"YABU because there's already a thread on this" and other stuff we say on here...

[MakeWorkYourNewFavourite]

AIBU to think posters who complain about stuff having already been discussed or not being in the right topic are just weird? It's such an odd thing to point out. I mean, we don't say, "we've already talked about what to do when you find your husband's secret Tinder account. YABVU! Please see previous threads on this!", do we? Or do we? "Someone's mourning over in Chat! Could you go and talk about your dead hamster over there? This isn't an AIBU!", or "I think you'll find 'partner sending dick pics to my sister' has been done to death! A quick search would tell you this!"

I'm all for pointing out a bellend when I see one, but sometimes people can be so pedantic on here.

I think we need a Covid AIBU topic. Free up AIBU for its real function- petty gripes.

@RoomOfRequirement

It really annoys me when someone posts a Covid AIBU and people respond 'We have a covid section'. Yes but we also have a relationships section, a baby section, a pregnancy section, a weaning section, a health section, a talk section etc and yet those topics are also all FREQUENTLY discussed on AIBU and there isn't someone directing them to all of the other forums. Most of them say Covid in the title JUST SCROLL PAST.

Yeah I don't really get this hysteria about ring-fencing the COVID threads. I can understand it may be boring/triggering for some people but just click off it and hide it if it offends you that much.

Honestly most people just don't have time for this degree of "thread hygiene". And if you're distressed or scared then you just want the fastest response possible.

Its meant to be accessible and open: making people feel they have to do endless due diligence about what's been posted where and by whom under what thread will put a lot of people posting altogether which is not a great outcome.

I don't think the examples you gave are ones people would respond like that to.

"There's already a thread" tends to be when someone posts something like: "Has anyone seen the rumour going round that Boris Johnson has brushed his hair twice in a week?" Normally about eight hours after the first three threads have been posted.
Something fairly mundane that people may want to discuss, but you definitely don't need more than one thread on it.

The examples you've given are much more specific to the situation, and do need more specific information so would merit their own threads.

@Bloodypunkrockers

I don't think it's particularly weird

I think there's an arrogance in posting something as if you're the first person that's thought about it, or about a particular TV programme without even a cursory look to see if someone else has already posted

And there are topics for a reason. I hide those I don't want to see. Plus it keeps things in order. I think the weird ones are those that can't post in the correct topic🤷‍♀️

Exactly.

It's weird to put every question under the sun in AIBU, that's what's weird.

There's a search tool on the forum for a reason

If people just start creating new threads about something that already has a thread running it's just clogging up the forum

@slashlover

I understand why people might want to hide certain topics, but we all have the free will to click on a thread or not. If there's a title that triggers you, or one you find boring, just don't click on it. It's not that hard to scan the thread titles and find one you want to read or ignore the ones you don't. Fair enough if someone writes a thread title that's offensive... but Mumsnet are very much on top of that.

That would work if people used descriptive titles. Looking through the first page of AIBU at this moment we have

To be a bit shook up about this?
To ask you honestly if this is a bad idea?
To think it's almost a right of passage

Absolutely no indication as to what the thread is about. AIBU is absolutely full of "To think this?", "To think that this is wrong?" and "What is this?"

Yes.

It's weird to put every question under the sun in AIBU, that's what's weird.

Not really: its for the traffic isn't it?

I've posted questions before about my daughter's asthma when she was having an acute episode in the health section and had four responses in 12 hours. In AIBU you'd get 12 times that level of response. It's a no-brainer if you want to get people to engage with you.

That's a structural issue really: its not ideal but you can't blame people for taking advantage of things which will boost their visibility, particularly when they need fast answers.

Haha totally agree OP..i go weeks without coming on here..other times every day for 15 mins-just as a quick read before bed -who the hell has time or bother to keep track of who's posted what 6 months ago.
Whats the seriousness for? Why is it all such a big deal! Over invested and bored methinks.. precious twats that seem to have nowt better to do than chastise people for poor grammar/spelling or repeat subject offenders..yeah most of us have lives outside of keyboard warriorism and other wanky types of one-upmanship..

And I've not seen any of your examples either.

Pull the other one. If I had a pound for every time an upset poster poured their heart out, only to be faced with a snotty "This topic has been done to death" or "What's your AIBU?" I'd be a rich woman. These posters are pathetic.

If you stumble across MN posts from 5 years ago (which I often do) 99% of the responses are kind and supportive. None of the nit picking over grammar or incorrect boards.

@namechangetheworld

And I've not seen any of your examples either.

Pull the other one. If I had a pound for every time an upset poster poured their heart out, only to be faced with a snotty "This topic has been done to death" or "What's your AIBU?" I'd be a rich woman. These posters are pathetic.

If you stumble across MN posts from 5 years ago (which I often do) 99% of the responses are kind and supportive. None of the nit picking over grammar or incorrect boards.

Maybe the posters who are troubled by repetition and deviation need to design themselves a Mumsnet AI so they can eliminate the risk of such breaches of etiquette and protocol.

Er, or just chill out a bit and save the anal retentiveness for the accountancy.

@thepeopleversuswork

It's weird to put every question under the sun in AIBU, that's what's weird.

Not really: its for the traffic isn't it?

I've posted questions before about my daughter's asthma when she was having an acute episode in the health section and had four responses in 12 hours. In AIBU you'd get 12 times that level of response. It's a no-brainer if you want to get people to engage with you.

That's a structural issue really: its not ideal but you can't blame people for taking advantage of things which will boost their visibility, particularly when they need fast answers.

So HQ should just get rid of all topics then?

So HQ should just get rid of all topics then?

Seems that way doesn't it? Just bung everything in AIBU 'for traffic'. Job done.

Just ignore threads you're not interested in