to feel confused by the level of affection one feels for nicknames on a screen?

[ClockWatchingLady]

I'm a bit late to the party, having only just discovered MN (never been on other "chat" type sites either). It really feels like people care about each other here, and (like countless others, it seems) I continually find myself "checking" on people on certain threads, and thinking about some posters' welfare very regularly.

I can't formulate my question exactly, but isn't it a bit weird that none of us really knows each other? Or do we? What does it all mean?! People who have been on MN a long time: do you feel that you have real "friendships" here?

I namechange a lot and am a total arse online (fucking keyboard warrior) despite being really bloody nice and normal in person. I doubt anyone here has any affection for me or indeed remembers me. ~violins~

I always remember people who are like me in some way, for example, had a kid in their 20s, or are lawyers, or fucking hate recycling, or love stupid fitness DVDs or black and white films.

Women who have shared their stories about having lost their children always stay in my mind and I want to hug them when I see their usernames.

not guilty sorry intrigued now though!

Very late coming to this thread, but I think some people do go ont to form RL friendships that start on MN. I feel as close to some of my MN favourite people as I do to my RL friends in many ways. I love the way freedom that not knowing them in RL brings - it steers you toward certain people again and again purely because you love what they have to say - it's not what they look like, how old they are, what their income is, where they live, wehter they are naturally the same 'type' as you etc - I like that, it's very liberating.

I spent about three years on another board before MN and I made a good buddy on there - yet when I met her she was not my cup of tea at all and I was astounded at how differently she came across. Online she was funny, and lively and a bit of a whacky character, but in RL the 'whacky character' bit was polarised x a 100, and she just came across as a bit of a self-obsessed nutjob to be honest. I had another friend on that board, Lovecat who is here on MN as well, and she said exactly the same when she met her, so it wasn't just me!

I worry like hell about being anonymous. I think I may have overshared once or twice while being on the wrong end of a gin and tonic.
I am paranoid that my mother will find me.

Late to reply again Hearts, . Yes, it was the end of May - we were just lucky with the weather

One of the other guys who is good fun is DanFmDorking, but I haven't seen him around much recently. He made me laugh when he got all excited about a new service station opening on the M25 (I think?)

Although I must just add that I have met quite a few MNers and they have all without exception apart from one been absolutely lovely, and pretty much how I expected them to be. The one I wasn't keen on I wasn't expecting to like much anyway.

I'm obviously not looking at the right threads , Dan is still here!

Late to the thread (bloody weddings lol)

I have a real soft spot for some posters, VicarInATutu cos she does a job I used to (sorta) and despite having some at home difficulties she is always defending her colleagues against the public, and she has come back to horse riding and I enjoy reading her threads ;)
NorksAreMessy made me a Beautiful Thing for no reason and made me cry (luffs her)
I love SPs (despite the Cliffing) and enjoy her threads - her little boy is a similar age to mine and I really connect with her in a weird way
LtEveDallas is the only regular that I think lives in the same area as me, and we need to arrange a meet-up!
Sparkling's kitten envy makes me smile.

There are lots of other posters that I love (and some I dislike) but I am socially awkward on here and in RL so don't mind that I 'know' people that haven't a clue who I am

Thread killer

FruOla - if he's from Dorking, then yes, that will be the new servo at Cobham on the M25! It's too close to where my Dad lives for me to have checked it out when I'm back in the UK but I'm glad there is one there now (M25 curiously lacking in services previously)

SuperMariossister - here y'are. It's barking stuff.

I want to go to PoundLand with Sparkling

Think that will be added to my bucket list

Do I see a reference to ducklady... Wonder if that is my RL friend... Waves.

I like some MNers. There are a few I know to be absolute knobs.

The vast majority pass me by and I can't remember who anyone is from one minute to the next. This happens in real life too, so don't feel special.

Don't forget lunch at Greggs SPs. Or we could-

Watch This Morning and tut a lot.
Lunch at Greggs
Poundland browsing in the afternoon.

Blimey Fell - I hope you didn't mean me?

I've been here for almost 8 years and had two of my babies whilst a member and have dealt with those two babies going on to have SN.

I feel very close to the women I met on my ante-natal and post-natal threads and have most of them on FB too (as I'm a bit shit at remembering to contribute to the ongoing threads after all this time). Some of those women have done lovely things for me and they've been a great support when times were tough.

Now I spend most of my time in MNSN as a lot of what I need to talk about with regard to my children is SN related and the geese are very understanding women who let me do a lot of ranting and venting

I haven't met many MNers in RL as I'm not in Britain, although I did stumble across a woman I knew when we were teens on here

I like that for the most part MNers are able to disagree vehemently yet will be civil and even friendly on other threads, there are exceptions of course but most MNers seem to grasp that a debate is a just a debate and don't carry it forward. That said I avoid most of the contentious threads these days as I just cannot be fucked anymore

Oh BIWI of course not!!! As if!

I'll pm you.

God, sorry I've just realised why you might have thought I meant you, as I have met you and I knew you 'over there' as well. But I met you in RL through this forum not that one. So sorry - I completely didn't register that you might read it and misconstrue my meaning.

PM on its way now...

Sparkling Its on my bucket list

Mind you, as if you're going to say 'oh yes, I did mean you!' ...

Oh, and to answer the OP, I think many of us spend such a long time here that it's inevitable that you get to know other posters pretty well - even if you never meet them. It's part of the whole strength of Mumsnet as a community, I think.

I often wonder what people think of me I feel pretty invisible most of the time but when i get a reply by name I am reduced to feeling like a teenager when one of the cool kids has spoken to her I love how so many seem to 'know' each other and think that is great, I have been here long enough to know some of the in jokes but have not yet got the 'special friend' stuff going on
its a great place. I laugh at its silliness, cry at the sad bits get angry at some bits and melt a bit over the supportive solidarity that happens spontaneously at times, a great bunch on the whole. Dh thinks I am nuts and even though he smiles at some of the stuff I read out I just don't think he gets it. long live MN

we have all felt like that at first Step and I can tell you that there is no secret to being recognised or gathering a posse, except in the words of Reality 'you just have to put the hours in.'

I sometimes think the people who feel unimportant/unnoticed on here are the ones who have actual real lives to be getting on with.

fellatio you mean MN is not all there is to life