To ask why NC?

[Alieeeeeens]

Please forgive me for my probable ignorance here. I’m just wondering why people announce that they have “name changed as it may be outing” when the detail in the posts themselves are probably pretty outing enough? Unless your first username is your real name in the first place, does it matter whether you change it or not?

Also, is it necessary etiquette to announce that you’re a first time poster? Does it matter? (If so then this is my first OP as you can probably tell...!) Is one not allowed to post without first declaring one’s post virginity?

NB this is genuinely NOT a criticism. I have posted on a few threads (education based ones as I am a teacher) and, as far as I know, not had any responses to help/advice I’ve tried to offer and wondered if it’s because I hadn’t followed some kind of etiquette!

Because if someone recognises the details in the post they could potentially search the posters username, and it's a way to avoid an identifying post being linked with other previous posts.

It's happened to me. Bitch ex friend spotted me and then went looking. Not fun.

The details of the post is outing but with a NC all the other posts won’t be linked to them.
They announce it so not to look like they are new to MN or a troll.

People usually NC for a specific situation - and yes, the details might be 'outing' anyway. But, with their usual name, it can be only too easy for some people to do an Advanced Search, join up the dots and work out lots more about their life than the MNer might want - and, maybe, work out who they are IRL.

No, it's not necessary etiquette to announce you're a first time poster.

@Bringbackthestripes - is it a bad thing to be new 😳 would it not be less outing to pretend to be new rather than tell everyone you’ve name changed? (Sorry, devil’s advocate!)

I completely understand why people DO name change but I guess I was just thinking that if you tell everyone you’ve name changed then people might be able to link you to other posts by other details you’ve supplied elsewhere that might tally anyway? I guess if you’re a very regular user than you might recognise people anyway too (I think I’ve seen a couple of posts where people have said “are you the one that posted about X” which I suppose I was thinking also negates the poor OP name changing!)

Anyway, I understand where you’re all coming from! I think the troll one makes sense as I’ve spotted posts about that in places too. Thanks for your replies, much appreciated

I also don't understand the need to announce it, I mean, do people actually bother checking someone's name before reading / replying to a post?
MNHQ can access all that if needed

I think it comes from a time a few years back when people had more established user names and if someone posted something a bit out there and was a first time poster they would get accused of being a journo. I think that's why people 'announce'.

FWIW I change regularly because of the 'linking' reason mentioned above. For example I recognised a good friend's post because it was quite specific and she'd told me the story, then I looked up the username out of curiosity (which I feel bad about now) and found some stuff she'd never have told me herself. I also met some ladies through MN that were quite unpleasant and don't really want them finding me. One poor lady posted a thread that sounded like one of my issues and one of the first posters was really critical to the OP and it was one of these women and I think she thought it was me.

I've seen people who are assumed to be new posters accused of being trolls or journalists. I think that's why.

party

How did you meet the MN women/know it was them?

crispy it was a support thread at first about something pretty inane but we met in RL and kept the thread going and it went weird

And THEY never changed their names!

Omg really! What were they like? I am so curious about MNers in RL

I NC regularly (serial oversharer about potentially identifying things).

One time I started a thread under a new name, but didn't bother announcing, "I've NC'd for this!" in the OP.

Cue loads of people piling on and accusing me of being a troll. (Not sure why - my OP was nothing particularly bizarre, or even very interesting!)