I’ve seen a thread where some people were reporting it as fake, and it had not been removed so they were saying it was fake on the thread to warn others, and their posts were deleted. And of course, days later when it was proven those posters were correct and the OP was banned, there was no apology.
I’ve seen incorrect and harmful medical advice given, multiple reports and call outs on the thread, again, comments deleted but the incorrect medical advice stayed for two weeks and was then deleted.
I’ve seen staff posting images of naked girls jumping into a lake and a request for you to send in your own photos of the shenanigans you got up to as a teenager. Multiple call-outs to remove the photo, ignored by Mumsnet, photo quietly removed weeks later.
I’ve seen adverts removed very quickly.
Adverts don’t benefit MNHQ as you should pay to advertise. But everyone posting to say ‘please don’t commiserate with OP as the thread is fake, I’ve reported it twice already’ then everyone posting or clicking to see what the outrage is gives clicks which equal money.
And the endless comments about fat people or black people or Indian people and on and on and on, they are challenged but not withdrawn and it changes the mood of the place.
Is it a place for support? Sometimes. Is it a place to get a good kicking when you’re feeling vulnerable? Sometimes. What can you do to ensure you get support here but without risking a kicking? Nothing. It’s a roll of the dice. If you’re feeling vulnerable, it might get worse after you ask for help. How is that acceptable?
And @Freshrain you ask if people are perhaps reporting things that don’t break Talk Guidelines. I had a look at the guidelines and they state “we do draw the line at obscenity, racist, ageist, disabling, homophobic or transphobic language, and wording that is truly grim”. Give me an hour and I can probably find you an example of every single one of these, from previous weeks, that have not been deleted.
They also say “use the same courtesy…when posting…as you would face to face…if there’s one thing all of us could do with, it’s moral support”. Yet things that go against this are left up and defended and it leaves you with a bad taste.
If you were going to meet some new people and as you arrive you overhear them saying ‘this or that group of people are awful, why on earth don’t they do it this way, they’re just wallowing in their own stupid decisions, it’s their fault, they’re all the same’ etc would you want to have a friendship? Personally I wouldn’t.
So it’s nice some things get deleted. But what about everything else? I’ve reported things, using direct quotes and explanations where needed of why things should be deleted and they haven’t been. I rarely report anything now. I just think ‘let everyone see what is considered acceptable here’.