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AIBU?

Why do people nc on mumsnet>?

43 replies

thatwasme22 · 17/04/2021 17:55

I have seen threads where people they are are changing their username as friends/family are on por to hide their identity. Eh isn't the point of this to have anonymity-who actually tells people who they are or what their username is. I don't get it.

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Foolingaround · 17/04/2021 19:33

I namechange regularly, no interest in being known or recognised. There are some very strange people around who will try to work out who you are in real life. I have seen it on other subs and it terrified me.

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Bakeachocolatecake2day · 17/04/2021 19:34

I have written in my time about a number of things and situations which would link to me in real life. So I name change to avoid the threads being linked....

I'm not just talking about an "outing hobby" but a very specific illness suffered by my niece and a specific operation my husband had AND a couple of child specific illnesses, plus I often post on the education boards so can be pinned down to a school....and before you know it you are outed. SO I name change regularly now.... In fact you just reminded me

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Arbadacarba · 17/04/2021 19:36

So you avoid building up too much info under one name.

Also, if you have a rather heated debate with another poster it can be a way of avoiding this affecting your interactions on later threads.

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Trambledoo · 17/04/2021 19:46

@thatwasme22 it's very easy to search for all a user's past posts, either using the Mumsnet search feature or Google. Many people put a little bit of personal info in each post. Add it together and you can build up a picture. People do that sort of online stalking all the time on Mumsnet, usually because they strongly disagree with something you may have said and are seeking ammunition to undermine you. In another scenario, if someone tells a story that sounds familiar and you think you know them, you can search back to find corroborative information, and a lot more besides.

I change my username regularly. It's easy to do and is just a sensible privacy measure.

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Trambledoo · 17/04/2021 19:49

@Arbadacarba

So you avoid building up too much info under one name.

Also, if you have a rather heated debate with another poster it can be a way of avoiding this affecting your interactions on later threads.

Ooh, yes, that too. I've had heated arguments with people on one thread, yet been strongly in agreement on others, under a different name. Makes me smile.

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DrSbaitso · 17/04/2021 19:50

@Whereisthewarmth

I have always name change and fudge details.
There are some nutters on here who search and track down posting history too

What should the advance search function be used for?

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Trambledoo · 17/04/2021 19:51

But if you change name more than once in the same thread, you do get pulled up by MNHQ for sock puppet IMG. That's happened to me before - completely accidentally, on a very long running thread.

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Trambledoo · 17/04/2021 19:51

*Sockpuppeting

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Arbadacarba · 17/04/2021 19:54

@Trambledoo

But if you change name more than once in the same thread, you do get pulled up by MNHQ for sock puppet IMG. That's happened to me before - completely accidentally, on a very long running thread.

It's happened to me on resurrected zombies but thankfully I've never been pulled up.

I'd hope MNHQ could tell the difference between someone who was sock-puppeting and someone who'd just happened to name change during a long thread and forgot.

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Foolingaround · 17/04/2021 19:55

@Trambledoo

But if you change name more than once in the same thread, you do get pulled up by MNHQ for sock puppet IMG. That's happened to me before - completely accidentally, on a very long running thread.

They can see when it’s accidental, they sent me an email once and were quite understanding as I hadn’t been deliberately doing it and backing myself up. They can tell when it’s trolling V privacy.

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ChangedName4TheSakeOfIt · 17/04/2021 19:58

If someone reads something I post and wonders if it's me then does an advanced search, from what I've posted before it would be obvious to anyone who knows me that it's me (if I had used the same name)

I name change regularly, change details here and there (ie pet dog when I have a cat, two sons and a daughter when I have two daughters and a son for example...) I also deny even knowing what Mumsnet is in RL.

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Drunkenmonkey · 17/04/2021 20:00

I partly name change in case someone recognises me in real life and can then search through all my old posts, but to be honest the main reason is that there are weird fuckers on Mumsnet that love an advanced search stalk.

I like to be able to post what I like without people using previous posts against me.
For example, I sometimes post really personal experiences in order to help other people but I don't want that connected to my current username. I love the anonymity of name changing.

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tickingthebox73 · 17/04/2021 20:03

@ChangedName4TheSakeOfIt

If someone reads something I post and wonders if it's me then does an advanced search, from what I've posted before it would be obvious to anyone who knows me that it's me (if I had used the same name)

I name change regularly, change details here and there (ie pet dog when I have a cat, two sons and a daughter when I have two daughters and a son for example...) I also deny even knowing what Mumsnet is in RL.

Yes me too...

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Troublewaters2021 · 17/04/2021 20:05

I name changed because I was being followed around from thread to thread by someone who didn’t like one decision I made with DS that she kept bringing it up on other threads and calling me a bad mum.

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cookiecreampie · 17/04/2021 20:09

I name change now and again as I think I give too many details away about my life that someone may recognise me in real life. Unlikely I know, but you never know. I know at least a few mums from the school who are on here, so it wouldn't be that hard to put 2 and 2 together.

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EmpressWitchDoesntBurn · 17/04/2021 20:10

[quote BillMasheen]@FoxyTheFox I seem to remember she sent a few posters a picture of their own front door.[/quote]
Similarly, someone posted a thread challenging people to ID her from her posts - she obviously thought it wouldn’t be possible. Some Advanced Search, a bit of work on Google and a lucky guess, and I knew where her kids went to school, their names & ages & had pics of her DD’s bedroom from her Pinterest account.

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B33Fr33 · 17/04/2021 20:23

My cousins ex wife worked out who I was, without knowing I was on MN. We don't live near each other either.

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Pinchoftums · 17/04/2021 20:29

If you knew me you could guess it was me if I mentioned my career, my location and my slightly unusual hobby.
Ive spotted a few friends on here through a story and verified it with a quick search and other details.
The local bully/bitch was on here loads a few years ago and was easy to spot through a term she used and by some give away details.

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