to dislike the easy name changing on Mn?

[Mintyy]

Call me old fashioned, but I sort of like getting to know, in the very loosest sense, the people that I spend time with fairly regularly (ie. you lot).

I sometimes think that the dreaded Mumsnet Royalty (sorry for using that hateful phrase which is always but always used as an attack, goady, personal or otherwise) are just people who don't name change and so more or less everyone knows who they are.

I can understand name changing for the personal stuff, of course I can and do it myself, but why do people permanently name change every few weeks or months? Don't you ever think "I wish I wasn't anonymous and that someone else on MN felt a bit of human connection with me"?

Just curious.

I name changed a number of times until I found a name I liked a lot. I'll stick with that name now, except for seasonal changes.

I have several names on the go - this general one, then others for specialist topics with really personal stuff.

So I switch between them several times a day. It makes posting slower, but maintains anonymity better. I may have a right to publish my own sex life: I don't have a right to publish DP's.

I think it's good that people can namechange. You'll always get a few knobs on forums who take a dislike to something someone's said and will start following them around threads being disagreeable. I remember this happening to me on another forum where you couldn't namechange, but luckily the poster was obnoxious generally so ended up being banned.

Also, and I can't stand people doing this, but some posters will go trawling through someone's posts to use things they've said previously against them in an argument. It's pathetic, but I've seen people do it.

I namechanged once after being attacked by two posters on a thread about kids toys, of all things. It seemed to come from nowhere, I had no previous history with either of the posters, and it just left me a bit shaken. Both of them post regularly on here and are normally fairly okay, so I don't know why they got so aggressive. Anyway, I didn't want them in my face so I changed identity.

I have name changed a few times since joining a couple of years ago. Mainly when I realise I have given too much personal stuff away which could out me and cause grief for me in my personal life if it did out me.

I hate feeling on edge like that though, so since having this NN, I have basically kept my mouth zipped and being very very careful.

I have been Scone for the last three years (with an occasional ending change/seasonal nc) but there is another poster who has a very similar name. I feel a bit sad about it (which is absolutely bloody ridiculous you can't trademark a scone!) and sometimes think about a total change.

But I like being 'me' and blathering on crap telly freds.

Humph. Feel a bit conflicted.

I used to love being me. But stuff happened in my personal life and I needed to become a bit more anonymous. You never know who is reading.

I definitely recognise you Orlando - I just don't know who you are!

I think lots of 'regs' have n/c recently - which is a shame. I really like seeing familiar names it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

I prefer to be anonymous on the internet. I'm happy to just take each thread/post for what it says, rather than who's written it.

I name-changed because somebody had a go at me with my old name and I am a sensitive flower I think it was sort of my fault in a way - I knew what I was trying to day but I sort of didn't make a good job of explaining it and they took exception to it and then I got worried that I had offended people

The experience got to me for some reason and I decided to stop posting altogether. But the lure of MN was just too much and so in the end I name-changed! I have learned my lesson though and stay off the controversial threads - these days I mostly just post shallow things about handbags and stuff

the thing is though for me I like to know a bit of history about a poster. I know some posters have suffered the loss of a child, who are divorced or who have suffered illnesses.

it makes it more personal for me and I am then interested in their lives. hope that doesn't sound stalkerish and I have no desire to meet up in RL like some mumsnetters do but I wish them well in a virtual sense.

reading that back it sounds daft but I know what I mean.

when people make change that bond goes. but of course I do see why people do this.

I do think that sometimes you need balls of solid rock to stand your ground and not NC, especially on the controversial threads.

Another regular name changer. I don't want to leave a footprint the either.while mnhq has a full list of all my post, I trust them.

I wouldn't like ANY of my family knowing as much about me as I post on here.

I also don't like the idea of it hanging around FOREVER. Tooo creepy!

I name change every week or so because I don't want my crazy inlaws seeing what I write.