Can we add the date posters joined MN?

[BIWI]

So many trolls, cheeky and goady fuckers these days! Advanced Search can be helpful in identifying a first time poster - but given how frequently people name change, or the fact that often people name change for one, specific post, sometimes a long-term poster can seem to be a first time poster. Hence they may come under suspicion too.

Could you add, underneath the info on the right-hand side, where it currently has 'message/report', the month and year that they joined MN?

I realise that being here for a while doesn't preclude trolling (unfortunately), but it's much more likely that someone posting a CF/GF/Troll thread, who only joined this month, is not going to be a genuine poster.

Most other sites seem to have this kind of information. I think it would be really useful.

It’s bad enough that some people already bloody worship long term posters. Just because you’ve been here since Mumsnet was bloody coded onto punch cards or whatever doesn’t make anyone superior. Adding ‘long term commenter’ or ‘top contributor’ will just increase the divisiveness between old and new, as well as snobbery. Same goes for year and month of joining

@bubblesforlife

The only trollers I have noticed are those that really give posters a hard time unnecessarily and rip them to shreds. More often than not... they are deleted my MNHQ

That's not really trolling though - those posts are deleted because they're deemed personal attacks, which is against Talk Guidelines

There are all kinds of different trolls, as PP have mentioned. Some of them are relatively harmless, just posting made-up stuff for fun. But some is more sinister, like the pervy ones (piss/poo/children wetting themselves, etc). And more recently, the influx of MRA-type posters - always asking us for help how to salvage their marriage - always about how well they treat their wives and how they're getting the cold shoulder/not getting any sex etc. There's clearly an agenda behind those - as @ACouchofOnesOwn says. And interestingly, they never come back after their first thread. But they pull people in again and again.

I think personal attack trolls is a thing. They exist. And I am sure posters get banned as trolls for doing personal attacks.

I haven’t yet seen the MRA type troll you mention. So far, the posts by men seem genuine. That they want a female perspective.

Maybe MNHQ should publish a monthly troll report on the number of troll reports, then number deemed not trolls, followed by number found to be trolls and banned. Maybe it’s the knowing trolls are there but not how many and whether or not they are caught that is causing such worry. It can be anonymised so no it’s of screen names just a basic
Jan 2020 Troll Report.
To all our MN members,
Troll Reports: 102
Cleared nonTrolls: xx
Trolls ID’d and banned: yy

Loads of us de-reg and re-reg periodically though, particularly having been burned by the likes of Jeffrey. I’ve been here for 13 years or so (I looked up my original username a while back - could be a bit longer) but with this registration it’s probably less than a year (and still ten or so usernames in that time). It’s a pretty blunt instrument.

It is, @nachtheexe - but perhaps better than what we have currently?

@JaneJeffer that's a good idea!

Referring to the number of posts validating a poster.

Erm no.
How many posts of .
Or 'placemarking'
Or

Would it take to get the required number of posts to be seen as okay?

I am not prolific, because I would just be echoing PPS, or because I have nothing sensible to add. Would I need to start saying 'aww, bless babe' to keep up the required number of posts?

If someone finds the site through googling, as I did, and asks for help and advice on a diffiçult subject, how many of you will point fingers and say 'aha, new poster, must be lying'
Because that's what it comes down to - prolific shit poster = genuine
New distraught poster = troll

A couple of years ago I was involved on a heart breaking thread that would now be called out as telling. I had doubts, I will admit. How could anyones life be THIS bad? Well, it was. With the most tragic ending.
That has stayed with me, and whilst I would never offer money, I will always offer and ear. Costs nowt, and if they are trolling, someone else might benefit.

Jesus, that was an essay! Sorry😛

I haven’t yet seen the MRA type troll you mention. So far, the posts by men seem genuine. That they want a female perspective.

Genuine? Typically they appear late on a weekend night, often on the feminism board. There haven't been so many old-school misogynists recently except for one who popped up quite often this year, with a very distinctive style and range of 'excellent' questions. Obviously he gets banned but just reregisters when he's bored, I suppose.

