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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Has anyone ever realised a thread is about them?

186 replies

Diel · 21/04/2017 17:51

Wondering if anyone has ever recognised a thread is about them and responded?

I'm purely asking out of curiosity, no experience of it

OP posts:
FeedTheSharkAndItWIllBite · 21/04/2017 20:22

No. But I wouldn't be surprised if MIL had started one on here or on gransnet...

upperlimit · 21/04/2017 20:22

Not yet but I live in hope. I must have dropped a hundred shopping lists about the place. I'm going to have to ramp it up a gear and start making ridiculous demands of my friends.

Whatthefudger · 21/04/2017 20:23

I've recognised someone on here. She was being very specific. Couldn't have been anyone else.

PlinkPlonkPlunk · 21/04/2017 20:24

I once had a work colleague who became convinced that a certain poster on an online forum (not sure which one) was a relative (like her second cousin or something; i forget exactly). But it was based on things like the number of children the poster had, their ages, their interests and a few other fairly vague things which could really have applied to a lot of people.

Then the poster started talking about being out with her boyfriend one evening, or something like that, but it was on a night that this relative was also out, but claiming to be at a craft group. A few similar things happened, and the colleague became convinced that this relative was having an affair.

It took several of us quite a while to convince her that she might have been mistaken in thinking this poster was her relative. It was an interesting study, though, in how many people have children of similar ages with similar interests etc. and especially in how children of a similar age quite often have similar interests.

ToughItOut · 21/04/2017 20:27

I once read a thread and thought bloody hell that op could be me! Then it dawned on me that I hoped no one I knew actually thought it was me posting Shock

Original poster
Diel · 21/04/2017 20:29

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't think there would be so many! Oh, the drama of mn!! Shock

OP posts:
ATailofTwoKitties · 21/04/2017 20:30

I've been recognised twice and pm'ed about it.

They were wrong both times Grin so I clearly have a cyber-doppelganger somewhere.

ItsNotUnusualToBe · 21/04/2017 20:30

A

justmeee · 21/04/2017 20:34

I recognised someone from the pic they posted of their living room. I knew the username well but didn't realise it was them until the pic. Never said anything as she had posted about some pretty personal stuff.

Imfinehowareyou · 21/04/2017 20:34

I found my sister on here by accident - very specific details on a thread. So I searched her other threads and foumd her saying the most awful things about my mum who was actually making herself ill by helping my sister out so much. It was horrible to read. It made me realise that you only get the OP's point of view as my sister had so many supportive responses when actually she had missed put all the awful ways in which she had behaved.

honeyfull · 21/04/2017 20:36

Just keep it anonymous. Don't give too much away. Don't post pictures of your living room unless you move the sofa or put a throw on it first. Change DD to DS, pretend you are the nanny.

There are ways!

LotisBlue · 21/04/2017 20:39

There was a thread posted by a man a while ago, iirc it was something about an ex fiance and an engagement ring. Anyway everyone was on his side, then the ex came on the thread with her side of the story which was very different.

HazelBite · 21/04/2017 20:44

Every time I see an "I hate my MIL" type thread I check it to make sure its not my DIL's posting Wink Grin

dannydyerismydad · 21/04/2017 20:45

I saw a work colleague getting a roasting on a baby names thread. Her girls have unusual names. A poster was mocking a woman she had met with daughters with those names.

tigerdriverII · 21/04/2017 20:46

Yes, sort of. I recognised a client of mine on here (am an employment lawyer). She had a distinctive surname which formed part of her username and posted the legal question which I'd advised her on, implying that she hadn't had the corrrect advice. I sat on my hands, of course: and gratifyingly but wholly unsurprisingly the unanimous consensus of those responding on her thread was that the advice she'd received was correct.

sonyaya · 21/04/2017 20:53

No I haven't, which given I get married next month I think is something of an achievement Grin

I have also never recognised anyone on here, though a lot of people I know are MNers! I often wonder if I've been having a slanging match with chatting with them on here without realising!

thuslyitwas · 21/04/2017 20:53

Yes I recognised someone I know in real life. The person used a distinctive username which was a giveaway and all fitted. Quite a coincidence

Sadik · 21/04/2017 20:54

"I just don't get how people can recognise others. This is a humungous site with hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of members on it."
I've been definitely recognised twice - the first time was by a friend, and I didn't mind at all.

The second time was a slight acquaintance (slight to the extent I'm not 100% certain of her name) who commented on the thread when I was doing my shopping and she was on the till. So it does happen (2nd time I'd posted something about a political issue local to our area, plus then posted in the doghouse about my unusually-elderly-and-uncommon-breed dog). After that I took to namechanging before posting anything sensitive! (eg in teenagers section)

NC4T · 21/04/2017 20:55

I'm a midwife.... recognised a birth story where I delivered the baby. Two actually. Got good reviews both times!

emilybrontescorset · 21/04/2017 21:01

No I think my lifes not dramatic enough!

CoffeeBreakIn5 · 21/04/2017 21:02

I have, but not on here. A relative joined another forum I was on, I recognised a question thread that had been started so I clicked on the poster's profile and it was them. They gave away far too much information and then started a thread where they were less than complimentary about me, the thread was about fertility problems and was at a time where I'd found out I was pregnant without planning it. It was a difficult situation irl but she made it sound like I'd done it to spite her and I was rubbing her nose in it, the other posters agreed. It was particularly hard because I was struggling and I hardly saw this particular relative. I've never said anything to this day, she was obviously struggling at the time and at least she didn't actually express these things to me.

There have been a few on here where I've thought I've recognised the OP, I've never known for sure though.

sparechange · 21/04/2017 21:05

No, but I was convinced at one point that BikeRunSki is exH's new gf after a couple of posts about her job, location and DC's ages
But then I read other posts with things that mean she definitely isn't
Which is a shame because it would have been a fascinating way of seeing his new life unfold

JayneAusten · 21/04/2017 21:08

Quite a long time ago, and before the hack (so a different login as I freaked out and deleted my account then) my husband spotted a post I had put on here. It was such a weird coincidence as he'd never been to the site before and was checking it out for a reason totally unrelated to me. The thread was hugely identifying to him (nobody else). I think it helped save our marriage. He saw that I was being entirely truthful with him about things because my story was exactly the same here as it had been to him. It was horrifying when I realised he was going to spot my thread, but it worked out well in the end. Such a weird coincidence (he definitely wasn't stalking me - something totally different led him to the board).

honeyfull · 21/04/2017 21:09

Sadik

Too much information!

I honestly am baffled as to how people can be recognised. Honestly. But I might be living in an anonymous bubble!