Why is referring to an OP's previous posts considered A Bad Thing?

[JFDIYOLO]

Just that, really.

AIBU to think it makes perfect sense and allows a more realistic response?

An OP posts a question, asks opinion and advice.

People do them the courtesy of spending time thinking about it and writing an answer.

A poster mentions they've looked at their previous posts which contain a lot of pertinent info, back story, repeated incidents etc etc which weren't included in the current post.

This informs the advice they then give.

Why have I so often seen others haranguing them for going down the previous (entirely public) posts?

It seems very sensible - to get the facts before wading in to answer something that only gives a fragment of the true picture.

What do you think?

I do sometimes look at previous posts, usually if I think they are a Troll. I had someone do it to me the other day though and found it a bit stalkery so I might not in the future

Usually it’s done by someone trying to catch people out. Someone did it to me and I’d said something had happened in a time frame and then about 2 years later a referred to the incident and my time frame was a month different to my previous post and someone was like “ah ha, you’re lying”. Nope, just have a full time job and 3dc so couldn’t remember the exact month the thing happened in more than 2 years earlier.

I’ve never seen it done in a kind/helpful way.

“Usually it’s done by someone trying to catch people out.”

This. Even though it’s understandable if people change details to make themselves less recognisable to people they know. Looking up previous posts is a bit mean and a bit creepy.

I reply based on the information in the post. I can’t be bothered to go sleuthing for extra details.

It's not necessarily a bad thing but people generally put the info they want into consideration in the particular thread. Similarly, people might change odd details about themselves to remain anonymous so it doesn't always help.

Also, people on mumsnet seemed to get so sidetracked. You ask about something, they pick up on some small detail in the post then all of a sudden the whole thread is side tracked due to one sentence that maybe wasn't formed properly, so add to that some thread from a year ago and the whole thing is derailed.

Mainly I think it shows a bit of an over investment. I might see a thread and comment about it but I'm not going to go through the ops old posts because really I don't actually care that much. I'll take the information that's presented to me and not think much more into it.

Sometimes people change details on their posts to make them less easy to identify. If you look at their other posts you might find something that contradicts what they’ve said, then accuse them of making stuff up etc when in fact it’s just been altered for one post to avoid being outing.

Sometimes people don't consider, when they do this, that posters will often change details about their situation to avoid it being identifiable. Leaping onto a thread where someone is talking about their two DDs to say 'But two weeks ago you had a DS and a DD' helps no one.

Sometimes it's useful if it's to point out that their OH has a history of being not very nice and that they really should consider leaving him at this point, other times it's just to be nasty.

Only think it's relevant when things are completely different..... such as
'My soon to be dil is trying to make our oldest son go NC just because I want to join the honeymoon'
And a thread 2 days prior from same poster is 'help, first time mummy..my dd doesn't want to go to nursery, dh won't let me be a SAHM'....

I sometimes look up to see an OP's previous posts. Sometime because the OP herself refers to the fact she has posted on the subject before, sometimes because elements of the OP ring a bell. And sometimes because the information given in the current thread is too sparse to give a helpful response.

I agree with @JFDIYOLO that it can inform the advice that you post if you read the OP's previous threads. And I think it's generally a helpful thing to do.

I do think it depends on how the information you gather from previous threads is used: its not right to use previous threads to harangue the OP but if its used in a constructive way it adds value to the thread.

I have never ever seen it done in a considerate or helpful way.

By searching for previous posts, a poster is sometimes looking to undermine the OP, accusing them of posting in bad faith or that they aren't genuine.

However any fool know that people are wise to change details, timings, events to remain anonymous on a public forum, so the searcher just ends up looking like a knob, sometimes.

This is why I change my name every 3 days or so.

Been here 20 years 🤭

As a general rule it’s considered bad form because it is generally done to undermine the credibility of the poster.

I’ve only called someone out once where on one thread they said they were medically qualified and were offering medical advice and on another thread they said something which completely contradicted the statement about being qualified. It was dangerous that they were pretending to be an expert (I also reported them to MNHQ).

9/10 it’s used to catch posters out. Then 1/10 it’ll be something pertinent/relevant that would’ve really helped to know upfront.

There was one recently with an OP bemoaning how she couldn’t afford the cost of living with her young family, couldn’t heat the house adequately, couldn’t do baby classes with her little one etc. Leaving out the fact that she and her husband had bought a million pound double fronted six bed house in London and a month before been posting about the merits of a ££££ kitchen adjoining their new cinema room, and that their financial decisions had been a direct precursor. Would’ve helped to know.

I think it's a bit tragic to trawl through previous posts and agree it's usually done to try and catch someone out, so not for the best intentions.

I give advice based on the post and that alone. I haven't the time to go through a posters entire backstory and a lot of the time people change details to protect their anonymity so it's pointless anyway.

I just take things on face value but think some people get far too invested in MN.

I hate it. It’s always done to go “but how come on another thread you said this?”

The point is to answer the question presented in the OP. We’re not actually therapists.

Same. When I started out, I left my username the same for years, then got tired of changing details to avoid being spotted by people I know in rl who are on MN, and just started changing my name every few days.

I've found it so liberating - it's easier to not get stressed with argumentative posters for some reason, but crucially, I can be completely honest about a situation I'm posting about without 'hiding' information.

Someone got banned for doing it to me. I was giving advice on a thread for single parents and at the same time on a thread from a lady dealing with social services, and someone started hounding me because on another thread, i mentioned having a new boyfriend (but I’m still a single parent 🤔) and obviously because I had a new bf, she decided that I must have social services involvement also and be an awful mum just like the OP on the social services thread… it was utterly whack job territory.
Then all the threads I’d ever commented on started rising to the top of my watch list as she was going round commenting on them all, including a story from years ago about being unwell which she then used to say I was lying about a recipe suggestion I had asked for because how could I have recovered so quickly to have a bf and be able to cook. It got ridiculous; literally calling me a liar and shouting at me for asking for recipe advice.

I’ve name changed since and that poster disappeared and all the comments deleted.

I would categorise her behaviour as “a bad thing.”

I don't understand how anyone has the time, let alone the inclination.

Personally, if an OP has a previous history, it's less likely they are some sort of bot. Beyond that people are contradictory and change their minds all the time.

I change small details (names, where I live, ages of children) to remain anonymous. I believe I achieve a good balance between maintaining anonymity and not telling made-up stories.

The changes are always irrelevant to the integrity of the post, so I don't believe I am being deceitful.

If I didn't regularly name-change the past-post snoops would have a field day with "So, your 12-year-old son called Jack is now a 14-year-old daughter called Florence type "gotchas".

Its a tad stalkerish

I don’t have a problem with those ones either. As long as the detail they’re changing doesn’t materially change the scenario I’m not bothered.

where I do think it’s useful when someone brings up old threads - it’s the ones where the OP will talk about something their partner has done.

if it was a one off you’d think the OP was maybe over reacting…then another poster links to a thread where it shows there’s a pattern of abuse and the ‘D’H is a controlling wanker.

Yes I agree with this.
Quite often an OP will get a response telling her there isn't a problem because it seems a trivial thing she is posting about.
But when you look back at other threads you see actually it's just yet another " trivial" incident in a whole catalogue of unpleasant things.

I do it if I suspect the poster is a troll poster - quick advanced search and I can see if it's someone who has a posting history or is a new poster.
I am not going to waste my time giving advice to someone who is just trolling.
I also do it if I think I recognize a scenario from previously. There are some posters who come on asking for advice on the same situation (or a worsening of the same situation) every few months and I can't be bothered with them either when you realize that they clearly haven't taken any of the advice on board.