To think that any thread which starts "I'm a first time poster but here is my unbelieveable drama which I have come here especially to post," should *always* be treated with suspicion?

[wannaBe]

Seriously, anyone going through something so completely unbelieveably shocking isn't going to be looking for some random internet forum to post it, look for the right category, etc etc...

Yes - referring to the troll thread from earlier which was fairly quickly deleted.

Seriously wtf are people so gullible?

I was accused once of making a thread up when I posted an AIBU about someone refusing to give me a seat on the train when I was heavily pregnant

I can beat that one: someone asked me to give up a seat to them when I was heavily pregnant.

TSC's minge thread is still in Classics but the OP and all subsequent comments by the OP have been deleted.

A recent trend seems to be first time posters discussing the sexuality and sexual habits of their teenage children. There's at least one a week in 'Teenagers'. I report them when I see them.

Ridiculous op,

My very first post here was quite dramatic, I was new to MN and I had a dramatic tale to tell...I never realised there was a forum such as this where I could air such stuff anonymous and get feed back!

Oh, has that thread disappeared? Seemed quite pop-corn worthy. I have to admit I read it and thought "this is the plot of a bad fanfic"!

Though it's not just mumsnet - this week's Guardian's Pamela Stephenson column has a supposed fetishist who claims to be (simultaneously) into "plushophilia" and something which turns out to be a pretty extreme paraphilia (which I only pieced together from the BTL comments - so glad I did not google it), and is worried that his girlfriend will not warm to either activity. My immediate thought was "either the sub-editor's made this up or this is a troll" - but there it is in all its glory (much as I hate CIF most of the time, I must say the BTL commentators have excelled themselves on this one, some of the comments are hilarious, especially the one who simply suggests that for once it would be entirely accurate for the guy say to his girlfriend "it's not you, it's me").

That's a fairly mild 'philia'. I researched them. Some are a lot worse, lol.

Ah, I wasn't clear - there were two philias involved, one of which was mild if weird (fucking soft toys?!?!?!) and the other was pretty off the scale. The weirdest thing (and the thing that really screamed troll or possibly subeditor desperate for click-bait) was the combination of the two.

Go on explain the paraphilia or whatever. I'm not googling. You won't catch me.

Yep me too I need to know what the other one was. Preferably in brain-safe words.

The other paraphilia was of the Armin Meiwes variety, if I remember correctly. Not sure how that works side by side with the furry toy thing.

Oh well that explains it. Armin meiws eh. Not googling oh no.

Fava beans and a nice chianti?

No one uses 'UCM is that you' any more, that was one of my favourites in the credential list.

Well, since you're all so keen... Guardian article here.

I only found forums when I had a mc and was googling for advice - so my first posts were full of angst - so I can well imagine someone going through a tough time might stumble upon a forum and want to get opinion on their own situation,

I've only been here for eighteen months, but would almost certainly include Brian from Hull in my typed equivalent of the secret handshake. He was followed by various copycats and wannabees, but none could hold a yoni scented candle to Brian.

I think it depends though on what kind of tough time though...

so...

you might come here and find support re mc because it's a parenting forum and going through a mc is unfortunately not uncommon... I wouldn't consider that to be dramatic.

But if you were to e.g. post "I've just been beaten up by my boyfriend, am 24 weeks pregnant and now having cramps, have called an ambulance, am scared, please hold my hand," and you are a first time poster then nope sorry, it's bloody suspicious, just as suspicious actually as someone who posts regularly but in the heat of their drama "oh I can hear him coming up the stairs but here I am couring in the bathroom, am so glad I have mn," but the 24 week post really did happen, and it got hundreds and hungreds of replies, right up to the point where the op had the premature baby three days later, where she put up pictures of her dd, and then ... someone recognised them as being the pictures of the smallest prem baby ever born - the op had lifted them from the internet and claimed them as her own.

Op: yabu. & probably need to get out more.

EatShitDerek you made me laugh

I still have nightmares about this

Troll threads are annoying tbh especially if they are convincing at first. I once got flamed and had posts deleted for suggesting that a poster was a troll and it turned out she was. It was one of those where they were slyly hinting for money. I admit, some you can spot a mile off.

Some people have dramatic lives, some people are just dramatic, some people are trolls.

I've been suspected, I don't feel bad about it, I know I am telling the truth. Sometimes maybe I get a bit dramatic about it, but that's anxiety and I try my best to not go with it, but I'm not always best at controlling the inner demons. Sometimes I look back at my posts and think oh god, because I thought things were worse than they were, and it makes me realise how lucky I was then that those were the least of my worries.

I can see why people get suspicious, and I think it's right to report if you have concerns. Not on thread, that's just a waste of space, Mumsnet will flag it if they hear from people and let them know what they think. There are people out there who will try to get what they can on an internet forum, emotional response or money or whatever their kicks are.

I also know that perfectly innocent people right in the middle of a stressful time can come across as somewhat OTT and look the part, be inconsistent because technically we usually are most of the time anyway (from my psychology studies of eyewitness reports and memory, I reckon anyway), seem to have a lot going on which is suspicious, but genuinely are grateful for the support and advice they get and aren't trying to get anything else.

You suspect, you report, Mumsnet decide. If people want to give support after that, that's their choice, and there are people out there who will be glad of it, and there may be trolls pulling their legs. That's the risk on an internet forum.

I dunno why I've gone all philosophical. Must be the morphine.