Have you ever recognised anyone on MN?

[Starlight1979]

Just that really! Obviously I'm not after names or details 😂but curious to know if you've ever read a thread / post and thought "I know this person!"

I haven't but I always see people name changing so they're not outed and wondered how common it is actually is to be recognised on here?!

Yes, once, when somebody posted about a very specific issue they had with the local primary school. Where I was chair of governors.

Oh wow I didn't expect so many yeses! Did those of you who recognised the poster, reply to them?!

Yes. Someone who works in the same industry as me. They described an industry event they were at where something happened to them*. I was also there and recognised them.

*something nice, I should add.

Well, not personally recognised them but I know where at least one of them lives because they posted on the same topic in the local "Spotted In ..." Facebook group with a picture of their building (and I dated a guy in that building for a little while). The other poster I came across likely lives in the same town because she also posted a very similar posts here and in the same FB group.
People should really be a bit more careful.

Yes, someone from another board.

Some tiny details made me go hmmm and then I did an AS and it was definitely her.

That was some years ago and she still posts under the same name.

I name change regularly due to that.

Yes. Someone posted about a specific Women's Network meeting at my place of employment. I'd been at the meeting and guessed who it was.

I’ve recognised someone and I’m pretty sure they would have recognised me. We’re both too polite to say anything and I always come off their threads quickly as I figure if they wanted me to know then they’d tell me in person.

Someone I went to school with who was posting about our home town, I noticed they had the same username as on other social media. Occasionally still see posts under that name.

Someone posted about a dog near them with a name being asked about on the baby names board (very unusual for a dog) and said that they hated the name - it's my dog's name!

Oh crap! She probably knows now that you've rumbled her 😲.
How odd though.

Yes, it was a very edited details aibu post.
Annoyingly the edits made the OP look reasonable and it was full of posts against the person she was posting about which she was lapping up.
Didn't understand the point as the story was so changed that she wasnt getting any constructive advice.
It was employment related so posting the actual situation could have given her some valuable advice to reflect on.

No. Never mentioned it. They still post on MN.

Yes. And if you know me irl you'll recognise me.
otoh my friends know I'm on mn & have put up with my foibles for many years thankfully, if they're my friends that won't change, if they don't like me irl that's also unlikely to change.

Yes, I recognised someone who would post about her son and how unfair the primary school were being to him. She posted over several years. My DC went to primary with this child. He was thoroughly unpleasant and she was always minimising his behaviour and blaming others. Our paths parted at secondary where he went private and my DC went local. He did end up in another local state school where she claimed in person that was not happy with the private school. However, her posts on here made it clear he was thrown out for poor behaviour, though she said he was being targeted by parents and staff.

Yes.
her username gave it away to me, searched it and her posts matched her life.
I haven't mentioned it to her, and won't tbh.

I've replied on a couple of her posts.

Yes I recognised a person who was distressed because she had fallen in love with her male friend. I had literally been talking with the male friend within the hour and the situation was uncanny. He didn’t fancy her. She didn’t know whether he did or didn’t. ( I didn’t tell him about the thread) A lot of mumsnetters went into massive detail trying to help her figure out whether he did or didn’t fancy her. It was a little sad tbh

A colleague - she had told me about an incident a few days before and then I read a comment with near identical details and it could only have been her. I never mentioned it to her and never looked to see what else she'd posted before - to be honest I was horrified I'd recognised someone! I can't remember her user name thankfully.

Yes, my sister. I told her about it in RL

I hope she's not the poster above and thinks I'm up my own arse!

A friend of mine once told me she recognised me from a story I told on here that I’d told her in real life. It’s a strange sensation knowing someone has read things you thought were private. She told me she didn’t search for my user name and I hope that’s true. I’d never said anything bad about her or mutual friends but I just don’t want real life friends to know inner thoughts etc!

I got recognised as I posted some anecdote about losing a very tight rowing race at Henley and got a DM from someone saying they had seen the race and congratulated me on my efforts which is nice. I guess rowing is a very niche small sport so not entirely surprised.

Sort of. There was a poster whose partner had an accident on holiday and gave lots of details. Later that day my DH was telling me about a member of his staff having an accident on holiday and it was obviously the same person.

Years ago someone DM'd me when I posted about an ex (different user name) and said I had to delete the post because EVERYONE would know who I was talking about and it would hurt people. I did ask for it to be deleted because I took it in good faith at the time, but I do now think it was my ex and he just didn't want his other women to know the real story. He still lies about his past and I don't think any woman wouldn't want to know.

A colleague who posted about moving overseas, mentioned the location and asked for advice about living there. I dropped her a message to say I'd seen a post on Mumsnet from someone who was also moving to the same place, and that she might want to take a look

Someone recognised me on a rather boring thread as it was something I'd mentioned to them. They then did an AS search on me and found out all the details of my awful divorce, which they then asked me about.
I name change regularly now.

I haven’t recognised anyone but I was on a thread were someone got outed in real time.

They had a convoluted setup regarding access to her DP’s DC. She was pregnant and wanted her DP to only see his existing child in the school summer holidays and to focus on “their little family” she had her arse handed to her but due to answering lots of questions another poster recognised the situation and another involved party turned up. It was quite identifiable and it all got pulled

If the story was that different, how do you know it was the person you were thinking of?