Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

MUMSNET friends vs REAL friends

54 replies

stargreen · 22/02/2010 10:42

Hi all, I am new to MN. I am curious so help me out here. I am wondering if people feel that their MN friends are more supportive than their real friends.

And do you tend to confess more and be more honest on MN because you can stay anonymous.

Let me know what you think.

xxx

OP posts:
LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 22/02/2010 10:44

Firstly, welcome,
Secondly this is probably more suited to Chat than AIBU.
Thirdly, and I apologise if I am wrong, but that heading and the question sounds like the basis of a newspaper article.

NoahAndTheWhale · 22/02/2010 10:45

I was rather thinking that as well.

Welcome to Mumsnet though

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 22/02/2010 10:46

Fourthly, and this is just a friendly tip, people here don't tend to end their posts with xxxx. In fact it tends to make some posters heads implode, which is just messy and as we are all on here neglecting our DC and DP/DH we just don't have time to clean up that sort of mess.

themildmanneredjanitor · 22/02/2010 10:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PlumBumMum · 22/02/2010 10:48

I was thinking this sounds like a topic on a certain TV programme

Do we rely too much friendships from internet strangers?

PlumBumMum · 22/02/2010 10:48

too much on friendships

Mumcentreplus · 22/02/2010 10:50

Well that was a friendly welcome

hello star welcome to the party

GetOrfMoiLand · 22/02/2010 10:50

I imagine that this is the topic of the Sunday Times MN article for next Sunday.

OP - I think all my friends are a bunch of cunts. Put that in your article

VinegarTits · 22/02/2010 10:51

xxx

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 22/02/2010 10:51

But Plum real friends have to start as strangers somewhere, at the school gate, in a bar, at a toddler group just because some friendships begin on an internet BB does not make them any less valid or "real".

sarah293 · 22/02/2010 10:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

PlumBumMum · 22/02/2010 10:52

getorfmiland hope that is not your internet friends[stern look]

nickytwotimes · 22/02/2010 10:52

Ooh, my first .

GetOrfMoiLand · 22/02/2010 10:52

They think I am a cunt as well.

HTH

xx

Original poster
stargreen · 22/02/2010 10:52

thanks for the replies.

i can assure you that i don't have anything to do with a newspaper, although you're right, it does sound like i'm asking a very serious questions here.

i've been reading the threads and i've noticed that people are so honest (and funny!). And also on MN you can chat to someone at anytime of the day!

i might take your advise and take this to 'chat' instead.

OP posts:
displayuntilbestbefore · 22/02/2010 10:53

You can't be friends with people you don't know on an internet forum, you can talk to them online but it's not being friends.
If you meet them in RL then at that point they become either friends in RL or else you just acknowledge that they're not quite what you thought they were so they go back to just being internet posters who you may or may not have a rapport with.
Might need to tweak the article on that basis possibly.....

GetOrfMoiLand · 22/02/2010 10:53

Nah - just my RL friends.

All the people on MN are wonderful.

Mwah

PlumBumMum · 22/02/2010 10:56

Totally agree Libra coming on to mn is the same as walking into a mother & toddlers for the first time, all a bunch of strangers with one thing in common

actually walking into a mother & toddlers might be more frightening for some

Just thought the op sounded more like a research topic than a genuine question

PlumBumMum · 22/02/2010 10:57

sorry x posts with star

Original poster
stargreen · 22/02/2010 10:58

wow! that's a lot of replies in quick succession for a first timer! cheers all!

sorry libra- didn't mean to make a mess of your head.

i suppose what i'm getting at is- say if you're feeling really fed up in the middle of the night and your teething baby will not stop screaming, you can't phone anyone cos it's too late, so you go on MN and chat to someone there. So on that basis, does MN actually give better support than real life friends.

sorry if i still sound like a reporter, i promise i'm not.

OP posts:
GetOrfMoiLand · 22/02/2010 11:04

Star this is a very wierd firsth thread to start.

Most people start by going on to someone elseds thread and posting gradually, rather than posting new threads which sound like research topics.

So, is your commission from the Daily Fail or the ST?

Doublebuggy · 22/02/2010 11:06

star - your follow-on messages make you sound even more of a reporter than your first.

Looking foward to reading the finished thing on Sunday!

displayuntilbestbefore · 22/02/2010 11:09

stargreen - that's not MN giving better or more support than your RL friends, it's just MN being there to give you some sort of support when it would be out of the question and inconsiderate to telephone your RL friends just to say you're fed up etc.
It's an alternative for some people because the internet is a 24-7 thing whereas in RL people go to bed and need to sleep without being disturbed by friends wanting to get stuff off their chest!

Original poster
stargreen · 22/02/2010 11:10

like i said, i'm a first timer, so i just thought i'd throw some thoughts out there and see what happens.

OP posts:
displayuntilbestbefore · 22/02/2010 11:11

Don't think you have a story there tbh because you can't compare MNers with RL friends IMO.