AIBU to check that the OP has returned, before wasting my time offering support or commenting? So many threads where OP never returns.

[SecondOGames]

Fed up of so many opening posts, without poster returning.

I know MN is to be sold, but ‘easy’ controversial threads and no returning OP, really isn’t the way to increase traffic (and value).

A waste of time for posters which will reduce traffic.

I usually check the OP has reposted before commenting. But I didn't this time. Are you real OP? You sound real...
Single post threads annoy me too. Especially ridiculous ones like the person who thought all new mums are under 35.

Yep, I am real!

( would be a real own goal if I hadn’t returned either 😂)

If it’s a long thread I check if the OP has come back and don’t bother reading it all if they haven’t.

Sold?

There are posts on here about MN being sold (or up for sale).

There's no way of knowing if it's someone's first post or not though. I've used Mumsnet for years, but if I changed name now I would have zero posting history so would look like a new user when I'm not

YANBU, I do too.

https://news.sky.com/story/mumsnet-founder-roberts-plots-delivery-of-new-owner-13501362

Most of the time I thinks its because the original poster ends up getting a roasting.

@Cheekycoffee Yes, google provided this information.

Based on reports from late January and February 2026, there is strong evidence that Mumsnet is currently in talks with investors regarding a potential sale of a stake in the company.

Evidence of Sale Talks (As of Feb 2026):

• Active Investment Talks: Sky News reported on January 31, 2026, that Justine Roberts, the founder of Mumsnet, is in discussions with private equity investors about selling a stake in the business.
• Strategic Shift: These discussions aim to secure investment to drive international expansion, which could lead to Roberts eventually relinquishing control of the company.
• Advisers Appointed: Mumsnet is working with advisers, specifically named as FirstCapital, to facilitate this process.
• Company Valuation: Sources suggest that a sale could value the company at "tens of millions of pounds".
• Continued Involvement: While she may sell a controlling interest, it is expected that founder Justine Roberts would remain involved with the company as an advisor or ambassador.

Status of the Company:

• Financial Health: As of the 2024 accounts, Mumsnet reported a turnover of £9.4m (a 20% year-on-year rise) and a post-tax profit of £2.65m (up 14%).
• Usage: The site continues to boast roughly eight million monthly users.
• Leadership Change: Sue Macmillan, formerly the chief operating officer, has replaced Roberts as CEO.

As of the latest reports (early February 2026), the discussions are ongoing and at a relatively early stage.

Sometimes when an OP gets a real pasting on the thread right from the first reply it is quite understandable why they don't bother coming back on to it themselves.

But I agree with your point in the main.

I often don't bother with the threads that get pages and pages of posts. Generally they don't say anything new and often descended into bickering between posters.

I just don't like the way MN is trying to direct posters to " popular " threads whilst other threads get virtually ignored.

I do!

That’s how I know the poster hasn’t returned.

There are loads of 'plopper' threads with just one opening post and then nothing more. They may be bots generating threads for advertising revenue.

I wondered

Ok!

It amazes me that people will keep commenting for literally days when it's perfectly clear the OP isn't coming back (whatever the reason). Why bother? I will sometimes comment at the start of a thread (as in the first page) before knowing the OP won't come back but at that point I still expect them to! On a longer thread I rarely comment at all because most likely whatever I was going to say has already been said. A lot will disappear just because they don't like the answers they're getting.

Yes, plopper threads annoy me too, especially if the OP has asked for advice about a particular problem.

Is it bots? Or maybe bored teenagers making stuff up? When I was a teenager we had great bands and great music, so making up stuff on chat forums was not a thing we did.

Awful that when I post, I do it with the genuine intention of helping someone, not that I am building traffic and revenue for MN.

As an aside, what has happened on this thread to warrant all of the deleted posts?

I was really willing you to post and run