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.

MN has always been in the dark ages though

No, it's just different to the identikit forums.

@ChristmasCarcass

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.

3 or 4 years ago I think you would have been right. However, MN has grown to such a size now that the community team (and the MN founders) are no longer involved in the site as they used to be. They used to be much more obvious and there was a lot of interaction between MNetters and MNHQ.

The fact that this doesn't happen any more means that it's very unlikely that this kind of fawning would happen - or would be understood/tolerated.

It's a bit of a strawman to say it would create a hierarchy. The only thing it would do is stop new posters from pretending they've been here for ages and name-changed.

Genuine new posters don't do that anyway. And I don't see new posters being disadvantaged. They still get responses to threads.

And tbh those of us who have been here for a while, can spot the trolls who are pretending to be name-changers. It's not for our benefit. It's to help new posters who get sucked in, who inadvertently tell MRAs intimate details of their sex lives or who genuinely believe that the MRA spouting surrendered wife guff is a long-term MN poster who actually wants to help.

Until MN moderation catches up with the sheer volume of trolls on here, it should be an easy add that makes the site a tiny bit better.

I'm quite intrigued that posters are arguing against something that would only disadvantage trolls.

Well yes, exactly, @ACouchOfOnesOwn! You've expressed it much better than I've been struggling to do.

BIWI I think we're seeing the same patterns and seeing how it's deteriorating. I'm glad you started this thread. or since it's Christmas

The only thing it would do is stop new posters from pretending they've been here for ages and name-changed
Many long term posters do this.

Genuine new posters don't do that anyway
Then you already have your way to catch the trolls.

Lots of us deregistered completely and then reregistered with a new email address when MN was hacked and our details were posted on the internet.

That may be true @notnowmaybelater, but by now you would be a poster who has been here for at least 2 years. So I really don't think that's an issue.

It's not so much who's been here the longest but more who has been here long enough as opposed to a new/relatively new poster posting stuff that's questionable.

It really, really isn't about trying to create tiers within Mumsnet, or royalty status.

New posters are not always the ones you need to be aware of.
On the bereavement boards there have been a few who were long time established before they were discovered

Being new shouldn't make everyone suspicious. We were all new once.. Most of us looking for help

notnow I'm one of the posters who de-regged and set up a new account, when we were targeted by TRAs. So my account would show as though I'd only been here for months rather than years too. I don't think that would disadvantage me.

Tilda I'm not sure if you're being deliberately obtuse but in case you aren't, - sometimes old posters do name-change. If there was a date or 'newbie; 1yr+ , etc,' marker then everyone could tell that the posters were genuinely old posters who'd name-changed rather than new trolls pretending they were old posters who'd name-changed.

There’s been a couple of security issues if memory serves me incorrectly. A targeted hack and a dodgy intern...

Correctly not incorrectly!

Did we not have this originally? You could click on a username and it told you when they joined?

Am I making this up?

You could put a little spiel about yourself too. Or you could leave it blank. I'm sure it was on the site years and years ago!!

I think it would be great seeing the year they joined. Although very rarely see names I know.

Wicked Water Witch
Elf
MawBroon
TicToc

Never see 'em

Although I see from their Facebook that one of them has just released an album!!

Tilda I'm not sure if you're being deliberately obtuse but in case you aren't, - sometimes old posters do name-change. If there was a date or 'newbie; 1yr+ , etc,' marker then everyone could tell that the posters were genuinely old posters who'd name-changed rather than new trolls pretending they were old posters who'd name-changed

I think you’re misunderstanding my point.

I’m talking about posters like me who have not just name changed but registered with new email accounts. Some do fairly regularly following security issues.

Lordfront yy I de-regged and rejoined after the dodgy intern. I stayed through all the DOS and J attacks but the intern one made me re-think.

Tilda I'm one of those posters, too. Why would it bother you to seem newer than you are?

Month and year is potentially far too identifying.

Instead, flip it:

New poster
One - 6 months
6 months - 1 year
1-2 years
2-3 years
Over 3 years

You think they care it's a troll, when the CF thread has ran to 3 threads

My thoughts exactly. I’d rather a few easily spotted poo trolls than the constant “please bear with me” bollocks that we are fed with on a daily basis. Would not surprise me if these were MN sponsored/encouraged for clicks

If anything ruins the site its these posts which take up all the traffic in active threads and reduce exposure for genuine posts

I’m still lol at BIWI wondering why anyone would perceive being a longer term poster would be better than a shorter term poster.
Bahahaha
Dunno. Why keep the same username then? Let’s go for date stamps and mandatory monthly name changes...

I'm quite intrigued that posters are arguing against something that would only disadvantage trolls.

Because it wouldn't.

Why would it bother you to seem newer than you are?

The whole point of this wish to add a date is to spot trolls who claim to have been here for ages. Those who have de-regged and re-joined would appear as being new. How do you tell those apart from the trolls who say "oh I'm not really new I've been here for ages"? You can't. So, what purpose would this serve?

@nachthexe
I’m still lol at BIWI wondering why anyone would perceive being a longer term poster would be better than a shorter term poster

Not disingenuous at all. I've never understood it. Just because someone has been here a while does not make them better than any other poster. I can't bear the whole 'royalty' thing. Where it stems from is people who don't name change, which then means that they get recognised by other posters - and then accusations of cliques start. However, most people do name change much more these days, so it's much less likely to be an issue. And, with the suggestion I've made, even if they namechange, their joining date or period would make it clear that they're not a new poster.

@YellowJellyfish Are you thinking of our profiles? Which you can read if you click on a username - but very few people have a profile any more. After one of the security breaches I think most people deleted theirs, as there was a site-wide realisation that so many posters were giving away too much personal information.

I do think MN need to take stronger action against the trolls. Whether that is proper active moderation 24 hours a day, providing some indication next to a user's name or something else, just reporting threads really isn't working.

There is also the weird situation where MN post on a thread to say that it will be taken down shortly, which means it can still be posted on and read - why isn't it taken down or hidden straight away?

I would be more than happy to see PM's disabled on begging threads too.

I report a lot and the majority of the responses I get are 'sorry for the mass email' so I know that I'm not alone! But it shouldn't be down to the users to police it entirely. There are well-known troll topics and surely any post using those keywords could be flagged up at an earlier stage for investigation without waiting for reports?

I can't bear the whole 'royalty' thing

So you agree it exists.

There is also the weird situation where MN post on a thread to say that it will be taken down shortly, which means it can still be posted on and read - why isn't it taken down or hidden straight away?

I imagine it's so that people get a short chance to see it's being deleted. If you've not posted on it, you won't see a deletion message, the thread will just vanish (even if you're "watching" it sometimes). There are still often threads started by people asking where a thread has gone so it's not foolproof though.