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?!

No, but I’m fairly sure I’ve been posted about. A member of my team got sacked and posted about it. Received lots of admittedly decent advice and much sympathy, but didn’t mention she’d been sacked for blatant fraud.

@Lifeomars

Just go into your settings and you can put in a new name there, but you can't do it mid-thread. If you post on a thread that you are already on, it will revert to the name you have already posted under on that thread.

The mother of someone who'd been in my class at school!

Omg that is full on Wagatha Christie! Love the commitment!

I recognised a relative, I think my niece or my cousin. They were being unkind about DD’s name. The circumstances were a bit specific.

She has a very unusual job.

This thread is worrying! Name change now!

Yea but only once. I don't even remember the username now as my memory for stuff like that is rubbish. I decided not to search the username/other posts etc as I thought if it was me I would prefer someone I know to not do that I guess. I just moved on and now I couldn't tell you what their username was. it was definitely the right person though, lots of specific details and names in their post/thread.

User17442?

Yes. My sister…. I told her and she found it hilarious. Also a client. Her post was VERY identifiable. I didn’t tell her but did tell other people I work with.

Yes, a friend, didn't tell her as I wouldn't want to embarrass her

Yes, my boss’s wife!

What a fucking nut job! That must have been deeply unsettling

I caught someone I know on here making up some absolute lies about me, proper libel stuff. The best bit was that they used their actual name as a user name …. Then tried to deny it was them.
I called the police !!

Never identified anyone I know IRL - but I posted about a creepy man I worked with once and had several DMs of people telling me they knew him! And he'd behaved the same, it must be the same person.

It wasn't. Different industries & locations. But made me think there must be a lot of similar situations happening across the country

Did they do anything? I mean anyone can use anyones real name as a name on here really.

Yes. I told them.

I'm very aware of the non-private nature of MN, so if I post stuff it's because I'd be happy for anyone I know to read it. I rarely name change.

I’ve recognised my mum but not in real time. I’m in my early/mid 20s so young enough that my mum was able to seek advice on MN throughout my childhood.

I recently Googled my old high school (where I was bullied so horrendously that I became a school refuser and gave my mum an incredibly stressful few years) as I’m now pregnant and reflecting a bit more on my own childhood.

There was a MN thread from 2016 asking for opinions on X high school and a comment went into quite deep detail about how awful they were and how much the commenters own daughter had suggested there. I realised it was my mum. Advance searched her username and found dozens of posts where she’s seeking advised on her awful teenager and posts where she vents about feeling like an awful mother. It got quite upsetting and brought back awful memories of a horrendous time in my life. Commenters were suggesting I had ASD which gave me a bit of an identity crisis. I had to step away.

The police …. Yes, they got a warning. It wasn’t the first time it had happened as they had posted other things on other sites (with their real name again!!)

@LittleRedStool dreadful thing to have happened to you, some people are honestly unhinged. Hope you are ok now and not still being slandered or stalked x

Yes - recognised someone I know vaguely online through mutual friends. She has quite a niche job/family situation so it was obvious it was her if you know her. Have never said anything though!

I guess if someone who lives round the corner recognises the place you are describing, that's fair enough. It wouldn't bother me.

On the other hand, if someone recognised a very personal situation you've mentioned, then that might not be so good.

I'm sorry. This is a huge area of potential trauma that is just now becoming real- kids finding all the horrendous, embarrassing or invasive things that their parents have posted about them for the kids' whole lives.

Your mother is at fault here. You should never have had to see those posts.

At the time it was terrible but looking back some of the things that were said were so nuts that they are vaguely amusing.
This person sees me most days and strangely enough they haven’t got the courage to say anything to my face!
Loser 😂

Not on MN but a similar site.

I recognized the new wife of a (male) friend, who I had never met. She had posted a picture of an outfit (without her head and a lot of background missing) that my friend had posted few days earlier on his Facebook so I recognized the outfit. I was able to look at her pasts posts too and there was so much information about their relationship! It actually made me quite uncomfortable as it showed my friend in a certain way at times.

another time I recognized someone who is now a dear friend. At the time we had just met through mutual friends and I had only heard about her (fairly unique) situation. She was talking about the situation and I recognized her from that.

I never mentioned to either of them.