AIBU to wonder how many of these threads are fake?

[Alicewond]

So some are reported and removed, many are also a bit odd. No proof so people exclaim horror and wonder at them. I suppose there’s no real way to know is there?

No but my guess is

• 40% genuine
• 30% traffic generation
• 20% trolling

-10% ‘research’ ( journos or wannabe novelists stress testing plots)

I’m curious at the 30% traffic generation @soulrunner how does that work, never considered that, is it posting to other sites?

My DH reckons there are only about three people on MN!

@GnomeDePlume well with me and you that leaves only one more! Unless I’m not real “pinches self”!

I'm a figment of my own imagination. Sorry, you're on your own!

I’d support a jackanory section of mumsnet.
I get so frustrated when threads get deleted, even when I know they’re not based in reality. I often wonder where they were going to take the story. If a confirmed made up thread was just moved to jackanory rather than deleted, the weird few of us could still enjoy it.

Well, I'm real, but I often wish I wasn't.

I second the Jackanory Corner. I just come here to read, my commenting is incidental.

The thing is lots of real life is bloody weird and wonderful that if it was posted online you would think it was 'made up'. So yes whilst some threads are obviously fake some won't be and trying to change a few facts to anonymise it just brings on the troll hunters.

Seriously some things that have happened to my relations would make a typical Jeremy Kyle show.

I agree with soulrunner’s analysis above.

Some threads are so preposterous and identifying there’s no way people would actually post those things.

Entertaining sometimes but mainly pointless for the reader.

Depends on timing. In the school holidays or overnight, I'd say more than half are fiction.

I would say maybe half the threads are made up , many push the buttons and manage to keep going for ages. I think many on here really want to help and don't take a step back and think this isn't real.

I’m curious at the 30% traffic generation @soulrunner how does that work, never considered that, is it posting to other sites?

If I had a website that generated all its traffic from the chat room, I'd make sure the chat room always had lots of threads. It take much more motivation to start a thread than respond to one. Most people don't start threads. Someone needs to start them. I've always assumed a lot of the plain vanilla or ungoady but topical ones may be started by MN (a bit like FB group admins start threads when it's a bit quiet). I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing btw.

I see quite a few threads which seem to me like the OP wants to make a claim about a product they own, simply because they have a financial stake in it (or work in digital marketing for that brand).

Or a thread about a politician or a party or position, which I also suspect are started by activists.

I suggested many years ago we had a 'hypothetically speaking' area, where everything could be taken with a pinch of salt and no troll-hunting was allowed. It would allow for people running story ideas, as well as those who want to change certain details of their lives for ID reasons without having someone come along and say 'how come you've only got two children when you had three the other day?' It would also allow me (and others) to post the strange situations they come up with as truth, to see what answer would be.

Considering i have just had a thread removed about myself from my so called friend, nothing surprises me anymore