AIBU to be utterly fed up with the AIBU board being a dumping ground for any old thread?

[SummaLuvin]

I have been a user of Mumsnet for a number of years, and although this has always been a problem I have noticed it get worse and worse recently.

Though there are a large number of smaller, topic-specific boards a growing amount of Mumsnet users are choosing to ignore this in favour of posting in AIBU or Chat for ‘traffic’. This is a cyclical problem, users guarantee that these smaller boards will be irrelevant, unused, and garner no traffic they don’t post in them them, and it also clogs up other boards with nonsense that does not belong there and cements those ones as the few that are used. Over the last 24hours in AIBU I have seen product reviews, requests for weight-loss advice, and wedding dress ideas, and many more I won’t bother to list. Valid threads, but they have nothing to do with AIBU.

Mumsnet do not seem to police the flagrant misuse of boards, and frankly I am getting fed up. (Yes I acknowledge that, ultimately, this post adds to the problem.)

Honestly they site is so big that I sometimes find it hard to navigate on my phone. I often feel that some of the sub topics could do with a prune.

@Havaiana

You’re going to put off people from posting because they find the right board.

It’s not funny, a lot of vulnerable women need AIBU.

But then I would suggest that MN move the thread to relationships, which is a more supportive environment than AIBU and the relationships board will have more posters with knowledge and advice to help out vulnerable women than AIBU. I've seen many posts moved to relationships from other boards for the benefit of the OP. I see no problem with that at all.

Yanbu. People who put non AIBUs on AIBU are cf queue jumpers.

Maybe you like everything to be like a junk drawer, I do not.

Hey! Don't diss the junk drawer!

Ive got 6 junk drawers lol

YANBU They know their threads shouldn't be here but they want traffic and a bunfight. A certain type of aggressive poster is dominating AIBU now. And it was never a gentle board to begin with

Maybe MN could move it out of Active. Then the gfs looking for fights and drama would probably move elsewhere.

YANBU I've complained before but nobody cares.

I only use the 'active' button and the 'I'm on' buttons and rarely click on a sub-topic board to read it, also I have some boards blocked completely so they don't show up in the 'active' list. So if someone posts a 'line eyes here' in AIBU it will show up even if I have that section blocked which does grate a bit tbh.

There should be an auto-delete function for any posts that contains the phrase 'posting here for traffic'

@Havaiana

You’re going to put off people from posting because they find the right board.

It’s not funny, a lot of vulnerable women need AIBU.

TRIGGER WARNING - Thanks for this, it's an excellent point and something I didn't address in my OP for the sake of brevity. However, I am not the 'nazi' others have suggested I am, and I absolutely would agree that there are exceptions when it comes to needing traffic. For example, a number of months ago a lady posted after finding a suicide note in their sons room, was this belonging on AIBU - no, but I would support it being here due to the importance of getting feedback and traffic. These are exceptions though, and not someone wanting to loose 2lbs fast. It is a great point though, ultimately, this needs to be a site that supports women, particularly vulnerable ones.

You just know OP is currently on hold to the Covid Police to grass up her six member next door neighbour who has her mother round.

YABU for doing this without the voting buttons - how are we supposed to quickly see if users agree with you?

If something isn't of interest to me, I don't read it so I don't find it a problem.

It’s not funny, a lot of vulnerable women need AIBU
AIBU is the last place a vulnerable woman needs.

@toastofthetown MNHQ do move threads to Relationships but only at the request of the OP.

@MeridaTheBold

It’s not funny, a lot of vulnerable women need AIBU AIBU is the last place a vulnerable woman needs.

But plenty do choose to post there, so it’s not for you to decide where they post.

YANBU. It’s the ‘I’ve taken a test am I pregnant’ ones that I immediately hide, invariably the woman isn’t even due her period, is feverishly taking multiple tests for some reason, and is bolstered by the ‘I can totally see a line hun’ type posts when there is nothing there.

But like I say I just hide them. Maybe I tut and roll my eyes first

Its because its more active, some people in need of fairly quick advice will post in places that have more traffic.

@PasstheBucket89

Its because its more active, some people in need of fairly quick advice will post in places that have more traffic.

Yes, and thats precisely the problem!!! If people almost exclusively post in Chat and AIBU the other boards will never become active, and get any attention or traffic because there's nothing there. Its a self-fulfilling prophecy.

@MsEllany

YANBU. It’s the ‘I’ve taken a test am I pregnant’ ones that I immediately hide, invariably the woman isn’t even due her period, is feverishly taking multiple tests for some reason, and is bolstered by the ‘I can totally see a line hun’ type posts when there is nothing there.

But like I say I just hide them. Maybe I tut and roll my eyes first

I do agree the pregnant test ones are annoying. They can be banished (jokes).

@yellowgusset

I'd personally put this in Site Stuff.

YOU WIN

Ignore anyone who uses the term ‘Nazi’ in their counter arguments OP. Hateful, offensive, belittling and minimising.

YANBU. But there are far too many sub forums on MN which rarely get posted in. It’s a pain to navigate and inevitably people post in AIBU because it’s easy.

I'm not deciding where people post. MN decides where people post and the rules of the site.
AIBU ,especially lately, is the last place I'd direct someone vulnerable. In fact it's always been the case that vulnerable posters' threads are moved out of AIBU to the section they will be most supported.
AIBU is the place sabotagers and gfs and trolls descend because they don't really know how to use the site or understand the sections.
On second thoughts, maybe we're better letting them have it. They can derail and argue to their hearts' content and other threads can be left harassment free.

@MsEllany

YANBU. It’s the ‘I’ve taken a test am I pregnant’ ones that I immediately hide, invariably the woman isn’t even due her period, is feverishly taking multiple tests for some reason, and is bolstered by the ‘I can totally see a line hun’ type posts when there is nothing there.

But like I say I just hide them. Maybe I tut and roll my eyes first

Is Netmums still in existence?

I don’t really have a problem with people posting in the “wrong topic” as such but I think MN have allowed far too many sub topics which are popular for five minutes and then it’s just tumbleweed and an OP is doing well if responses reach double digits. That’s why we have all the posting for traffic threads in AIBU and Chat.

It’s unfortunate that posters looking for a variety of views or some nuanced discussion feel like they have to mangle their issue into an Agree/Disagree type question just to get responses. It makes the AIBU topic the most active and means the snarly and aggressive style of AIBU has become the default on MN over the years, spilling over into all the other topics.

Whilst it can be annoying at times because people begin with ‘AIBU to ask you all’ and then finish with something totally not AIBU based like ‘which brand of knickers you prefer.’ I wouldn’t feel the need to get so worried about it that I post a thread highlighting the issue.