to say mn is potentially putting people at risk

[LilQueenie]

twice I have gone to post something but stopped myself out of pure fear it will end up viral in the papers or magazines. It used to be a place to find support and advice. Now it feels like russian roulette. Not helpful at all.

MN isn't putting anyone at risk. If people are putting stuff on one bit of the internet that they would hate to be on another bit of the internet then they are being very silly.
And what risk would that be, anyway?

Don't post then?

Am I missing something?

Same!

I'm sure someone will come along soon to tell us we're being silly and that it's a public forum :D

Damn it, posted too slowly

That's not MN putting people at risk.

That's incredibly lazy journalists putting people at risk.

It's public. Anyone, member or not, can read it. That's always been the case. Print journalism has got lazy and their online content has a tiny budget so they lift easy stories.
People need to think about their online presence in general.

I think that that is the case with anything you put online, anywhere. There is always the risk of it being lifted from the community you posted in - by a website like Reddit or indeed the press.

YABU

well its not what I was going to post about but what about those who are in threatening situations and need to talk but have no one else so turn to places like this. I just can't help but think mn could close off sections of the forum so you could only access with your password rather than open for all to see potentially digging out the crappy no good journalists in the process.

The thing is, someone with access would/could easily pass it on.

That's how things get out from private Facebook accounts.

I've never seen anything published that has been about DV or the like

But I may be wrong

what about those who are in threatening situations and need to talk but have no one else so turn to places like this

They can do so. Thats not the type of thread that gets lifted by the likes of the DM anyway.

You can't expect to treat a large Internet forum as some kind of sanctuary to post about sensitive or volatile situations.

But what's to stop the 'crappy, no good journalists' from joining and being able to access all areas?

I don't agree that Mn are putting people at risk, but do agree that most of us are a lot more cautious about posting anything at all since the renewed Daily Mail interest. I haven't been online much for a few days - when I logged back in I was surprised to see how slow moving Active Conversations seemed to be.

And fundamentally, no matter how you dress it up, MN is a business. They can't fund your free chat for nothing. Hardware, software and expertise don't come cheap. They need publicity to create clicks to create revenue.
Your password plan wouldn't stop journalists lifting content but it might prevent click through. Worst of both worlds for MNHQ.

And I think to claim that MN is potentially putting people at risk is grossly unfair.

the DM like to use stories about rude wedding guests and angry customers etc not personal, potentially threatening or upsetting situations.
If you always make sure to change all names and not give away too much identifying info on anything you post thats in that nature of something they might use then you are pretty safe.
It doesnt really matter anyway because these things are usually quite universal. Even if you think its a pretty strange story i can guarentee its probably been written about in some form before in Take A Break!

ok i accept I'm being unreasonable. really wish the journos would sod off though. Why the sudden increase in them lifting stories all of a sudden?

Feel free to claim a full refund of your membership fee.

How ridiculous, of course they're not. You need to grow up and realise you can't control the world

They're lazy yet you're still only talking about a minuscule percentage of stories taken from here compared to the number posted. It's tacky and boring but hey, look at where they're getting their tacky and boring stories from...

The print media is struggling. People read news online. So whereas your tabloid had a limited number of printed pages to fill with stuff, their online versions (free) are funded by advertising revenue and rely on reeling in the clicks. Employ non NUJ members to trawl the internet for clickbait and regurgitate it. Works for Reddit. Stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap.
This is the world now.

Social media is dangerous and I think it's important for everyone on mumsnet to appreciate the potential risks. Having a thread lifted by a national paper is only dangerous if you have identifying information. I have had what I have written lifted by a journalist once and I was a little shocked. In many ways it was quite flattering they thought I was worth publishing.

i wouldn't post here about anything very personal