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?

Disagreeing with me would result in a permaban.

Ban ‘D..’ drives me mad, just say my husband, sister, mother etc.

Bring back the laughing emoji.

Something to stop the page reloading and losing your place, 200 posts in.

Why do people use the app rather than the mobile site? It sounds worse in loads of ways. Oh and DuckDuckGo hides ads.
Anyway, my change would be to allow the OP to add one update at the top of the thread for those who don’t check all OP’s posts before replying. Either for significant changes to their circumstances or for clarification when everyone is picking them up on the same minor point over and over.

They monitor other publications / media and publish a weekly 'Theft of the Week' post, highlighting lazy journalists stealing from the forum threads!!

Bring the laugh emoji 😂 back

There are parenting sections and non-parentings sections (eg Style & Beauty, Gardening, Tattoos), things evolve. I understand that the Daily Telegraph no longer uses telegraphs to circulate the news.

Ban people who make hilarious "jokes" and completely derail a thread when the OP make a typo. It's not funny, no matter how many people spit out their tea or wake their sleeping husband/kids.

Ban people who reference posts from years ago. "Do you scream at the Sistine Chapel OP?" "Did you snap and fart OP?" Also people who post "naice ham, Mexican house thief, penis beaker" in their OP as if that proves they're not a troll.

I'd bring back the laugh reaction and also introduce an eyeroll one.

Like these?

😄🙄

I’d stop using people’s writing for free.

The amount of free content I gave this site 8/9 years ago when I was a “blogger”. All the clicks from where they shared my work on social media. “Blogger of the week!” Countless times, all while giving away my writing for free. I was so naive.

I'd ban non-parents - what on earth are they doing on mumsnet?

Have you seen how many topics there are that have nothing to do with children though?

Alcohol Support
Bereavement
Arts and Crafts
Weight loss
Christmas
Cost of Living
Eating Disorders
The Dog House
The Tack Room

I won't carry on because the list is endless.

The Archers
Films
Radio and Podcasts
TV
Cooking and recipes
Etc, etc.

Not to speak of the hundreds of thousands of child free people who might seek advice or offer experience on

Black MN
Independent schools
Style and Beauty
Culture vultures
Books
Holidays
Again - the list is endless.

I honestly think anyone who believes childless people either have no children in their lives, or have no useful opinions on other topics is living in a dreamworld.

I would have some way of identifying and shutting down when one or two people became embroiled in their own side - disagreement and derail the thread as a result. Start your own thread!

I'd also limit the amount of characters we can use in a thread title.

I hide a lot of long running regular threads because the thread titles are so ridiculously long, they take up half my Active feed.

it's not compressed on mine - only subsequent quoted posts.

I would come down a lot harder on the ageism and ableism. It is infuriating

I'd get rid of long redundant topics that no one uses and simplify it all

There's literally a childfree board https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/childfree-mumsnetters

Are you saying that the Conception board should go too?

I would ban lazy journalists using MN threads for their next bit of clickbait, as well as stop the awful practice of MN actually posting threads on their own Facebook page. I think it's disgraceful that people post on MN, only to have their thread splashed across other media, where the audience might be much bigger and broader, and contain people they know aren't on MN but might now see the thread.

i would unhide the Report function and put it back at the bottom of posts (in place of "share" - who uses that?)

I think you can follow replies to your own posts on the paid-for version? I'd like that function for all

Threads that have not been posted on for 6 months to be automatically closed to new posters, only OP may post with an update (if they want to). OP can start a new thread to discuss the update if they want.

If someone started a clearly light hearted thread like someone did recently about a ten bird roast i would have a special team to police it to keep miserable joyless posters off it and let the rest of us have a much needed laugh.
Laughter and fun are huge healers and many of us nees that.
It's supposed rto be a supportive site
The ...troll comments , is this reel this isn't real are pathetic fuck off !!

I'd not allow people to post deliberately vague titles.

AIBU to think that...
Is this wrong?
How did you get over...
Anyone's family do this?

Agree wholeheartedly about closing threads, l saw one entitled “Could l be Pregnant” and people were responding over a year later 🤔.

I’m really bored of a perfectly reasonable OP getting derailed & resulting in a pile in simply because the poster said dinner instead of supper or had the audacity to eat their lunch outside of usual lunch hours. What started as advice about X results in the poster getting told her DH has a secret family, social services need to take her dc as she’s a bad parent, needs therapy for her anxiety etc. They could at least make their judgement comical but it’s boring.

In fact could we just ban posters from diagnosing anxiety so matter how “gently” they suggest it 🤯

I would also ban ‘gently’, ‘discuss’ and ‘can I ask you to’ no you fucking can’t ask me to, random internet stranger!