Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU have you ever outed yourself on mumsnet Or...

99 replies

MoonStar07 · 28/09/2016 22:56

Worked out who someone was from a thread? Or has anyone ever said to you I know you? I see a lot of NC so I just wondered!

OP posts:
EatsShitAndLeaves · 28/09/2016 23:41

Not yet - but there is still hope...

Wrinklytights · 28/09/2016 23:42

I recognise a friend, well more of a friend of a friend really. I think many threads are pretty identifying tbh.

Realhousewivesofshit · 28/09/2016 23:47

Yes had a PM asking me if I was someone else who I knew if that makes sense.

Thought it was bloody bad form actually so ignored and name changed.

The whole point of an anonymous Internet forum is that you don't want to be outed. Otherwise you would use your real name.

IMissGrannyW · 28/09/2016 23:48

I shit myself I'll be recognised, as I often share work stuff, and I'd get sacked. I NC often....

Have seen one post which has convinced me the poster attends a school I am familiar with.

Feel a NC coming on (shame, as I like this one a lot! God rest you Sir Terry!)

Seren85 · 28/09/2016 23:51

Essential Hummus...I wonder if we are thinking of the same person....law related?

I've never recognised anyone or had anyone recognise me and I tend to post fairly specific details but they are boring!

brasty · 28/09/2016 23:54

Yes I realised someone posting was a friend from an anecdote she told. I deliberately did not search for other comments she made, and I haven't seen her since.

Queenbean · 28/09/2016 23:54

No, but I would be absolutely mortified if anyone did spot me. Given that, ya know, I'm not a mum and no immediate plans to be one...

I do use fake details about me regularly though just in case

I would love to see someone I'd know and then AS and read all about them slagging off one of our colleagues or something

MrsJayy · 28/09/2016 23:55

Somebody im positive i know is on here she posts like she speaks i can almost hear her voice as i am readi g freaks me out

OriginalBlonde · 28/09/2016 23:59

I'm a regular name changer.

When I first arrived on MN I posted quite a lot in Relationships as dp had been a completed bastard but since then I rather like AIBU, Chat & Education.

I didn't change my name for quite some time and quite a few people knew the struggles I'd had to contend with so its puddings someone did recognise me back then.

I'm more savvy these days Hmm

Muppeeeto · 28/09/2016 23:59

Yes. I recognise an old uni friend on here. Also found my sister. Also read a post about a colleague I used to work with (by a person I didn't know).i know someone I work with comes on here.

OriginalBlonde · 29/09/2016 00:01

Puddings?? I have no idea how that happened, should have written possible!!

I was a regular poster on Bounty before I discovered MN. Used to post all the time just after having ds.

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 29/09/2016 00:02

No, but I sometimes wonder if my dad is on here. If I ever ask for diy advice he links to the DIY section on here. He claims it is because the advice is straightforward , sensible and written in proper sentences.

Either that or he's actually Brian of Yoni massage fame.

I do like it when a poster gives away some utterly innocuous information: 'I'm in my 30s, work in a supermarket and live in Scotland' (oops hope I haven't outed myself there)'.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 29/09/2016 00:10

Two of my friends know my MN name so I never put anything on here that I wouldn't mind them knowing next to nothing

I am so easily identifiable, if someone thought they knew it was me it'd be too easy to find out.
Luckily I have a very boring life and have nothing to embarrass me.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 29/09/2016 00:11

I'm not particularly in so I expect I've been outed.

I realised a friend in RL was the op of a particularly hilarious/contentious/bonkers thread once. That was funny. She was still scarred by the experience and I was mostly on her side so I empathised.

enolagayits0815 · 29/09/2016 00:13

I know who two people are who post on MN, they said something really, really obvious and with such a level of detail that it was impossible not to know. I have never told either of them though, one because I can't stand them and so ignore them and the other because they would be mortified to know that anybody knew.

dodobookends · 29/09/2016 00:34

I love reading all the ones where someone mentions their DP has some hobby or other that takes up all their time and how it is ruining their relationship, but the OP daren't mention which hobby because it will 'out' them.

What are all these hobbies that are so strange and unique that the mere mention would immediately identify you? The mind boggles!

enolagayits0815 · 29/09/2016 00:43

My STBXDH collect door knobs. I guess that will out me. Or maybe he just is one.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 29/09/2016 00:52

They're all doggers dodo. Every time I see "my hobby" or "his hobby" I just read "dogging".

JellyBelli · 29/09/2016 01:22

This is me. I'm like this in RL so people couuld probably work out it was me just from the knob jokes.

Cellardoor23 · 29/09/2016 01:35

I don't think I would be bothered if someone recognised me. I would find it hard to recognise a poster as well unless they were really, really specific.

annandale · 29/09/2016 01:40

Yup, have recognised two people on here. One was fairly obvious as she used her own name but she only ever posted once. She knows I'm on here. The other was a surprise, it was back when MN wasn't so much in the news and felt a bit more private, but it was a good reminder that it wasn't and isn't private in any way.

littleshirleybeans · 29/09/2016 01:44

I realised from a post a while back (about naming a child after their place of conception [or was it place of birth?] which I think was near Paisley/Erskine, that there are actually loads of people who live near me on MN!
I worry about being outed as well, though I don't think I've ever said anything particularly contentious/outrageous!
Feel free to do an AS and correct me Grin
I've NC a couple of times as I couldn't remember my original name and I suppose I should NC more often.
I do sometimes change details like the ages and gender of my DC etc Wink

Reetdiscreet · 29/09/2016 02:10

I was outed by DH, still don't really know how, NN was kind of obvious with hindsight but no idea how he came across the thread and the name wasn't something he would have searched. It caused ructions because I'd talked about an ex on the thread and he took what I'd said completely out of context. It really upset me tbh, felt like a real invasion of privacy although I realise that's ludicrous on a public forum. It's made me a whole lot more cautious about what I post and I NC frequently which does piss me off if I'm honest, it feels a bit like I've lost my identity on here. I would love to know how he found the thread, it was an old one as well so doubly strange and I had posted worse (personal stuff about me and him) which he would have kicked off about if he'd seen it so I don't think it was that he somehow found out my NN and specifically searched for my posts. He maintains he just stumbled across it and realised it must be me from the name but I still don't really believe him. It is, unfortunately, one of the things on a fairly long list of reasons our relationship doesn't feel very healthy these days.

Witchend · 29/09/2016 07:18

I recognised a friend of my dsis who posted an identical post on here and fb.
I also recognised someone from my fb feed who was looking for a lost toy.
I deliberately didn't look at the user names so I don't know who they are for subsequent posts.

MrsJayy · 29/09/2016 08:15

I always wonder what an outing hobby is too is jousting bet it's weekend joustingGrin