How do you know if a POST is Genuine or NOT.

[Eaney]

What are the pointers you look for? Have you ever been wrong or think you were wrong in your initial thought?

Because they are almost invariably completely obvious, and actually I think trolls get a bit disappointed when people say oh, how boring, a silly troll. What they want is to cause trouble.
Actually I think it's pretty brave to out trolls on Mumsnet - people who do usually get called all the names under the sun - the JudgeFlounce stuff being a case in point. She practically had to post "I am a big fat troll' before anyone really called 'her' on 'her' crap.

UTIS, I love it Ladymuck.

Often (but not always) I can just tell instinctively, in the same way you can tell when a scary story is in fact an urban legend. . .

BUT someone once CAT'd me saying she'd just moved from America and did I know of any nannies. I gave her the name & number one and later found out this poster runs or works at a nanny agency. . .so I was pretty incensed and felt pretty naive.

Also I sometimes suspect journos post an apparently innocent question under a dif name hoping to get some quotes (for free), rather than paying musmnet for it. . .but that's not really trolling. And if I were a journo. . .who knows, I might do the same thing.

Are you lot troll bashing again?????? You are all horrid

[sob]

It seems you just pick on any new poster if they cry and run away they are genuine, if they stay and argue their point they are a troll, simple .

i'm relatively new to mn and at first it seemed too good to be true - all the witty and v intelligent conversation. (especially compared to some mum chat boards i've seen!) but the troll/fake post thing does bother me - that i might be thought a troll & bullied if i start a thread. also why do people do it anyway? don't understand where the fun is in starting untrue/wind-up threads... am i being dreadfully naive?

hi laligo, don't worry about trolls..just post what you feel like talking about and I'm sure you'll be made welcome...

lol@JH

So true Skribble. Tie them up and drown them, if they don't drown, burn them at the stake.

Not true Skribble. there are new posters all the time, but the genuine ones post stuff like, what do you need for your kid's first day at school/I'm pregnant and worried about X/or any of a million other things.
I'm amazed that people are so protective of obvious trolls. The most abuse I've seen unleashed on posters on Mumsnet is when someone outs a troll.

Too true Aloha, I have taken to raising my concerns in code.

You just develop a radar, I can't explain it.

I hate to see the ethos of MN abused by trolls, does that make sense. ???

Message withdrawn

Yes but why do you have to out a troll, why not just ignore them. I went under a different name once because I had a personal question to ask and I was picked on something rotten. I have divulged info under this name whereby someone in RL could easily figure out who I was. So therefore, why can't I protect my identity if I want to and why do I have to get bombarded with insults for it? FGS if you're not sure, don't post on it. You all think you're so clever at picking out these people but obviously it doesn't always work and people get hurt. If you want to get to the people who are doing it as a wind-up, the best way to wind them up is surely to ignore them. phew glad I got that out my system.

And why everybody assume that the trolls are always new posters? Another Mumsneter told me she had realised that one of the trolls was a very regular mumsneter, I was shocked as I would have never expected that of her.

Sorry but I have seen too many threads where an unrecognised member is ripped to bits. We don't want to advertise who we are if we are talking about personal stuff especially if like me you tell all your freinds how good this site is then realise they can read your more personal threads. It doesn't mater if it's a newbie or a name change the first reaction shouldn't be to attack them or try to guess who they are.

I do agree about the members who come on solely to sell on stuff to make profit they need to get a stall at the market instead.

why does this thread say 'archive' when it was started on Friday?

Compo, just because if you click on other subjects archive you can start a new thread...