AIBU to ask why you tell everyone in MN land you have name changed?

[Mydietstartstomorrow]

Genuine question. If you don't want to be "outed" by people who may know you in RL, why then tell everyone you've name changed instead of just name changing quietly? Surely by telling everyone you've name changed makes those that know you think "That sounds like blahblahblah's situation and she's told us she's changed her name ". Why not just quietly change your name??
And also, what is posting for traffic?!

It's attention seeking, that's all.

I think to stop troll hunting.

You tell people you've name changed so they don't look for your posting history and think you're new. More likely to be a troll if you've never posted before.

People say they've name changed so that other posters know they're not trolls and have been around a while.

Posting for traffic is posting in a topic that maybe isn't the best fit for their three but the topic is busier.
For example, if you had a question about keeping fish, you could post it on the Fish topic but it's quiet there, there's more people on chat so if you pay it there more people will see it.

Sometimes I think people do it to preempt comments saying “welcome to MN” and suggesting they are not genuine.

I thought people told others they'd name changed to explain their lack of previous posting history?

Name changing is usually because of a data breach or because you don't want your previous posts linked! People don't want to be thought of as a newbie but don't want their previous posts linked.

Traffic - some parts of the site are busier than others so people post there and then complain when they don't get the answers they want I always use Active so don't tend to check particular boards.

It's to stop people from troll hunting you.

Sensible to name change when posting about something identifiable so that people can't then search your previous posts and find out what you've said in the past about your MIL, kid's teacher, best friend, husband's sexual preferences, dislike of puppies etc.

People mention name changing at the start of a post because when someone posts something far fetched, people will search their previous posts and if they don't find any it makes them look like a troll.

I change all the time without announcing but I have announced before when I was worried people would think I was a troll for having a dramatic ‘first post’ if they thought I was new. I’m pretty sure that’s why people do it.

I name change if I want to say something that could be directly linked to my work. I've had the same name for ages and there's enough info out there to put 2 and 2 together.

By Victorian law I am bound in my conduct 24/7. Unlike doctors/lawyers, etc.

Because if you post something controversial after a name change, people assume you're a first time poster/dimwit journo or professional troll, and respond accordingly. So you name change to avoid your post about your torrid affair with the milkman being linked to your usual mildly identifiable posts about caving or running a small business making artisanal jackfruit babyfood, but say you have name changed to give yourself a pedigree.

Surely this isn't that hard to understand?

Because troll hunters are obsessive and spend their whole time trawling threads trying to find trolls and shouting 'ah ha - you said your baby was 3 moths old in your OP, now you are saying baby is 13 weeks - WHICH IS IT eh eh??????' or 'Interesting first post hmmm,' because they think that phrase cunningly gets around the no troll hunting rule.

And their tiresomeness leads to the equally tiresome 'name changed but regular, penis beaker, pom bears, cancel the cheque, elderly korean woman, etc etc etc.'

Getting impossible to read threads these days as you have to sift through all this nonsense.

I know why people say they name change, but I’m always amused when they do the list of well known threads as proof. It’s always Pom bears, super soaker, penis beaker, elderly Korean lady and Mexican house thief. All of which are over five years old and listed by everyone who wants to prove they’re not a troll, so not really proof you’re not a troll at all.

Parthenope no, now it's been explained it's not so hard to understand, thank you for enlightening me, sorry for being so thick 🙄

Dont forget they usually list a load of ridiculous threads - "I was here for penis beaker/naice ham/t rexing/pom bears" like no one ever reads the mainstream press or the classics section.

People say they've name changed just so they can say "penis beaker, naice ham... etc..." - as if noone knows all about those code words!!

oops cross posted.