To ask why announce you've NC'd for a post...

[VestibuleVirgin]

With apologies, I may have asked this, but meno-pause memory...
Read several posts who have said they were NCing because they've posted before. Why? It's an anonymous forum. I have no idea who 'littletabacbar' is, nor 'iworkdownthedocksguttingfish', so why change user name for certain posts?
Is it because you've been a 'nice' person but suddenly want to post something nasty? Or vice-versa?
Or because you've decided to contradict yourself?
I am confused (more and more these days apparently!)
Thanks

Higher than you think. If you're a mum and talking to mum friends and then suddenly start talking about some random thing that you've posted on mumsnet in aibu then there's got to be a good chance they'll see it

If you're posting here wouldn't it be more likely that you aren't chatting to others about it?
I'm thinking about the "My fiancé bought an sti kit" type of thread. But, I take your point.

This is one of my MN pet peeves

If you want to name change for whatever reason, fine no biggie. But why do you have to tell us you have name changed 🤷🏼‍♀️

No but someone who has been written about, say a Bridezilla, could see that her maid of honour has said some terrible things about her!

Some of the threads mention the resort of the destination wedding, the colour of bridesmaid dresses, ages of children, occupations, etc. So even if an OP has name-changed it might be obvious to the bride who has written about her on MN.

But then many of the very detailed threads with wild scenarios are probably made-up.

I'm fairly open about my life and circumstances on here, so every so often I switch user names because I think if you added up all the things I've shared about myself it could be outing (job, husband's nationality, age of children, city where we live etc). Whereas if each of these are shared by different user names it's not going to be obvious who I am.

This^

But surely if you’ve name changed, you’re effectively a new person, so people won’t be able to join up the dots.

Yes, sadly I thought this post was disgusting and reported it. MNHQ. Apparently it was deemed ok, but because I suggested it was bitchy, my post was deleted for being personal!
Perhaps I should NC!

Yes, that's the point. People NC so older posts can't be connected and anmouce they have done so so they aren't accused of being a brand new poster and therefore probably a troll.

I recognise a couple of people on this site, in spite of the constant name changing in one case. And it's quite possible they recognise me.

I won't say anything if they don't.

So why announce it? That’s the bit I’m confused about. Why don’t you just post your question.

The main reason for me name changing is because I'm saying something that would be directly outable. So saying my daughter is on BBC this evening sort of thing.

My next reason is for something that for various reasons I want plausible deniability if someone did think it was me.
Because I'm reckoning that if someone knew me and read all my posts together, they'd probably be pretty certain. You know, ages of children, comments on a local school, knowledge of certain things, a hobby etc. If someone wanted to do that then, fine, let them waste their time, but it would be hard to deny it, and even if I did, the details would be close enough for them to disbelieve me. I don't normally post anything that would be difficult in RL if people did link it to me.

Just occasionally I have posted something about a situation I am at that time currently going through, or one of my dc was going through. I want advice without risking a "you posted it online" from others. If they only have that post, then they would find it difficult to prove it's me because it wouldn't be certain.

I have twice spotted someone in RL and both times it has been because they have put an identical post on FB. One time was a friend with a lost toy, the other was slightly more awkward-a friend answered a question on FB from one of their friends. It happened to be something I knew a bit about, and I nearly responded, then decided not to. They then put the identical post on MN.
On that occasion I name changed and answered both the FB and MN post with the identical reply. My thought was it hinted to them that they could be outed by it without making it obvious.

I have never announced I've name changed but I don't use this name anymore as I was honest using it that I was in a same sex marriage (my post was not about that though) and every reply was to do with my sexuality.

Now when I post under a different name I say DH, which is extremely depressing in 2024 but it seems Mumsnet isn't the place to be gay.

I literally answered that in the post you've quoted. If people NC and don't announce it then someone will inevitably jump on them and accuse them of being brand new and therefore probably a troll. So people announce they've NCd to try to head off those comments from derailing their thread.