Does MNHQ Check Our Inboxes?

[Chillyourbeans]

Just wondering. I received a private message and sent 2 replies and now the recipient has received a message from MNHQ saying the replies were removed at my request. Except that's not true, I made no such request.

they could well be a scamming site of some sort anyway. Maybe they only exist to harvest user details

How would they scam people? All you need is an email address, a throwaway one will do as you don't need to confirm sign up.

Its not spamming. People link elsewhere all the time. Even to other similar sites

Similar?! That’s a bit more than similar. I smell big fat rats.

(Screenshot for anyone who doesn’t want to risk the link.)

MissConductUS Exact same message for me too.

what are all the 100 staff doing? there must be at least one night shift moderator on the £350k monthly pay roll

Trying to stop the site being hacked again?

I'm sure the similarities are deliberate. Maybe to show what MNHQ should be offering to its users, or maybe as a 'fuck you, we can do it better'. I dunno. I'm not bothered. I'm reading and posting on both sites so like 'em both.

I got the message and saw it was inviting me to another type of Mumsnet only it's called mums chat instead. I tried to reply asking if it was okay for them to do this and have the put up a thread but it wouldn't let me send a reply. When I looked later the message had been deleted at users request which I don't believe for a second. It's a shamed there isn't better transparency.

If I'm zapped it will be unfair as we're allowed to use the word netmums, and reddit and other rival gangs.

It is an “industry standard” PHP based site that has loads of functionality built in to it (edit button, quote facility etc etc etc) just like about a million other forums on the net that use the software. What’s more it is open source, and so free, and because it is open source, it is very bug-free, and, we’ll, you know - it actually works.

Well whoever is behind it, if you really are “just” trying to make a rival site, I’d look very carefully at the law of “passing off” and get legal advice.

Pity this site doesn’t have an edit facility - I meant “well”, and not “we’ll”

I got the message and saw it was inviting me to another type of Mumsnet only it's called mums chat instead. I tried to reply asking if it was okay for them to do this and have the put up a thread but it wouldn't let me send a reply. When I looked later the message had been deleted at users request which I don't believe for a second. It's a shamed there isn't better transparency.

It’s transparent enough.

If I had a sweet shop and you had a sweet shop and you came into my shop and started handing my customers flyers inviting them to your shop, I’d boot you out.

It’s now absolutely transparently obvious that this is what has happened here.

ArriettyJones What do you mean? Does mumsnet own the words for naming different topics on their site? I don’t think they do.. besides, the other site is more like many others out there and less like mumsnet. Kiwi farms has a similar layout if I’m not mistaken.

Well whoever is behind it, if you really are “just” trying to make a rival site, I’d look very carefully at the law of “passing off” and get legal advice.

The beauty of using good well developed software is that literally in seconds it can be changed to green, or red, or whatever colour of the rainbow you want.

And, internet law is a very funny thing- it’s like international maritime law- a bit of a nightmare for lawyers, and incredibly expensive, so it hardly seems worth it, especially if you’re a bit skint.

Passing off would be trying to pass it off as Mumsnet or connected to it, the other site highlights it is NOT Mumsnet as a selling point. the same way mumsnet advertises itself as not netmums "not that one the other one"
It would also have to be making money out of it to be of any concern

I bet the Kiwis with the Farms will be delighted that they have been compared to MN.

If it was me, I’d be checking it, or rather I would run it past my lawyer @SleepyNightOwl & @Badbilly.

I do know overall look and design can be actionable as well as business names, slogans. I can’t remember whether design also comes under “passing off” or has a different name, but what I do remember is that either design or nomenclature can get you in hot water. That’s why you run this stuff past lawyers. Especially if the opposition might be in a tight spot financially and in the mood to sue the upstart.

Don’t mind me, though, I’m not a lawyer myself, and I’m just rubbernecking really.

@ArriettyJones No sure if MN want to lose members by kicking them out - they need the numbers for when the advertisers come back. The more active users the better when it comes to revenue.

The beauty of using good well developed software is that literally in seconds it can be changed to green, or red, or whatever colour of the rainbow you want.

I’d get a shift on then

Aww the Nightwatch have hidden my post! This is a first, I’m usually such a boring good girl.

I think what you are all sort of missing is that chat site software that is far far superior to what MN has to offer is FREE - it is open source and incredibly reliable and is less buggy because there are zillions of nerds all over the internet who can iron out any bugs almost immediately. I am not exaggerating when I say that millions of chat sites use the software (various versions of PHP) It is simple to Administer, and doesn’t require any development- but this site wants to charge you for an edit button.

@ArriettyJones No sure if MN want to lose members by kicking them out - they need the numbers for when the advertisers come back.

That’s not what I meant.

I meant that obviously MNHQ will delete poaching PMs and ban whoever sent them, not that they will ban anyone who joins both sites.

I meant that obviously MNHQ will delete poaching PMs and ban whoever sent them, not that they will ban anyone who joins both sites.

They did once, a joke posted on another site got the person banned from this site

I thought MNHQ can read PMs. I thought they sat hey could check when they think someone is doing a begging thread or is trolling... not sure though.

Yes I remember. Insect related wasn’t it?

Kind of proves my point about tweaking Justine’s nose on her own site.

'They did once, a joke posted on another site got the person banned from this site'

That is rather militant.

So done posted a joke on another site and MN banned them from here? WTF?

It was a joke about Justine. She did go over there and ask them to stop it before she banned them from here but, yeah, it all got a bit tetchy and escalated quickly.

She still only banned the joke maker, though. Not everyone who had joined that splinter group.

Which is what I was saying. MN won’t ban you just for joining a rival site.