To mourn MN as it was in the Moulden Days

[GregoriaTheGreat]

Admittedly, it was not perfect (full of quiches and Queen Bees). So much so that I gave it a rest for a considerable while. I may even have Flounced at some point (though was not a Mouldie. I would never have been cool enough).

But I now mourn the Olden Days when nobody had to bother with "lighthearted" when a thread was evidently lighthearted. Nobody took everything quite so seriously, even when they would have good reason to.

Posters generally had a decent command of spelling and grammar, too.

Maybe I'm just old and need to take up knitting or something.

I’ve been here a long time (not sure exactly, but I seem to recall starting to loiter in the outer darkness in about 2007). I don’t post much - initially because I didn’t think I was intelligent enough and now because I often can’t get over how people can get in a tizzy about the most trivial things.

It’s not as clever and funny as it was. It used to be full of quick witted sorts - they might have been completely poisonous, but they were highly amusing. I miss that.

I agree with SpoonyJoe and HullyGully. I miss old MN too - I definitely miss the sense of knowing people (even if you'd never met in real life) because you got to know them through their posting. I didn't and don't have a problem with people forming friendship groups on sites like Mumsnet ... I don't find that cliquey at all. I think the NightOwls, the Wolefs, the Nobdies, theCrepeys etc were all a wonderful thing (not that I was ever a member of any of these). If you feel insecure or excluded because people form friendships then you need to work on yourself imo. But Penis Beaker, the Daily Mail and the big scary hack of 2015 (I think it was) and all the consequent name changing just did for Mumsnet and it will never be the same and some of us will miss that. Mind you, the mouldies who broke away 10 or 11 years ago felt much the same way!

I've only been around about five years but there have been threads like this since I joined. There's always nostalgia for smaller groups and more exclusive times but it has its pros and cons.

Sounds like if you were in the in crowd it was lovely but if you weren't it was horrible. Now there's much less of an 'in crowd' as it's all too diluted so at least the element of being on the outside (so very playground) has gone.

Posters generally had a decent command of spelling and grammar, too
I have not bothered to read past the OP.
I really hate these threads disguised as missing the old days, when it is a dig at those without a good education.
You may be intelligent you're also crass.
I have been around for a decade, thing's evolve get over it.

Gingersausage

But it's okay to have liked something better in the past and still be here too.

I've never been a 'known' poster really, not even under the name I used for over a decade. I've been visiting MN for over 16 years and never been one of those posters who would be remembered or their name know MN, and that's perfectly fine by me.

MN now is very different. I used to post a lot all the time. Since then I have had times when I've not posted at all, and other times - like this week - when I have, as I currently have a lot of time say doing nothing. I've changed my name having deregistered a while back.

I use MN very differently these days.

I do think MN was overall a nicer place in the past - it was smaller, more familiar, more friendly. Yes there were issues at times but they got sorted fairly quickly. And now it's huge - names aren't known in the same way, there can be a really white aggressive response on seemingly nice posts for no reason way more, there are a lot more agendas going on.

But that's just because it's changed and the number of visitors on MN is now massive. It was always going to happen. And that's fine too.

Doesn't mean people can't reminisce for quieter times too, and yes that is also linked to when their own lives were different as well.

I mean if so many people who "really miss the good old days" are still here, why isn't it as good?

Maybe it really is a case of rose-tinted glasses.

Demographics will change, of course that will affect the way the board moves along.

There are however, several posters who seem only to want to be as utterly obnoxious as they can - who apparently think their attempts at name changes are a cloak of invisibility

Ain't that true.
Then they revert to their famous name for threads like this

See, I think all the veiled refs on this thread to the "bullies" and the "big name poisonous whatevver posters," plus the "vicious cliques" (and who the fuck were they??) are more what I would call bullying or at least spiteful.

At least someone upthread named who they meant (even if it was bupcakes who I dearly love and find one of the funniest people of all time). Again, I think there is a world of difference between people who take things personally and those who don't. And very different senses of humour.

oh God I miss the fun threads and the threads where you could ask a question without some one coming on and shitting all over the thread. I was never a mouldie but I remember being fascinated by it all. I miss so many people. I miss the kindness and the fun and the fact that you didn't need to justify every single sentence.

Yes.
It looks like all the old posters are still here?
So why is mumsnet not as good for them now?
Maybe they’re just not ‘famous’ enough anymore, the place is too big & no one cares enough about being ‘a name’ on an anonymous chat board in 2019.

Pretty much all of my dear loves from MN are now real life friends. We mostly met at MN meet ups and then made FB groups and now we all meet up a couple of times a year and speak almost daily.

