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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Can we have something in place so that we can have a better idea if a namechanger is genuine?

87 replies

wannaBe · 26/02/2008 11:51

obviously wouldn't want to get rid of the namechange facility, but on other sites I've visited, when you click on someone's profile, it tells you when they joined the site, and how many board posts they've made. If we had this facility and someone namechanged, we could click on their profile and see if they're actually a regular, without being able to know who they are, but being able to have an idea whether they're a genuine namechanger who has posted regularly or someone who joined yesterday.

is this possible?

OP posts:
FAQ · 26/02/2008 12:31

I said most of them don't have name change facilities .

And those that don't have the facility the majority of people can't be ar*ed to sit and monitor how many posts 100's of separate posters have made.........

postingatlast · 26/02/2008 12:31

I also agree with Jeremyvile though. I was accused of being a troll at the beginning (before I even knew what the term meant) so I just set about becoming an active member of the community and posting about other things too to show my, for wont of a better term, commitment... Trolls do not hang around, as JV says...

peanutbear · 26/02/2008 12:32

I wasnt suspicious either I was worried about her

but I like being able to name change I like not being identifiable

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 26/02/2008 12:33

But as said before, regular posters could be trolling.
I could go do a thread on DV / horrible miscarriage / sick relative / shocking situation (I wont but you know what I mean) and the idea that I'm not flagged as "new" would give me more credibility, surely, which is not what is needed.

I agree that things being raised to MNHQ is the best route - I dont like to see threads which decend to "hmmmm" "trip-trap" "bored in the school holidays" "anybody else smell a troll" posts - they are not helpful. Report and wait. If 20 mumsnetters are suspicious then 20 clicks on the ! will get things rolling, surely? This means that the OP does not get a lot of doubt thrown at them, and MNHQ can do what they do to verify.

Out of interest - what do you do MNHQ to work it all out?!

FAQ · 26/02/2008 12:33

actually some trolls do hang around - there was one that stuck around for AGES on Babyworld a few years ago.......she came over hear for a while too once she/he was finally banned from there - a few of us that recognised her/them did try and point them out but were told it was nonsense.......she (seemed?) to disappear on her own though - perhaps got bored.

Sheherazadethegoat · 26/02/2008 12:33

alternatively we could all exercise some judgement and stop being so bloody nosey.

trolls will happen, the mrsgg one sounded particularily unpleasant but she was outed and that is the end of it.

imaginaryfriend · 26/02/2008 12:34

I think that as we have that option of easily reporting a post to MN HQ on the right of the screen we should just use that more frequently if something is in doubt. That would allow MN HQ to quickly look into things and hopefully warn the troublesome poster to stop before things go too far.

FAQ perhaps the lack of name-changing on other forums means that the number of posts isn't such a problem? Speculation would only occur on MN because we are allowed to name change?

SoupDragon · 26/02/2008 12:34

"the majority of people can't be ar*ed to sit and monitor how many posts 100's of separate posters have made"

Unfortunately, there are a minority who would seek out and check, like the XH I mentioned earlier. Should this minority be helped in order to hinder a different minority? Especially when the minority trolls generally cause no harm and can be rooted out by MNHQ anyway.

FAQ · 26/02/2008 12:35

"we could all exercise some judgement and stop being so bloody nosey."

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 26/02/2008 12:36

Does it matter if we're all taken in by a story from time to time?

I suppose if you sent somebody hard cash you'd be pissed off if it turned out to be a scam but you ought to factor that into your decision.

You can alert MNHQ if you are concerned in any way.

postingatlast · 26/02/2008 12:37

i only just noticed the exclamation mark button!! That is a pretty good alert tool, in truth.

I also agree that those "trip trap" type posts are wholly unhelpful and more than a little inappropriate, having had them aimed at me before too. If a poster is genuine, it can take some will power to not just run away when you see those.

Sheherazadethegoat · 26/02/2008 12:37

faq, i am the mother with the ipod in, looking superior!

