To ask if you’ve ever seen a post about you/someone you know on here?

[WoesFromAuntFlo]

I read a post recently that made me think the person who wrote it might be someone I know IRL. I didn’t say anything, but it’s been playing on my mind a lot.

I know people are worried about being too ‘outing’ with details but does it actually happen? Have you seen a post you think is about you or someone else you know?!

Posting here for traffic and as it’s the place I’d least want to see a post about myself 😂

You might think you know from the wording or subject of a thread, but as Colin points out if anyone is prepared to take time to do a bit of research on your username you can soon put other enough data to confirm or not.

Yes, someone I actually don't know that well, but she posted about the death of someone close to her who died in an unusual manner and alongside other details she'd included plus her username (which is a pun on her actual name) I'm 100% sure it's her. I don't know her well enough to say anything. And anyway she hadn't posted anything about herself that I didn't already know, nothing private.

Nope

Someone once posted a thread with an almost identical situation to what I was going through at the time, with only a few different details.

When I read it I thought that if anyone who knew me saw it, they'd think it was me. But obviously it wasn't.

About 14 years ago I was having a terrible time and posted a good few threads that had quite a lot of identifying info in them. I later had them all deleted in a fit of paranoia that someone would see them and recognise me. If anyone had linked them to me, the fall out would have been nuclear. Since then I've been too scared to post anything personal on here!

I recognised a family member's cat - they had posted the exact same picture on FB.

Only if the poster has kept the same user name for a significant time and told the truth in every post involving personal information

And I'd suggest that unless you're happy to be identified that's not a very smart approach

Quite a lot of years back someone posted a cheeky fucker post about a wishlist that a friend of mine had set up and shared. It was odd, but the level of malice it attracted was a bit OTT. I worked out who the poster was as well, knew them both from.another Internet site at the time. I never told the friend who was being accused of being a cheeky fucker.

I agree. In my case I wasn't asking for help in posts, it was when I was replying to others. But I said where I lived (roughly), what my job was, what it was a while ago etc, which university I had gone to and you could definitely work out it was me!

Since then I've been much vaguer about everything!

Actually that does remind me of a post I saw on here which I also saw in a local Facebook group - something to do with cycling at the time. So I have recognised someone. I can't remember the detail now, might have been about a stolen bike.

And there was someone who posted about some research they were doing and I found them on LinkedIn.

That’s horrible of them and really intrusive and shitty behaviour.

I went on a work trip with a colleague who shared a story about her closest friend and the ridiculous things her friend’s ex had been doing. A week later, a post appeared on here where a woman was talking about her ex. The specifics that were shared meant that I knew it was my colleague’s best friend.

Yes! I put a post up about advice for a friend who (was deluded and- )thought she might get Spousal Maintenance following a nasty breakup

She totally recognised herself - I got it removed ….

I agree, name changing regularly is absolutely the way to go.

I think ots probably almost impossible to post over a long period of time under the same name and never give away any information about yourself.

I have often wondered this.
I have been in here for about 22 years - name change regularly -this one is new today 😃

I've name-changed because I've posted about this before, but yes, when I was getting divorced from my ex and we were having to sell the family home, our buyers started a thread about whether or not it would be acceptable to drop their offer at the last minute. Their rationale was that "at our age we were probably mortgage-free and could afford it as whatever we sold for would be pure profit". We were very far from mortgage-free, and one of the reasons for the divorce was that ex had been very financially controlling, so for me in particular every penny really counted towards being able to have a half-way secure future for me and the DCs. There was some detail that was very suggestive they were talking about us, and when I did an advanced search I found other posts that made me sure it was them.

The thread was almost unanimous in telling them they WBU but they went ahead and did it anyway (and didn't come back the the thread either - almost as outrageous a crime!). It was particularly off-pissing as they'd pretended to be cash buyers when they weren't, were in a very nice financial position themselves, and had messed us about royally from start to finish during conveyancing. I'm still feeling the financial effects now but I'm still alive and kicking, which is sadly more than one of them can say, so perhaps there is such a thing as karma.

I really miss that house and for various reasons have really struggled in the aftermath of the split, so if the remaining one is reading now, please know it was a terrible time that you managed to make even harder with your selfishness and entitlement.

I know there are people on here who I know in real life. I don't really care if they, or anyone else, knows it is me as I wouldn't say anything here that I wouldn't say in real life.

I have, on the other hand, been reading a thread about odd reasons a boyfriend has been dumped in order to see whether I have done any of those things (I am a man), and fortunately, my dating history is so old (pre-dating my late wife) that nobody here has a sufficiently long memory for any of my transgressions, or I didn't actually transgress in the ways described (I do own crocs though, which comes quite close).

Yes, recognised a relative of a friend of a friend because they posted about an incredibly specific event. I don’t know them personally so have not let on … and I could see why the issue arose from their perspective as well as friend of friend.

sorry, that’s horribly cryptic!

Yes I recognised a post about a local headteacher who was clearly unhinged

I once came across a post that was very obviously written by a friends sister asking for opinion on the friends behaviour. It was a very specific set of circumstances and couldn’t have been anyone else. I didn’t say anything as tbh I agreed with the sister…

I've spotted a very close family member on here . She mentioned her children's names and ages and was talking about an ailment they currently had .
I didn't tell her I recognised her and I don't see her on here any longer .
I change my name often and assume she does that also .

A few years ago I was having a dreadful time at work which was having legal ramifications

I posted about it asking for general advice, thinking I was being very careful but my solicitor was told about it - I think an HR type work person was on mn at the time and reported it. He emailed me telling me to remove it which luckily MN agreed to. It was daft looking back!
Taught me to be rather more circumspect about legal matters for sure!

You are a truly lovely person and a wonderful friend 💐

That's encouraging to hear.

Once a school mum told me about something I was sure I read on mumsnet a few days earlier, it was quite specific. When I tried to search for it on here I couldn’t find it so she must have deleted it. I was gutted as I really wanted to be nosy 🤣

I once recognised a friend of a friend on here, she was just posting general mum type things, nothing too personal like she had a crush on a school dad or she thought her husband was having an affair.
I recognised her on a baby name thread as she posted her other children's names when asking for name suggestions for her then unborn child.
She actually gave the child a name that was suggested multiple times on the thread.