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Original poster

Has Mumsnet dumbed down over the past couple of years IYO? Or, if you're new, what's your impression?

243 replies

WideWebWitch · 14/10/2006 19:31

Well? Just wondering what people think about this. Even if you're new, what's your view? (I don't want to be accused of oldster cliqueiness, I'm interested to hear what new people think too)

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 14/10/2006 20:22

well no, my baby never had green poo

I suppose I could suggest she fed it only beetroot then the poo would be purple

Sophiev73 · 14/10/2006 20:22

I'm fairly recent to the site and my general impression is a fairly democratic group - I'd say there was someone for everyone on here, from text-typists to grammar pedants... I've been broadly welcomed and enjoy my sojorns in this digital coffee shop. I've also seen some things so funny I nearly lost control of my birth-weakened bladder (MB's 21st century Blyton's to name but one). I like the huge resource of information and experience and, although I've probably repeated other people's questions, mine were still addressed with sobriety. Hurrah!

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/10/2006 20:22

Am I new? Been here just over a year...?

Has it dumbed down? No, there is plenty of witty, intelligent discussion going on if people want it - probably more so than when I started.

The site is bigger now, and so there are more threads, and everything moves much faster which I think is why people tend to use "txtspk" more and more, so undoubtedly there are more of threads that make you deem the site to have "dumbed down".

I'd like to blame Mothercare for that, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to start a row

IMO, there is just more of everything and everything moves much faster.

Thats about it really.

EnidVorhees · 14/10/2006 20:23

I love answering new parent/new baby threads with a brisk but knowledgeable one liner - would love to think some advice i had given helps

CountessDracula · 14/10/2006 20:23

sorry vvv it had already happened by the time you got here (actually around that time )

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 20:23

The second it becomes one of those bullshit boastful sites is the second you see a cloud of dust where I used to be.

All that 'my daughter is 14 weeks and walking' bollocks.

'He's such a clever child, I should be thankful'.

Um, yeah. Right.

EnidVorhees · 14/10/2006 20:24

It happened when they brought in the Chat topic

redsky · 14/10/2006 20:24

I think perhaps I have changed rather than MN. When I started lurking years ago I found it so fresh and interesting to read and discuss things I would never dream of opening my mouth about in rl. Now I find there are very few 'new' topics around.

disemboweledbint · 14/10/2006 20:25

us new mums rely on you old timers to tell us green poo is ok. please don't ignore us all the time even though we bore you stupid.

zippitippitoes · 14/10/2006 20:25

I shan't leave until the put the links on the feeling dpressed board..a few years yet then

fartmeistergeneral · 14/10/2006 20:26

All I would say, as a newcomer, is that it is sometimes hard to break in to a thread where there are lots of 'old timers' (no offence) on, as my threads tend to get ignored and the old timers do get answered.

Just the way it is I guess, I posted a couple of days ago about playground politics and said how I was speaking to this mum who I didn't know very well and she walked off in the middle of my sentence.

Feel a bit like that sometimes. That's all.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/10/2006 20:26

LOL CD...

I did have a sudden flash of panic when thinking that perhaps I was, in fact, a dumber-downer of Mumsnet

FreakyFloss · 14/10/2006 20:27

Sorry - what is MN?

Seriously - I am not particularly bright and am not really able to take part in most of the big debates - i'm not articulate enough. I would like to think on one hand though that you didn't have to be overly bright to post on her. on the other hand text speak and one long rant posts do turn me off and even if i do go to the bother of reading them i am much less likely to respond . And yet here i am not even bothering to use capital i's.

Jimjams2 · 14/10/2006 20:27

The problem is (and Ive triied to help with the green poo bit) is that I can't remember a lot of the baby stuff. I know ds2 had green poo, I know in his case because it went on for weeks it was bad and meant something, but I can't remember much else (and can't remember for the life of me what happened with ds1 or ds3). I very rarely answer baby stuff (unless it can be answered with the words- amby hammock- because I can't remember it).

RottenOtter · 14/10/2006 20:28

seems a lot more txt spk over last few weeks. i like to think the dumber people get bored of us 'high brow' folk and bugger off

EnidVorhees · 14/10/2006 20:28

lol jj you recommended that to me

(looks fab btw, too spenny though)

fartmeistergeneral · 14/10/2006 20:29

'little 9 year old bitch from up the road' sounds interesting.....

zippitippitoes · 14/10/2006 20:30

I must go watch casulaty

bloodcurdlingstrawb · 14/10/2006 20:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Blandmum · 14/10/2006 20:30

I don't 'do' much baby stuff either since I can't remember most of it, and what I do remember is now probably not the thing to do anymore

Similar;y although I had a mc, I tend not to post there, although I have on times.

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 20:30

I admit to having crashing snob tendancies.

It's in my nature and my upbringing as well.

nappiesLaGore · 14/10/2006 20:30

im new-ish. been on for about a year i guess...

what strikes me as funny about this thread is that i have heard the exact same discussion among 'workers' over in Ibiza ( i 'did' a summer over there in '99 which i dont mention much as people do tend to judge so : 'is it as good as it used to be?' 'nah, it was way better in the good old days'

purlease

totally different context, same conversation.

there is such a thing as rose-tinted glases you know. of course you dont remember the dross from before, why would you make room for it in your head? i'll bet it was there though.

southeastastralplain · 14/10/2006 20:32

i'm fairly new, but just love mn, it has educated me in alot of things and has made me more confident in rl. this sounds like a job application!

TrickOrTref · 14/10/2006 20:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

FreakyFloss · 14/10/2006 20:36

pmsl at mn = mumsnet.

yeah right - like i'd believe that!