If you owned Mumsnet what changes would you make?

[DameOfThrones]

Disclaimer: Not 100% serious at all 😏

Mine would be to ban repeat offenders who don't return to the threads they start.

A mahooosive multicoloured sticky banner reminding OPs to include their kid's ages in the opening post, as it's nearly always relevant.

What would you add/remove/change?

I've just seen an AIBU thread that reminded me that posting a baby names thread anywhere than in baby names should be instant banning

Chuck people off the site for racist remarks, or those with clear racist undertones.

Are you aware some people can't spell well due to dyslexia?
Does that mean they shouldn't be able to post?

Bit snobby, unkind and judgemental.

The suggestion for basic reading comprehension has nothing to do with spelling. It would be to weed out posters who bark requests for information that has been clearly included in the OP.

Does dyslexia affect comprehension too? Spelling and understanding aren't the same thing

spelling & comprehension are not the same thing. A child can easily get the gist of something without being able to spell properly.

I can cope with misspellings but have no patience with a mile of text. I’d make paragraphs mandatory.

Moneysaving Expert manages just fine without adverts. The site is financed by receiving commission when people click through links to buy insurance, broadband etc etc - this is always disclosed.

And that's on a site that attracts people looking to spend as little as possible unlike MN which is a lot more 'I want to buy the best and I don't care how much it costs'.

MSE is a very different ball game to MN. I don’t have the expertise to know whether a commission based concept would work supporting so many forums. But you can pay to opt out of advertising if you so wish.

MN should require ID to register, and a posters sex should be indicated on their posts. I suspect that most trolls are men who get a kick out of winding women up.

Oooh that's interesting because I suspect most trolls are women, given that most posters are.

Especially the 'man here' announcers.

I just assume they know how to push MNetters buttons with that one.

I'm not sure @MidnightMeltdown about the ID part.. I don't really want that when there's most likely enough out there in the online universe about us all already, applying for my passport online was a dilemma but I'd hope it's facilitated with a decent secure governmental domain (Ha on second thoughts .👀😆)

I've no problem with a sex marker though, it doesn't bother me whether anyone posting is M or F but in all probability what's to stop anyone hitting the button without it being true, also name changes? If someone can change their name, no issue with it, but then what's to stop it all being changed?

Agree with this. They are particularly prevalent on any thread to do with sex - or should I say, men not getting sex, or any idea that might cause women to reject having sex with shitty men. They hide behind female names like Trish and get kindly women to give them the benefit of the doubt that they wouldn't get if those women knew they were men. They eventually give themselves away by their ignorant argumentative selfish maleness. But their masquerade as women means they often effectively derail threads, exhaust PPs, and thus prevent women from getting help.

THAT is exactly why those spoilers are on MN. It is most certainly NOT to help OPs. I cannot stand those sneaky creeps.

There are few spaces online that are safe for women. MN should be one.

Yeah, it would only really work if ID was required. Otherwise people could just lie.

Some apps do ask for forms of ID though. I remember using a dating app years ago (maybe bumble?) and there was a process to verify your identity (I think using the camera on your phone). I’m sure they could come up with something if they really wanted to.

@DameOfThronesI dunno. Maybe I’m biased but I tend to think that trolling is mainly a male hobby 😂. I’ve seen lots of toxic posts that I suspect are men. Particularly the type that tell women that there must be something wrong with them if they haven’t slept with a man by the second date.

Yes - exactly!

Oh it's definitely not just a male hobby, that's for sure!

There was some terrible trolling on a forum I used to post on many years ago and the majority were women.

I'm talking back in the days when you could 'out yourself' but posting in the wrong tab or through a photobucket account.

I've been on forums for years and I think things have changed in the last couple of years. I'm increasingly seeing men coming in pretending that they are women. Not just on MN. Those guys are really not there to learn or help: they are there to disrupt the community.

I’d set up new rules, introduce some level of censorship, bring in new moderators, lock threads meant to start conflicts, lock those with inflammatory content, shut down threads where fights break out, and penalize rule-breakers by their IP address.

I’m fine with men coming here as long as they’re fathers who are genuinely interested in their children and clearly identify as both men and fathers.

I find it ridiculous how many women here think they can identify men just by their writing. I’ve been accused of being a man many times, and also of being an AI. Clearly, it shows that some women here have no real way of knowing.

We have huge issues here with women being ageist towards older women, showing strong bias against stay-at-home moms, and even being biased against their own sons just for being boys... the list goes on.

I bet most people don't have static IPs now.

I'd require ID checks to register and post and tighten up on name changing - not stop it altogether but limit it.

I'd employ more out of hours moderators too.

I think I'd introduce one general chat topic where name changing is not allowed (not sure how this would work from a tech angle). Or maybe if you had to log into it separately and keep only one NN.

It would just be nice to have topic where you got to know everyone and I suspect people would be much nicer if they can't be dicks in one NN, and then all sweetness and light in another.

It would need to be made explicitly clear that their posting history will remain, so they need to think about what info they're putting out there.

I think more online friendships were formed back in the day, on forums where name changing wasn't allowed.

And of course a few enemies were made but it's for adults to sort that out and remain within talk guidelines.

I’d allow people to delete their own threads, I know this isn’t a popular opinion but pretty much every other website allows it.

Not RTFT (banable?) to see if already mentioned but I’d ban the redditors: My DH (29m) and I (28f) etc. Grinds my gears for no real reason.

OMG me too.

"I(28f) and my husband (29m)"

Well yes love, we worked out he was 'm' because you called him your husband.

And then there's those who come onto AIBU and ask 'AITA'?

@DameOfThrones name changing is a peculiar one for me, I've always been what my name is (not a stealth boast) & okay maybe for incredibly personal details or responses okay fair enough? But otherwise it's a puzzlement? We're all online anonymous, it just strikes me as strange, I'm a teacher & I understand the "this could be outing I was at the school gate blah" & the poster has given some previous details about their village or whatever but it comes back to sharing shit online that might very well be "outing" or an over inflated sense of importance?