anyone on here who you think you actually would like to be friends with, based purely on something they’ve posted about or commented on?

I’d like to meet The Sistine Chapel Wailer 😆… I think!

ExH and DD know. ExH follows the DIY and Property threads. I suspect he reads the sex ones as well. Well he would wouldn't he?

Not remotely - I chat about threads with friends etc- though did feel a bit oooo errr when I recognised a lovely friends thread recently- it was though about an issue I knew all about already- but it did feel a bit odd - and I recognised it as her immediately.

My Dh, ds and dd know. My dd is also a mumsnetter. My dsis knows but doesn't use it herself.

I usually say something like "I saw on social media" or "I heard somewhere" or whatever. I always worry that friends might be mumsnetters and come across a post and realise it was me. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid.

Interestingly I think many of my friends would be in agreement with most of fwr like me but I'm still too nervous to ask. Which is a shame that perfectly rational thinking; that vast percentage of the population agree with; you have to hide for fear of being cancelled or worse

I mention Mumsnet quite often and all my friends and family know about the wonderful gift I was given after my husband died.

I couldn’t keep it secret from mine as I’m often nearly spitting my wine out laughing at something ridiculous. The ick thread was recent comedy gold (title about “ridiculous and inconsequential” stuff that put us off someone if anyone wants to find it).

Outed myself to DH asking him how often he thought about the Roman Empire. Dont think anyone else knows or even cares 🤷🏻‍♀️

Everyone I know would look down on me so much if they knew I was here, so no I wouldn't tell anyone 😂

In my circle mumsnet = a bunch of alcoholic transphobes who don't live in the real world, and if you so much as mention it it's eyeroll central.

Occasionally I like to share funny things that I read on MN with some people close to me. But, for the most part it doesn’t seem to come up in other social settings. I have no idea if anyone else I know posts or lurks on MN.

I am in Australia and I have come across fellow Australians (or possibly expats living in Australia) posting on MN. Hello @Catsmere. But I don’t know how popular or widespread MN is here.

G'day @ImustLearn2Cook! Yes, I have no idea if MN is known here. I learned about it on a US feminist website I used to read.

I'm South Asian and I don't think there's many of us on here. I don't think anyone I know IRL uses it (at least I hope not) I'd hate to be outed!

Have you ever “caught” anyone on MN in public, or have been “caught” yourself?

Yes. I was sitting next to a lady on train in the summer who got on from Euston she was looking at her phone I glanced sidewards and saw her looking at mums net flicking and reading the forum I wanted to say something but thought better of it she got off at Hemel Hempstead never seen her again on the commute

people who know me, know i mention im on here, i mentioned the football thread for the forest match today to a friend, that said read all, trust nothing is my general rule for threads i am intrigued with,

No, nobody has any idea I post here nor do they care.

@moomoomoo27

”Everyone I know would look down on me so much if they knew I was here, so no I wouldn't tell anyone 😂”

So is being on MN a dirty little secret then 😆

MN doesn't have a great rep in the outside world. It's always been viewed (let's face it, thanks to misogyny) as a bit shrill, or dull, and definitely middle class in a bit particularly complimentary way. A bit of mum stereotyping if you will.

In the last few years the obsession with trans people means it has a reputation as a place of hate and bigotry.

I previously would have sheepishly admitted reading on occasion, but now I never would.

My friend's husband the other day said 'I read this thread on Mumsnet', I wasn't sure whether to reveal myself as a MN who had also read the same thread or not.... I just nodded and kept quiet lol.

I'm less secret about it than I used to be, but as I used to be obsessively secret about it, it's not saying much. Dp knows I'm on here as he made a disparaging joke about MN and I didn't respond too well - mainly because he's never been on here so was just parroting things he'd heard at work.

Mostly I just say 'an Internet thread' and assume people will think I mean reddit or twitter.

I've seen various friends pass by on here and a cousin was a prolific poster for a long time, but she's gone now.

Hahaha this is definitely me 😆

DH and DD knows about me being on MN, I often tell them about different threads. They use to know my previous username not sure about new one.
Beyond that I just do vague “read online “ reference. I’m not keeping it secret as such more like not go into details. I mentioned it to one of my friends some time ago but she clearly wasn’t on it and wasn’t interested. I did discuss Strictly thread with the other one and openly said that I loved reading it, but I didn’t post on Strictly thread so “just reading” part was true.

First rule of Mumsnet, don't talk about Mumsnet

I happily tell people that I use Mumsnet. It’s not cocaine.

I am in awe of @MrsTerryPratchett.

My family and work colleagues know I am on MN …they take the piss but I genuinely don’t care 😂

There are some amazing posters I have learned a lot from in here. Obviously some annoying and weird ones too. Just like life.

Fewer laffs on here than there were before, sure but that’s living in the UK with nearly 15 years of the Tories for you. Most people I know are sadder, poorer and more stressed

Well shucks!

That's very sweet.

No. I don't think I've ever been truly invested in anything I've seen on here enough to occasionally pop off a quick reply, I wouldn't think to mention it outside of a private internet browse and have never felt a need to start a thread. It's only because it's so utterly ridiculous/depressing/plain bizarre on some of the popular boards that it's noteworthy at all. I'm quite sure half the posts are simply made up, and often tend to hope the rest of them are.

If i went to my friends and family for opinions on half the stuff you see on here on a given evening - DP's treating their partners like absolute dirt, poor souls upset about everything under the sun, adults sincerely discussing the measurements of their shit or taking medical advice from unqualified strangers or showing lumps on their labia or their discharge as if it's a safe alternative to speaking to their GP; I think I would quite rightly be told to get a life.

The only time I've heard mumsnet brought up in my social circle - and it's only happened a couple of times - has been from people referencing it as either utterly tragic and them having heard it is predominantly bigoted towards certain types of people (not saying I support or decry this either way, just saying).