Bloody OUTING on MN

[Sleepyslops]

AIBU to get annoyed when I read a thread which comprises of the OP whinging about something, but then stating they can't say what as it's "outing" or they state they have nc to prevent them being outed. It's like some weird, paranoid, mn tin foil hat crap.

Fair enough. I have bad experiences with Rachels.

When mumsnet say a thread has been taken down for being "outing" it means "op is upset because they're getting a well deserved roasting".

I recognised a close friend on her from very scant detail. I knew she read MN regularly but thought she was a lurker and had no idea what her username was. She posted a very generic post about an uncomfortable position she was in. She hadn't told me about it but there was just enough detail (e.g 2DDs, one unwell, one in nursery) for me to know it was her. Maybe something to do with the writing style? I don't know how I knew except that I knew her, IYSWIM?
I asked her and she confirmed it.

So yeah. I totally see why people NC and get paranoid.

Ouuuuhhh! Well lil' ol' me I got me tits that hang down to me knee caps an' me arse flaps that also hang down...to me knee caps. Hope that little lot ent too "outing"

The most horrible and annoying posters have a distinct writing style and rotation of stories. I don't know why they bother with their NCing.

I was outed on here. Totally. We had to change our phone number.

It was a very very long time ago, but enough people saw it to spread the willies around. So I don't blame people for being extra careful. It was disconcerting. And ended up being expensive.

There are lots of details I don't give because I don't want my husband and child to go through the expense and feeling of over-exposure again. I avoid SM to avoid creating a breadcrumb trial back to here.

It was my own stupid fault, I should have been a lot more careful. And I felt like shit that family money aimed at needed, or nice stuff had to be diverted to rectify the ramifications of my big gob, poor self control and impulsivity.

So it is easy to assume people are being tin foil hat. But I'm far from the only one who has had a similar experience over the years. And other posters tend to notice when it happens and get a reminder that unless they are careful, they are not immune to it happening to them.

I remember when people would nc, not put the caveat in at thestart "I have nc for this" then it seemed that it started to be the case that they would get massive amounts of stick for not stating they'd nc'ed. Years ago no one seemed to care so much but now it's like you MUST state you've nc-ed or else be branded troll etc.

It drives me mad when MNHQ give in to moaning flouncers who don't like the replies they have received. The reason for deleting is - the info given in the thread could be outing.

If someone says, for example, that they have two children, are married, went camping for their holiday last year, and their DH goes to the gym, of course you will immediately recognise the OP as Mavis Longbottom who lives at no. 48 Pllkington way not It's the pathetic lying that it's in any way outing that drives me mad and the thread gets pulled because the OP has a had a whine and moan at MNHQ who should know better than to pander to them.

Maybe we should warn all those parents whose kids have got 9 grade 9 GCSEs that their results might out them as there were only about 735 or so in the country.

I saw someone on a thread about "your most marketable skills" the other day saying something like "this could be outing as I'm very senior. I'm a people-person and I can speedread."

Was that a joke and I just didn't get it?

Me an' me flaps are also "very senior" but I suspect the way in which it was meant may differ....

I make change regularly. If you post a few things it's easy to put them together. I don't announce every namechange though.

^^ this. Not much I post is potentially outing on its own, but if someone who knew me was to trawl through everything I’d ever posted it’d certainly be possible to join all the dots.

I’ve seen enough posts about posters getting outed with negative consequences to want to reduce the odds of that myself.

And yes, if I was to namechange so I could post about something potentially very outing, I’d totally mention the namechange. There’s too many troll hunting posters quick to commment about interesting first posts otherwise.

or collecting Nancy Mitford memorabilia

I dunno that this would be so shameful. Unity Mitford memorabilia, maybe...

I liked her book on Louis xiv