Update from MNHQ - board name change

[BeckyAMumsnet]

Hi, everyone. Following your feedback, we've changed the name of Childfree Mumsnetters to MNers without children, to be inclusive of all.

We've not removed the board from Active. If we did this, it would be harder for those who could use a space like this to find it. We are mindful of the reasons why you asked for this in the first place and would ask that you continue to report posts you think break our guidelines. We've also added a disclaimer to the top of the board.

I saw the disclaimer, not sure how effective it'll be, but we'll see.

A good choice of name as it makes it clear the board is inclusive of both childfree and childless MNers, which was always what supporters of the board wanted from the space.

Thanks, @BeckyAMumsnet.

It’s a much better name & hopefully posters will be less likely to argue about what it means.

Thanks for trying!

So will the whole forum change its name from Mumsnet to be more inclusive?

The whole forum is being inclusive by having boards for eg childfree people, black people, people who have children with SEN, people who like gardening etc, it's name doesn't need to change to show it welcomes people from all backgrounds, circumstances and lifestyles etc.

I wondered this myself.

Only if the whole world changes from men being the default.

A la Man Who Has it All.

It's a brand name for a product that has that has evolved beyond its original remit. Not an uncommon thing. You wouldn't go to carphone warehouse to buy a 'car phone' because such a thing no longer exists as a distinct product. You don't have to be Scottish or a widow to take out life insurance with Scottish Widows.

Though I have to say that when I first moved to the UK I was amused by the Scottish Widows tv ads that were very clearly trying to keep the brand recognition without making people think about bereavement, financial hardship, or Scottishness... So you had this deeply glamorous caped woman striding around, looking cheerful and encouraging.

Historically, in the days when married women gave up all their property rights to their husbands, being widowed might have been the first taste of independence and no bad thing for those who'd been obliged to marry a family-approved suitor whom they didn't particularly like!

Hi @BeckyAMumsnet - there are lots of posts that don't technically "break" guidelines but are nevertheless designed to repeatedly derail threads on this board which is the main issue that led to use asking for it to go out of active.

Is there a way you can work the moderating around those users who politely but repeatedly and determinedly derail the threads to suit their agenda

Would it be possible to tailor the board's promoted threads so as to exclude ones like "The infant feeding app tailored to you", please?

Is there a way you can work the moderating around those users who politely but repeatedly and determinedly derail the threads to suit their agenda

I've said on the other thread about this that I'm going to be making much more use of the report button. Some posters are regulars at this.

I agree this would be a good idea. Not only might they be triggering to the childless not by choice, from a marketing point of view they are a waste of space that could be used by promotions which might have half a chance of being relevant.

I can’t find the Site Stuff thread but if you’re still reading @BeckyAMumsnet, I think we really need to get the board out of Active.

I know it makes it harder to find but if you look at the ‘As a mother…’ thread in there it’s an example of how ridiculous it’s getting.

There is no point in having a board for MNers without children when the threads are full of MNers with children & I can see a lot of us simply giving up.

I'm not going to be driven off here by someone who argues like a 15 year old and is deliberately goading. Mentioning no names. 😉

Thank you @BeckyAMumsnet

I can’t find the Site Stuff thread

It was deleted; because it got hijacked by parents. There's an irony.

Ha.

I really don't understand the difference between the two

The two names?

'Childfree' implies having made a choice not to have children; or it may be sometimes used by people who didn't originally make that choice but have reconciled themselves to it (see the thread 'childless to childfree' on this board)

People who wanted to have children but couldn't, and still feel this as a lack in their lives, tend to use 'childless' to describe themselves, therefore 'childfree' as a board name might seem exclusive of those people.

'Mners without children' is neutral, reflecting that the board is for anyone who is living their life without children in it, and cannot or does not want to conceive/adopt children in the future, however they arrived at that place.

Seems a really sensible name change. I never saw the point of a topic name that is constructed to assert the greater eligibility of a life without children. That is as aggravating as asserting the greater eligibility of a life with children, and it seemed daft and provocative to have it flashing up all the time in Active Convos of a parenting forum.
It was a sub-forum name that seemed doomed to create unnecessary interference from MNers with children.

It was a sub-forum name that seemed doomed to create unnecessary interference from MNers with children

Are they incapable of scrolling, seeing the board name and thinking nope, that's not relevant to me, I won't bother? because I manage it all the time. Heroically I've managed not to post on threads about breastfeeding, teenagers, keeping chickens and all manner of topics. If I can manage it I'm sure parents can.

I never saw the point of a topic name that is constructed to assert the greater eligibility of a life without children

Can you explain how it did that?

a topic name that is constructed to assert the greater eligibility of a life without children

That’s not what it’s for. It’s used to distinguish between people who chose not to have children and those who didn’t. The two share one characteristic - no kids - but otherwise may have very different experiences, feelings, needs etc. The two can overlap (I’m both, and far from alone), but the term “childfree” is necessary to denote that not having kids can be a positive (note: not superior, just not negative) thing.

And frankly, I am getting a bit tired of parents coming up with reasons why the board name is wrong and that’s why we’re getting endless goady posters. It isn’t difficult to not post on something that has nowt to do with you. Those who are incapable of doing so have only themselves to look at - they weren’t lured here by our boastful former board name.