Are fictional OPs allowed on MN?

[EstoyRobandoSuCasa]

I personally don't mind the occasional fictional story on MN as some of them can be entertaining, but they do seem to have increased in number over the last year, to the point that many people are getting cynical of genuine posts.

There have been incidences in which the same poster starts two threads which cannot possibly both be true, because key details contradict each other. And I'm not talking about people changing a few details to avoid being recognised, but long, controversial stories designed to stir up strong emotions.

Am I right in thinking that this is allowed under MN rules, but that warning others not to get too emotionally involved in a story because it's likely to be fictional is against the site rules?

Hard to identify isn't it?

Fiction is officially banned but "troll hunting" (ie "liar hunting") by posters is also banned.
I have been acused of posting fiction when what I posted was 100% true and I have been convinced I was reading nonsense by others.
And yes it's sad when people get emotionally invested in what is almost certainly fiction.

I can only suggest that you scroll on by...

The username is normally a giveaway.

Hi EstoyRobandoSuCasa

Thanks for raising this. We are, of course, aware that some threads on the site will be fictional - for example, we're pretty certain that the OP of this thread that made it into the MN Classics hall of fame, didn't actually scream in the Sistine Chapel...

Often we've no way of verifying if someone's genuine or not, so if a thread is harmless enough, and if Mumsnetters are enjoying it, we're much more inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. We also accept that some people may change a few key details to make themselves less identifiable, and that others may embellish a story here or there.

If you do notice major contradictions across multiple threads, the best thing to do is to hit the report button and let us at MNHQ know your concerns - we'd far sooner that than people start running in-thread investigations (which counts as troll hunting). We can then decide if there's a pattern that breaches our site rules.

@JoMumsnet cant read your post as it’s not showing properly and I’m not clicking the ‘show more’ bit.

Can you get Amelia to reply to people please?

Hi NoCommentingFromNowOn,

Sorry you're unable to view my whole message. AmeliaPMumsnet is still investigating this issue and will be responding as soon as she can. In the meantime, please could you let us know how much of my post you can see? We're not sure if the link to the other thread is causing the issue, so it would be helpful to know what's showing for you.

Thanks very much.

Thank you for responding. If Amelia had answered somewhere she wouldn’t be getting so many people tag her. A little communication goes a long way.

I’ve done a screenshot to show where your comment cuts off.

There are quite a few people saying they’re not going to click anything to expand comments at all, by the way.

Is it the case that you don't want to click on "show more" or that it doesn't work for you?

I don’t mind a fictional OP - maybe there could be a special board! It’s like taking part in a write your own adventure

what I don’t like are the threads where a poster dumps and runs. I wish there was some way to highlight a thread as not having had a post from OP in 24hrs or something

cant read your post as it’s not showing properly and I’m not clicking the ‘show more’ bit.

There are quite a few people saying they’re not going to click anything to expand comments at all, by the way.

I’m not clicking it. If Jo hasn’t read my comment then…..maybe she should.

Kind of disheartening to see how Jo can respond but Amelia can’t to be honest.

Just Mumsnet being Mumsnet again though ☹️.

Three sentences with a bloody whinge in each one.

Click the bloody button. Phew

What am I missing? What is the problem with clicking on the ‘show more’ button? I just clicked on one and absolutely nothing bad happened. It just showed me more.

It’s a little irritating but then posts long enough to need it are probably TLDR anyway 🤣

Agree. If it encourages posters to be succinct I am all for it!

Why not? 😂

Thank you for your reply, Jo Mumsnet.

By the way, I don’t seem to have the Show More button - I just see long posts in one go, which I prefer.

😂Just butting in to say ¡Me gusta mucho su 'nombre'! 😉

I hate fictional ops. I get changing details to make it non identifiable, I do this myself sometimes but when the whole thing and context etc is fake it is frustrating, especially when we invest time because we care or because it resonates etc it’s such a waste of time and sometimes emotions and energy sharing our own experiences or disclosing things which have upset or triggered us too.