To wonder when Mumsnet stopped being a place for mums?

[Fenced]

I used to frequent the site years ago and have come back recently because I became a mum again! However, whilst I am all for equality, the site seems to be full of people who aren't mums or aren't even parents! (and a good few who are journalists hunting for stories!).

I would never suggest anyone be excluded from the warmth, breadth of knowledge or bat shit crazy hysteria that the site offers, I was just wondering when it stopped being a place mainly for mums?

(I am not suggesting dads or non parents aren't welcome, just curious as to when the shift happened?).

Tracking op down on another unrelated thread is stalking. Not on.

Reported.

The OP is yet again another goady fucker.

Fenella no I promise I am not.
Fwiw I didn't even read the other thread to see the op's comments there. I opened it, saw the op and the first two replies and realised I'd have nothing to say that wasn't already being said and then I closed it again.
Livia is determinedly telling everyone here what the op for this thread said there, and it sounds shocking. However, it's not relevant to what is written in the op on this thread,

I have been on MN since the beginning and I am not a mum.

I came here because I enjoy all the topics, even some of the parenting ones are interesting and also because I work in education.

When I first joined I hadn't decided whether I wanted children or not. Now I have decided I don't, but it's too late - I am addicted!

Forums evolve.

I look up lots of things on Makeupalley, it used to have four boards, now it's at least a dozen, covering every single topic.

People stay, they might have used MN for parenting but once the children are older they find other topics.

It's not on to be a GF either

Both of the OPs threads have been reported several times I believe

Sometimes, on the specialist forums I use, the peole who respond knowledgeably may or may not have kids.

I don't ask them.

Because it doesn't affect the quality of their information on Elderly mental health or driveways or cars.

I don't expect Mumsnet people to know more or less about TV shows because they have or haven't got kids.

They might know if a washing machine can cope with a big load because they've got 3 kids and use it every day.

The same person with 3 kids might be a lawyer and give motoring law tips on Pistonheads when she's not on Mumsnet advising on washing machines.

The point is that it is offensive to non-parent MNers to imply their point is less valid because they haven't reproduced, yet the fact the OP has given birth somehow validates her opinion even when it's disgustingly offensive? In that context I think that actually Livia is right to bring it up.

Secondary

Stalking? Come off it

It certainly used to be against talk guidelines that you didn't hunt down another poster on any other thread, or start linking and flagging up posts by someone else on other threads, as its, er, an invasion of privacy?

House I found that funny too

Other users look up posting history of op's all the time

Bloody stalkers

And are there now specific trolling guidelines on MN?

How is it an invasion of privacy, every post is visible and publicly accessible.

I don't think you can have privacy on a public forum

The daily fail stopped that

Invasion of privacy? Really? On a public forum?

It may well be against guidelines (and either I or the whole thread are going to get deleted anyway) but privacy seems an odd reason

Unless the op comes back to clarify, I think we are all going to have to guess what she meant. My interpretation was that she meant people who have come here specifically to talk about equality issues (orcollect easy stories for the DM). Doesn't she mention transgender later

Hilarious that someone has likened the OP to racism . A touch oversensitive and easily offended, perhaps?

Could not a simple "because things other than children are discussed " be a sufficient answer to the OP?

I have been here for years and this has never been this raised (AIBU caveat: that I have seen). I have often read threads about the aggressiveness here though, which is perfectly illustrated by the more dramatic comments on this thread.

It certainly used to be against talk guidelines that you didn't hunt down another poster on any other thread, or start linking and flagging up posts by someone else on other threads, as its, er, an invasion of privacy?

If it's relevant I think it's absolutely fair enough. I did it the other day when the op of a thread had posted something on another thread that massively changed the context of the current thread.

an invasion of privacy?

It's a public forum with a search function ... Hardly private is it.

If they don't want people search posts they should probably get rid of the search function that allows you to search via username! Calling it stalking is just ridiculous

Yeah a little sensitive about being lumped in with transactivists and journos....

If the OP couldn't work out that 'because there are a lot of different topics' was the answer to her question, then she could have asked a different way instead of implying it had all gone to shit due to the childfree, journos, TAs etc

It may be worth some people realising you do not have to swear/be rude to disagree with someone. Or indeed that you can express upset without being aggressive. The OP expressed her views, whether I agree or not (and I rly do not care but I can see her initial point it's just plain logic) it is completely ridiculous for people to respond in that manner and shameful for the thread to descend into this level of petty name calling so quickly.

Mumsnet hasn't been parenting focused in forever, as far as I know. I've been here 6 years and it's always had diverse topics and posts. One of the reasons I love it.

However, I can see how if you were new you might think 'how weird, a parenting forum with loads of non parenting topics.' And if you were a bit naive, you'd post about it in AIBU and get ripped to shreds.

I just looked up the talk guidelines:-

No personal attacks
No posts that break the law
No trolling, misleading or deliberately inflammatory behaviour
No trollhunting
No spamming

"No conflating thread" isn't there.
I laughed when I saw the first one ("no personal abuse") though as that's definitely not enforced!