to ask you how much you know about me?

[notanumber]

DH informed me that he's a bit concerned that I give out far too much info about myself online.

My stance is that this site is huge and I don't post much - though read all the chuffing time regularly - and I'd be amazed if anyone could dredge up the most trivial information about me let alone identify me in real life.

He thinks not. He thinks that if you post even semi-regularly people will have a "profile" of you fairly quickly, which leaves you vulnerable. Further, he claims that a cursory search will basically make it blindingly obvious who I am and I might as well post up my address and a picture of my tits for good measure.

Obviously with some posters I see their name and think, "Oh it's X. Lives in Devon, is a nurse, is quite funny and always pitches in on BF threads" but for the most part while I recognise names I couldn't really come up with concrete information on their owners.

So, out of paranoia curiousity - what's your mental profile of me when you see my name:

a) Off the top your head
b) With a quick search

Clearly, I am expecting (and hoping!) that the answer will be, "nothing, who the fuck are you?"

I'd be very happy to do it for you in return, btw, should you so desire!

You are starting to regret starting this thread and are cuddling your polecat anxiously.

When you wear the hamsters in public, people mistake them for a luxury scarf.

You can feel the sun on your cheeks, even when it's overcast.

You dream of things that you dare not speak.

You wish to your Christadelphian God you had not started this thread.

hee hee

Hully and Show concur, you wish you hadn't bothered asking.

I'm tempted to start a thread

"tell me something you DON'T know about me"

This is your Christadelphian God.

Enough about me, what do you think about me?

hully and SoH - you are norty but oh so funny!

LOL Tocc - I'm sure there must be some things we don't know about you - did you get your washing line spike in the ground, btw?

This is one of your brethren

That's my dad, hully

Tethers - you deeply deeply regret that you ever had it removed.

You long for a yellow Morris Minor.

www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/25046227.HappyOldMan.jpg&img refurl=insidethefactory.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/index.html&usg=__L8yCPI1zxySoGrtwq6uzpu lFqsU=&h=323&w=300&sz=30&hl=en&start=9&itbs=1&tbnid=_MJn4dcCoaDsgM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3 Fq%3Dvery%2Bvery%2Bold%2Bman%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

Bugger.

That's not a beard, it's hamsters. He's doing a Guinness World Record attempt.

tethers, your Dad will no longer talk to you as your beard is more impressive.

I agree that no-one is probably going to be able to give a detailed profile of every username, but that's not necessarily reassuring. I immediately recognised my cousin on a different forum, posting on a very sensitive topic. I actually left for a while, as I felt bad for her that she was spilling the beans in a way she wouldn't do in RL. She didn't give away information that would be memorable to the other members, but it was highly meaningful to me. The world isn't that big.

It's best not to post nuffink that you wouldn't want generally known I agree. Unless it's really secret and pervy. That's ok.

I know you have a husband that sslightly paranoid about your time online..

I suspect you have a husbadn thats feeling a little jealous of mumsnet and you (and worried its some sort of affair)

and I know you care greatly about him because if you didnt you would have laughed him off told him to go cook dinner whilst you finished your time on mn

does that help?

Haven't read previous replies so that I come to the search fresh...

I recognise your name, but
(a) nothing
(b) you have a sister two years younger than you who you don't talk to. You have a 2yo DS and are expecting another baby. You have a CM so presumably you work. Your DH wants to use Regina as the middle name after his grandfather but you are worried that it sounds like "vagina" (I agree with the "just go with Gina" brigade, by the way). You live in the downstairs flat of a maisonette somewhere a long cab ride from the Whittington.

What is it with the maisonette? Or is that real?

In a way I can see what your husband means. It's very easy, over the course of several months/posts to give away quite a lot about yourself and your family situation - where you live, the names of your children, what you do, etc.

For most of us, it probably doesn't matter, but if there's anything particularly sensitive happening in your life, it could be an issue.

I think we all forget that this is a public forum, and at times (especially at the moment) a highly visible one.

So I would say:

a) remember that anyone can be reading your posts - it could be your best friend, your ex partner, the local newspaper journalist looking for a story - so if you need to post anything personal consider a name-change

b) ideally post in _Chat - all posts there are destroyed after 90 days

c) if you need to give out personal information, like an e-mail address or a phone number, use the CAT facility rather than posting the information

And it's probably worth changing names regularly anyway (although that can be difficult as we do all tend to get attached to them!)

did she SEE in real life?