to think that Mumsnet is being hacked / invaded by t****s and t***s?

[MrsGerardButler]

It's more than a school holidays thing. It seems like a malicious attempt to hook people into a drama / DV / EA situation. It often seems to start with a dramatic first (ever) post and before you know it, it is 100 posts long and the OP is nowhere to be seen.

One of the things I love about MN is how supportive and ready to help people are when someone is in need, but I feel that perhaps we need to take a more cynical and questioning approach before offering our time and energy to support some brand new posters who take without giving back.

My hardhat is on and I have a in hand.

That fb page is weird. Why would someone do that? Are there not more important things to get upset about? It is just a website, guys. We are not taking over the world yet

just picking up on what someone said about trolls starting off by saying that it's their first post or that they have name changed - I have noticed a lot of posters who seem prolific but when you look at their posts they may have 500+ but have been posting furiously on all sorts of topics for only a month or so. Sometimes I wonder if people join, post inoffensively on a lot of threads (usually just one line agreeing with another poster) and then after they have started to look like someone who has been here ages, that's when they start the offensive stuff.

or maybe I have too much time on my hands

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES DuelingFanjo.

I have noticed that as well. 500 posts in a fortnight and I just think - EH?

I'm not really a Thread starter...bit of a wanker scaredy cat,being quite new and all.

I await my baptism of fire

I have my eye on one at the moment

@BecauseImWorthIt

I have my eye on one at the moment

Have you reported 'em to us, BIWI?

Me too BIWI. I had stopped reporting people when I got a bit of a snotty response on one of my reports. But I have reported one today.

Oooh, me to BIWI... Not 'bad' enough to report yet but suddenly prolific and a bit inconsistent.

@ShirleyKnot

Me too BIWI. I had stopped reporting people when I got a bit of a snotty response on one of my reports. But I have reported one today.

at snotty response! What on earth did we say?

@BelleDameSansMerci

Oooh, me to BIWI... Not 'bad' enough to report yet but suddenly prolific and a bit inconsistent.

Still worth reporting BelleDame (please). It's can be v helpful for us to build up a picture of what some people are up to...

Sometimes I wonder if people join, post inoffensively on a lot of threads (usually just one line agreeing with another poster) and then after they have started to look like someone who has been here ages, that's when they start the offensive stuff

I can tell you as a new joiner its very easy to post lots in a week when you have kids on hols and are glued to your iPad in the garden looking after them.

The key IMO is what/how they post, anyone who is genuine is probably arguing, taking positions etc etc - which takes real effort.

As to the trolling posts, anyone who has been lazy for years been around the 'Net can mostly see those coming - though to be honest some of the regular drama queens respected posters on MN knock yer average troll into a cocked hat :o

I know this has been said elsewhere but this sort of troll hunt really puts me off getting to involved in many threads! Have also seen some poor mums get attacked for asking simple pfb questions.

Any trolls reading this - I have one question. WHY?!!

I know what Shirley means about the snotty responses too- some emails back have a distinctly clipped and weary tone. I must haven sent a dozen detailed emails about a troll I had a brush with quite recently, and I didn't even get a reply at all to lots of them, which was quite off-putting. I know you're supposed to report, but I kind of worry that MNHQ are rolling their eyes at me sometimes and think I am just being a pain in the arse.

yy BOF the response I got had a tone of "you shouldn't have reported this person as they're clearly struggling" and so I just thought..Fine. I won't bother then.

I have only had 'standard' replies when reporting. Would love a 'weary' one!

@BitOfFun

I know what Shirley means about the snotty responses too- some emails back have a distinctly clipped and weary tone. I must haven sent a dozen detailed emails about a troll I had a brush with quite recently, and I didn't even get a reply at all to lots of them, which was quite off-putting. I know you're supposed to report, but I kind of worry that MNHQ are rolling their eyes at me sometimes and think I am just being a pain in the arse.

BOF: We aim to reply to every report. We're truly sorry if that hasn't been the case for you recently. If you can bear to mail us again at [email protected] and tell us who it was you were concerned about, we'll dig around and find out what happened.

And we definitely don't roll our eyes at you - or anyone else. We're positively grateful for any report like that.