This was MN c2006 onwards. Several of us have been named on this thread, which I always find amusing.

The "correcting the SPaG" thing actually annoys me intensely, much more so than the spelling etc errors.

It's done from a place of superiority and not so stealth boasting about how intelligent the corrector is. There is no problem with an internal eye roll, crack yourself on, you're not hurting anyone, but I really would love to see all "correction" posts deleted.

I used to be a total pedant (but only of the internal eye rolling type because I wouldn't want be a knob) but due to brain issues, seem to have lost lots of my SPaG as well as my active memory (so i probably repeat myself ). People who think they're clever saying you're not your make me want to throw things. I've read people saying, and I quote, "it's a lack of intelligence/education" but it isn't always, issues like dyslexia or my brain probs mean criticising errors in these cases is actually disablist as well as needlessly patronising and pointless. At one point I nearly stopped posting because of it, and I've been here over 15 years.

It's done from a place of superiority and not so stealth boasting about how intelligent the corrector is. There is no problem with an internal eye roll, crack yourself on, you're not hurting anyone, but I really would love to see all "correction" posts deleted

The only time it is ever acceptable is when you're correcting someone who has snottily pulled someone up on their SPaG only to make a mistake in their correction

@JacquesHammer Yes.
It is the only time I smirk at a SPAG comment.

I hate it when people pretend they can't understand something because it's not brilliantly written. Of course it's easier to read something well formatted and correctly punctuated - that's why grammar rules exist - and I think it's reasonable to decide you can't be bothered to plough through a post that's one long paragraph, for instance. What's not reasonable is commenting on the thread just to tell the OP you don't understand them. Also, if you can't understand something with a few grammatical errors in it then you're not as shit-hot at comprehension yourself as you think you are. People do it even with threads (eg on relationships) where the poster is really upset and struggling, which is just so unkind. If you'd rather be right about commas than be nice to a domestic violence victim then that speaks very poorly of you.

I too joined in 06 but I haven't been active of late.

Pinkarsedfly Is Bonsoir ok? She was very entertaining.

Those who really made an impression include LeQueen (ridiculous but funny threads) Maryz (sharp but why banned)
Xenia (alpha and funny) and scottishmummy (just out there)

I fell out with Pagwatch on a thread.

@Hullygully well I for one am not making veiled references. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, so I’m not sure why you think I (or anyone) would take it personally either. Nor am I a bully, or the least bit spiteful. That’s the difference between me (completely anonymous unknown) and you as a “name poster” though. Mumsnet has never been that important in my life, the way it has in yours and your contemporaries.

I never cried for hours because I wasn’t allowed into the Mouldies. I didn’t spend that whole New Year feverishly hitting F5 (and still think it’s the most exciting event of my life umpteen years later). It’s just a message board. I’ve learnt some really interesting things here. I’ve never spat my tea out though.

LThe only time it is ever acceptable is when you're correcting someone who has snottily pulled someone up on their SPaG only to make a mistake in their correction "

Oh very good point. And on MN, there is always someone who knows more than you (i don't mean that in a snide way, I'm amazed how much some people know about things and love niche stuff particularly, was it Lweji(?) who was talking about tapeworms once?

mouldies was so odd. its something that couldn't happen now. I mean who would care. but back then a lot of people were so hurt. I was glad that I knew I wasn't "cool' enough for it. i did feel sorry for the people who were hurt by it.

I really dont get why people get so wound up about 'named' or 'known' posters.

For me, they really help make the site. I didnt look for their approval but I liked reading threads they were involved in as I found their styles and viewpoints entertaining.

I also came here for advice at times and it has been helpful. I think as someone upthread said, demographics change and new Mums arrive and someone in their mid 40s vs mid 20s often have very different points of view

I upset Pagwatch with a silly comment and left quickly in shame. I thought I was being funny and I wasn’t. I only came back this year cause I knew I’d find something I needed.

I was also furious about MN being slated by bigots.

Maryz (sharp but why banned)

Feminism threads. She objected to the idea that men could become women.

I've been here since 2000 ( the days when we had to send in a donation every now and then to keep it going ), I still find it a great source of info and advice, I just avoid the goady or boring threads. We are all obviously older and our interests change but the Uni support threads have been great for me this year. I do recognise certain names and posting styles from the past, but I don't feel the need to get over personal, it's just a chat forum.

You can say you preferred it in the olden days but still be here

Yes you can. There’s more new people —huns— though now that are offended when people say such things.

Interesting that a significant number of the witty well known posters were banned because of their intelligent contributions to feminism chat boards.