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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

snooping on my mumsnet

115 replies

mophead5 · 06/06/2010 20:20

soooo pissed off right now.
have been informed by my brother that his missus has been having a gander at my messages on mumsnet.
i am like 'how can she do that when she doesnt know my password'?
he explained that all she did was type in my nickname on yahoo search, that she did know because we have chatted on here before, then mumsnet and voila, it took her to every conversation and message ive written
i was gobsmacked...to say the laest.
what is the point of having a password if any tom dick and harry can get in so easily?
god...even facebook is safer!!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
mophead5 · 06/06/2010 22:04

my SIL is pretty good on computers, whereas i am completlely rubbish...obviously, so even if i wanted to find info on someone i would not know hwere to start

OP posts:
Thediaryofanobody · 06/06/2010 22:10

Mophead if you want to know what another MN has been posting then you type their MN name into the MN search space, select Mumsnet chat and press search.

abbierhodes · 06/06/2010 22:13

I've just reread your OP...you knew she was a member and yet you still didn't realise she could read your posts?

I'm struggling to be nice here. If you are that incompetent I don't really get how you're posting right now.

piratecat · 06/06/2010 22:15

shit look what i found
!!!
thats what you get if you go snooping

usualsuspect · 06/06/2010 22:16

I don't understand how you think you can make snide comments about other mn members and they can't see them

BertieBotts · 06/06/2010 22:18

I type private stuff on here, only because I am 99% sure that the people I am talking about wouldn't think to come on and search for it.

It's like having a conversation in a pub or a crowded room - anyone in the room COULD overhear you, but you trust that nobody in the room knows the person you are bitching about. It's a calculated risk.

Original poster
mophead5 · 06/06/2010 22:21

thats my point. when you say its like having a conversation in a crowded pub. i assumed (stupidly) that these conversations were for members only.

OP posts:
runnybottom · 06/06/2010 22:22

This is a wind up isn't it?

scottishmummy · 06/06/2010 22:23

so spill beans were you slagging her off and got caught

mn is open access site.visible to many known and unknown.and reproduced in print media too

nowt is secret on mn

BertieBotts · 06/06/2010 22:24

OK, well if you know that she knows your username, then it's like having a conversation in a pub and knowing she is in the pub but assuming she is out of earshot - sorry.

Probably was a bit naive, but hopefully you haven't posted anything too private, so if you want things to be more private in future, then change your username. It's easy to do, just click on "my mumsnet" at the top.

ArnoldTheBeard · 06/06/2010 22:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

BigFatSepticToe · 06/06/2010 22:24

why would you tell people your username anyway? It is exactly the same as telling somone your pin number/online banking info, then complaining they have been looking up your bank balance or something!

the reason this is so great is cos its anonymous, you can say what you like about people and IF they were on here and challenged you in RL you could just deny it (then namechange if you wanted to)

CoupleofKooks · 06/06/2010 22:25

even if only members could read your posts
what is to stop her (or anyone else you know) joining? there are millions of members on here you know
sorry you didn't realise, it is a nasty feeling, but the internet is very far from private

Original poster
mophead5 · 06/06/2010 22:26

abbierhodes...yes of course i knew she was a member. but what i am saying is she did not actually go to mumsnet site or log in or anything like that.she just put me in yahoo search and...voila!!!

OP posts:
Tn0g · 06/06/2010 22:26

lol -Arnold

onagar · 06/06/2010 22:27

Now you know that it is open you need not be upset with SIL. It may seem somewhat nosy to search, but only slightly. I use google and other searches all the time so it's quite a casual thing to me to type a subject into a search box. Doesn't have to be malicious at all.

scottishmummy · 06/06/2010 22:27

you have been bit naive.most things are searchable

ach well lesson learned eh

susiecutiebananas · 06/06/2010 22:29

mophead - you can say anything you like, about anyone you like, so long as nobody you know out there in the real world knows your username/nickname.
I don't regularly change my name. Well actually i've not been on for a loooooong while, however, if I do, I just change it slightly. SO, maybe thats all you need to do, change it just with a different spelling, or, something like that.

THe number of times i've been searching for something, googled it and a MN thread has come up! Its not secure in the way you think, you don't need a password to find someone's posts.

Just tell little miss nosy pants, in future, to let you have your life on here with out fear of her reading everything, and not to look you up in future, maybe? ALso, do the slight name change thing... or completely!

scottishmummy · 06/06/2010 22:30

perhaps stop bumpin gums about family on internet.may make for more convivial relationship

Original poster
mophead5 · 06/06/2010 22:37

dont get me wrong, me and SIL get on great. she was NOT being maliscious...my bro just mentioned it in passing conversation...that all.
i was just so shocked about non privacy thing..thats all

OP posts:
TiggyR · 06/06/2010 22:49

I know how you must feel - it's a weird hideous feeling that people you know may be reading your chat with other unrelated people. Name change often, and never be tempted to give too much of yourself away.

People who are naturally nosy curious, like me, are very good at internet jigsaws!

ashcloud · 06/06/2010 23:02

I googled mophead mumsnet and got a discussion thread about mop heads

Oh, and Arnold

KickArseQueen · 06/06/2010 23:36

I think the reason you don't show up on google op ( Opening Poster) is because your full name has not been said during the conversation by anyone.

If any of us/ you typed your name you would be even more findable.

LOL @ piratecat

I made the mistake of telling a few friends about this site when they were looking for information about their dc's, wish I hadn't as I now feel like their is potentially a RL person floating about in the internet ether.

Name change, completely, btw do you know what her username is?.....

KickArseQueen · 06/06/2010 23:41

Bumper Surely if someone decided to stalk you your post :

"Change your username just slightly every now and again so if someone searches on Bumperlicious they will get all the posts under that nick name but not ones where I was Bumperslucious or similar."

Would be a mistake as they could find your other posting name by reading this thread?

Do you now not need to report yourself?

chipmonkey · 07/06/2010 00:14

Remember that Mumsnet are nice and do allow you to namechange for sensitive topics and then change back. I use chipmonkey for stuff I don't mind the world and his mother knowing and namechange for private stuff I wouldn't want RL friends and relations knowing.