To wonder if MN has changed much in 13 or so years?

[GibbonNoRibbon]

Reregistered on MN to check out the SN board and possibly post for some thoughts. My old user name is no more and I have no idea if some of the old faces are still around, but I found my self thinking 'Do people still offer a biscuit?' 'Do people still vehemently argue their position of the order of knives, forks and spoons?' Do people still talk about the moldies?'

There was another thread that rings a bell about furniture legs....possibly Victorian furniture but I can't for the life of me remember...I do recall it making me chuckle a lot.

This has honestly made me so nostalgic.

I’ve been on MN for 21 years ( I name change often as an ex tries to stalk me ).

When I was first here we had baby pasta and photos of a bat.

Being back the

I agree with this. The main difference I have found is that posters seem to be much quicker to take offence, one of the things I loved most when I first joined MN was that people would get their arse handed to them over something they posted and they would respond in kind, or occasionally admit being in the wrong, but now everyone seems to take huge offence at anyone who disagrees with them.

It’s much more anonymous - I don’t really recognise any posters’ names or get to virtually “know” them a bit any more.

I’ve been here on and off for about 15 years. I remember more of a focus on baby and small child threads - the individual mum/child-focused boards like pregnancy had more traffic than now. People were much less guarded - remember the Christmas present exchange and the meet-ups? But it was also more cliquey, and the well-known names often would just talk to each other and ignore newbies. (I don’t miss that aspect of it.)

I originally came from a small board called BGH where lots of posters used their real names and shared photos and lots of details about their lives - and I “spotted” a fair few on here, ten/fifteen years ago, as many posters were far less guarded or worried about anonymity as today.

There were more funny threads, but I also remember a lot of systematic trolling - a fair few quite elaborate set-ups where fake posters created sob stories about ill children or needing money, and lots of sympathetic posters would fall for it - you developed quite a trolldar for the sob stories (a few terrible stories were, of course, real). I don’t think there are as many of those predatory or time wasting trolls as there used to be - or maybe I just don’t spend enough time reading now to spot them!

I had a long break from about 2016 to about 2022. I think it was partly that my DC got a bit older, so I didn’t need the small child advice aspect of MN as much as before. But actually, counter to some of the posts complaining about gender issues above, the feminism boards here and the gender critical feminist discussion brought me back to MN -- for a long time it was one of the few places on the internet where you could talk about reality and feel like the world hadn’t gone quite quite mad. Thanks, vipers, for getting us through!

Soupy the bat! Had to search to see if I remembered the name correctly!

So many blasts from the past....I remember the birth of the , didn't Gordon Brown make a visit?

Agree re the arse handing, and the trolling was rife...I recall one about a ski trip but can't remember specifics?

(Despite the very welcome edit function it’s still possible to produce a thread absolutely stuffed with typos - and only notice once it’s too late to do anything about it … )

I have been here for decades
No clue about the pear

I came on to say it’s not funny any more, but just about everyone has made that point already. Very seldom are any threads worthy of being added to classics. A lot of name calling, virtue signalling and banging on about certain topics regularly derail otherwise interesting threads. Shame really.

When I joined about 14 years ago people seemed to lurk for a while to learn the etiquette.

IE DD2 meant 2nd daughter. DD (2) meant 2 year old daughter. Now people use DD2 to mean either which is occasionally confusing.

MN used to be funny. Now people are "howling" and "congratulations you win the internet"ing for the most obviously made up crap.

It's a lot less friendly. I also remember people driving to pick up other MNetters who needed help.

And people seem incapable of actually reading a post. There was one recently about a single mum of 2. People were asking the OP if the woman in question was single, or how many DC she had.

OTOH I remember a lot of MN being very anti benefits in the old days. On the whole it's a lot less judgemental on that topic.

Been here 16 years. It's a lot more serious these days.

21 years here, I had a break for a big chunk and came back on during covid and some medical worries and found great support.

Covid was bonkers on here. 🤣

I remember a stealth polar bear, and anyfucker haven't seen them crop up for ages.

Been here 20 years and it’s definitely no longer friendly or funny as it used to be. People are just keyboard warriors these days. They don’t think or listen. Often posters are cruel and it’s completely unnecessary which is a shame.

I certainly keep things at arms length now. I name change just about every month and rarely ask for any advice.

Oh good lord I had forgotten the bat!! Been here about 17 years and it’s so different now. The anti-trans toilet rants feel like they’re taking over tbh.

It’s just occurred to me that the toddler who kept sleeping in the dog bed in the AuntieTantrums thread, which remains one of my MN highlights, is probably about to do her GCSEs now

I'm still here 😊

I do appreciate you all taking the time to fill me in, sounds like covid on here was an experience!

I lived on mumsnet when my kids were little.

It got me through some really tough times; I'll always be very grateful for that.

My memory is that it was much gentler and more sort of open armed if you know what I mean?

Very different but still a bit addictive for me 🫣

I had real mates who would see you on different threads and it was a real camaraderie. I loved it.

I had to come off completely because I just LIVED on mumsnet.

I don't see anti-trans, I see pro women.

Everything and Nothing has changed

@OneOfThoseOldFashionedWomen But this isn’t about being pro-women. I’m pro-women. Our rights were hard fought and we bloody deserve them. I don’t feel that means that we should try and deny another vulnerable minority their rights too. And that’s the difference.

Day to day it is not really different. The trolling that used to be made up by a person is now made up by AI so it's easier to spot. We are relentlessly targeted by advertising and lobbyists. There's not as much funny stuff but you still get the odd gem. Feminism has taken over but is mainly worried about gender ideology. We are angrier but that's because so many people have been shat on by the government for so long lives are worse. We still have many batshit trends. Remember Gina Ford and Madeline McCann? Well lately its been private school fees and Kier Starmer will eat your children. Before that Lucy Letby made a stir but it was nowhere near the McCann business. I didn't dare read during covid lockdowns. Place went uber-mental.
You still get torn a new asshole for the slightest thing znd are best not posting.

We have better technology. So now you can just read the OP.

Does anyone remember when Anyfucker got banned? I was on the bus reading the many many posts about it with tears streaming down my eyes laughing 😂😂

Ive been on and off for ten years.

Fat Ball and the one where he dunked his Willy in a glass of water after sex made me laugh 🤣🤣

and screamer in the Sistine chapel - it may have been a troll post but it was funny 😂

Yep I came off in Covid as the threads were insane and tbh really bothered me at how easy it was to make people turn on each other.

I don't think there are as many 'well known' posters across the board now. I think a lot of people stick to a few topics. There are so many now.

There are very few in-the-spirit good natured trolling threads now.

There is a lot of political stuff right now (understandably) and it's all a bit depressing as a SN parent.

The salads are definitely more massive.