JeremyVile · 26/02/2008 12:37

FWIW, I think that marking a 'new' poster as New for everyone elses benefit is a bit of a red herring.
For a start, what would MN have to define as new? New name, same login? New login, same IP? Apart from being pretty complicated that system also kind of assumes that a troll is a 'stranger' to MN.
MrsGG is just as likely to be a regular as not (sadly).

FAQ · 26/02/2008 12:37

actually I beg to differ that "minority" trolls don't do much damage - on a website such as MN where a LOT of people do seek support for extremely difficult situations trolls (even seemingly benign ones) can cause a lot of hurt and upset to the people who think they're either giving support to someone in a similar situation to themselves, or think they're being given support by someone who understands theirs..

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 26/02/2008 12:41

Oh I suppose FAQ. I don't take MN very seriously. I offer knowledge if I have it and sometimes support, but wouldn't be upset if I'd given my time & words for nothing. I'd only be talking to DH if I wasn't rambling on here.

hunkermunker · 26/02/2008 12:41

I've trolled before now. Amusingly (to me) and never with upsetting outcomes (that's always been done under my own name...!).

I'm planning a blaze of glory exit from MN where I make a million quid out of you all though - so your post tally thingummybob wouldn't work, cos I've been here long enough and posted twelvty-bazillion times.

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 26/02/2008 12:43

Usually the MrsGG would wash over me - its only because I'm off work that i've allowed myself to be sucked into all of this... anything to avoid that ironing pile!

I should get off.

I'll be back later to check what naughty goings on have been going off

postingatlast · 26/02/2008 12:47

I would say, and I really do not want to go off thread here, that as much as I really do enjoy posting here and I have greatly benefited from support and tried to give it in return, the actual format of the formats is a bit "clunky", certainly compared to standard forums elsewhere on the web. I really don't mean to sound critical but I would be interested to know if there is a plan to make the feel a little more modern/ up-to-date. I find that particularly with long threads, it can be hard to plough through them in the current format. Plus things like the user panel/ search facility are not totally user friendly. Please don't think I am just trying to be critical, I am just wondering if I am alone in thinking this. Of course I will carry on contributing, no matter what the format!

dustystar · 26/02/2008 12:48

They've only recently updated it all postingatlast. You have a choice of different formats for reading a thread etc.

VictorianSqualor · 26/02/2008 12:49

I said previously that even though no-one was stung by MrsGG the reason it was such a horrible troll is that many people on here have had premature babies and/or suffered from DV.
I for one have suffered DV and on a seperate incident my DD was born prem, so I was quite upset that she was going through two of what I felt where the toughest times of my life at he same time.
My situations ended well, but not everyones did. That's what made this one so nasty and why so many peopel are bothered, I wouldn't say it was just nosiness.

Boco · 26/02/2008 12:51

Lolol they changed all that postingatlast, and all the oldies were fainting with horror and trapped under keyboards howling at the screen until everyone worked out how to put it back to mumsnet classic!

theyoungvisiter · 26/02/2008 13:01

I suppose it would be possible to give a rough band of posts on someone's profile, eg:
1000 posts

That would be quite enough info to work out whether they were a name changing regular or not.

But I have to say, I think it works as it is. There is already enough newbie/oldie friction without adding to it by creating a hierarchy whereby anyone new with a distressing problem gets a chorus of s and "trip-trap"s.

Also a really convincing troll will take people in regardless of whether it's a first post or not. If someone posted for the first time about their premature baby dying, would you really risk outing them as a troll whether or not it was their first post?

DualCycloneCod · 26/02/2008 13:02

quesitons you need to eb able to answer if tyring to post

  1. what does 4 mean
  2. what is soupy
  3. who si gina ford and why is she so "repsected" on n
  4. name all three mn head honchos
  5. where does tech live
6.an other
DualCycloneCod · 26/02/2008 13:02

hut do ou knwo

tis dosnt really matter

IamTheSpeedingHam · 26/02/2008 13:03

where does tech live?

and how do you know this?