I think trialling it for a month and seeing the results would be a good idea. If it's not beneficial then kill it, if it's not, then keep it.

Although to be fair lots of posts say " long time lurker, first time poster" "newbie here, be gentle"

I do think it's worth a trial at least though. It's the only way to know if it will be beneficial or not.

I honestly don't see how it would be at all beneficial (or how you would prove that it was or wasn't). I don't name change anyway other than festive ones so I have no reason not to want it. I just don't see the point.

I do see how it could be perceived as a hierarchy or cause problems for genuine name changers though.

I'm always suspicious of 'long time lurkers' who say they've only just made an account today, to post.

How the fuck can you lurk on Mumsnet without making an account?

I tried it last night because I couldn't be bothered to log in and Jesus wept, there were pop-ups all over the shop, desperately begging me to join. It was like having an annoying toddler nagging and poking and prodding at me.

Then there's the fact you can't bookmark or add anything to 'watch', so I'm not even sure how they remember what it was they were lurking over.

I wouldn’t, the good thing about mn is a sense of even contribution. Trolls are a bad side effect but they get deleted, even if you can’t say it on the thread. If not then reddit people are usually on the case.

Also I got locked out of my email and had to re register which bugs me.

I don't really understand about reddit being on thr case. They are a seperate website. Nothing anyone does there impacts here?

And I'm not sure it is about even contribution, regulars are clearly easily recognised unless they name change, but each post I agree is an even contribution, so I don't understand how date of membership changes that.

As said for me, instead of speculating, I'd give it a trial and see the results, as the idea has merit.

I prefer to give everyone the benefit of the doubt - unless they’re obvious trolls & HQ are pretty good at zapping those threads.
For a site as big as mumsnet trolling Isn’t that bad on here ( IMO ) but then I’m not on here all day everyday.

Tbh I don’t read reddit or know what what they do but I mentioned it because it spun out when troll hunting re Surrey story was locked down.

Probably not that relevant actually. But I wouldn’t change how it is now.

I don't think it's particularly pleasant to create a hierarchy based on how long users have been active on MN.

But as someone mentioned previously you used to have the choice to show the date you joined and it never caused any problems.

Presumably it caused some problems or it would still be available...

I don't really see why anyone would think that a longer term poster is better than anyone more recent. Why would that be?

I can't imagine anyone in their right mind would perceive a hierarchy due to length of service. That's bonkers, everyone is anonymous. Only mnhq know who we are,

I can't imagine anyone in their right mind would perceive a hierarchy due to length of service.

Surely you've seen the threads about MN royalty and people whinging about when old posters come back to supposedly "back up" their mates?

you used to have the choice to show the date you joined and it never caused any problems.

Interesting. I don't remember that at all.

Really? People bang on tediously about MN royalty all the time. And frequently accuse people of being new to MN to dismiss posters they disagree with.

I don't think you should have to prove you've been a mumsnetter for a decade to be able to turn to a parenting website for support.

Being an old timer doesn't mean you're not a troll, goady or generally unpleasant.

Too old- really good post.

I have been on here under different names and having joined more than once with a change of email when I’ve switched email accounts. So me having a date joined would not be useful, surely. There is no need for a hierarchy on here.

I’ve definitely seen posters on here complaining it isn’t how it used to be, when it was a community, not like all these new posters, with their polls and @ and “aw, bless!”. The amount of vitriol aimed at somebody who accidentally huns a LongTimePoster!

And on other sites there is definitely fawning over people who pretend to be mates with the founder, or went to a meet up with the founder that one time, or who call the moderators by their real names because they desperately want to look like they are part of the in crowd... I don’t think there’s any reason to suppose MN would be immune to all that.

It works on other forums. MN has always been in the dark ages though. Because clicks and advertisers and money.

You think they care it's a troll, when the CF thread has ran to 3 threads? then you are stupid.