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Original poster

all those who would like MN [or part] to become register only sign here

85 replies

ruty · 03/01/2009 16:40

I for one feel there is a lesson to be learned from the Moldies debacle. I have been posting much less as have become increasingly concerned about info on here about my dcs, in particular, and so post less. There are those who say well you should be careful what you post, etc. But i think the quality of advice i can give is diminished because i always have to think twice about how much to reveal - the same goes for asking for advice. Yes, you can namechange, but then you lose your posting identity and it is harder to build up posting relationships. I really feel that as it is not that hard to register, and as so m any here have had problems with trolls, that at least part of the site should become register only. MNHQ could you consider please?

OP posts:

StealthPo09IsHere · 03/01/2009 17:37

or you could have bands - fewer than 10, between 11 and 100 etc

Original poster

ruty · 03/01/2009 17:38

ah well just a thought.
Thought there were more people who felt the same way though. I mean Moldies was specifically set up because people didn't feel comfortable posting on an open forum. I'm not suggesting all of MN becomes register only, just Chat perhaps for a start.

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 03/01/2009 17:42

some trolls are quite funny, some are downright malicious and I'm sure a fair few 'trolls' are regular posters

you could give every new member a Temp Registration (and they'd have a name automatically allocated to them, like NewMember (whatever)) till they've posted for a month or posted a certain number of posts and then only allow them a name of their own choosing and the ability to namechange.

That might put off the hairy hand truckers who want to immediately post shit as it'd be very obvious to mumsnet HQ who they were if they had to have a temp name and we'd know that they weren't regulars who had namechanged.

Whatever you do, you start an us and them situation which is what I thought people wanted to avoid.

i think, like most have said, you just have to be careful what you post and recognise that as it is completely googleable and searchable, that if you give out too much info, people will work out who you are!

ladyjuliafish · 03/01/2009 17:45

I namechange all the time. I started because a woman at mother and toddler group recognised me and talked about my posts all the time. It wasn't done in a nasty way but it made me feel uncomfortable. She knew things about me from before I met her and would bring them up as if it was something I'd told her directly. It wasn't deeply personal, more stuff like she would say 'did you manage to get the babygate you wanted' if 6 months earlier I had asked advice on types of babygate. She had obviously search under my posting name and read everything I had ever written . I'm not a troll and neither was the woman who 'stalked' me. She didn't see what she was doing wasn't very nice as she is a bit socially awkward. If it was harder to register it would still have happened.

I probably wouldn't post if I needed to keep the same name.

FairLadyRantALot · 03/01/2009 17:49

ladyjuliafish...I am not against namechanging per se ( I quite like the seasonal changing and also recently namechanged, as I was bored with my original id)....just think it is a bit to easy....and people, possibly bored regulars, sometimes just namechange to shitstir.....

Jux · 03/01/2009 17:51

I think it would be a great shame if the site were less open. Before I registered I had lurked for at least 2 years, getting advice and tips, and reading about others who had problems similar to mine. This really helped me in uncountable ways. And I hadn't had to 'commit' myself (I was terrified of being 'found out' and registered only when things had got back onto a more even keel).

I don't know how I would have got through that awful ghastly time without mn. If it had been register only I wouldn't have had it, and would quite possibly be in a really dreadful situation still, or quite possibly have killed myself by now. It really was that close for me.

Original poster

ruty · 03/01/2009 22:05

well i don't have a profile for the very reason of privacy. ah well. will just keep posting sporadically and without detail.

OP posts:

scaredoflove · 03/01/2009 22:30

I don't believe people left and went elsewhere because of privacy issues or trolls. They left for many many reasons (mainly that they could)

This has always been a public open place and it's up to the poster how much information is given out and to keep themselves save (as all internet use should be) I like anonymity, I'm glad I can namechange. Not because I am famous but my family is very recognisable to people who vaguely know us (unusual set up/circumstances)

I am confused by the issue of trolls. Is it that big a problem??? There were a few in the last few months and they didn't scam for money. Yes, people gave time and effort but again, that is up to the poster how much of themselves they give. Some have been regulars and very very funny, some may be truckers but what harm do they do? I hate the craze for shouting troll at unusual things

It's all down to personal responsibility, give only what you can afford to give in help/kindness/support, walk away from things you think are odd or report them

FairLadyRantALot · 03/01/2009 23:03

trolls can be problem....in my personal experience, the true trolls are possibly mentally ill, sadly, and are great manipulators....and tey will truely try to fight for attention...i.e. one mum looses their Baby they loose two...kinda thing...

and then there are stupid trolls....that just make up shit to stir...harmless and annpoying

and than there is those regular posters that are simply bored and do wind up threads and think they are so clever....but really, it is just rather pathetic attentionseeking...those trolls can annoy a lot, but are truely pathetic, so, one has to feel sorry for them....

but trolls can be a problem....funny thing is...I have this feeling that a fair lot of those bored regular cum trolls may be at mouldievile now, so..shoud ease up on that

FioFio · 05/01/2009 10:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

welliemum · 05/01/2009 10:58

LOLOL You want to be a bit careful there, FairLady - I'm not a lawyer, but I figure that referring to people as "regular cum trolls" is almost certainly libellous

ForeverOptimistic · 05/01/2009 10:59

I can't see what difference it would make. You have to register in order to post something anyway don't you?

Aitch · 05/01/2009 11:01

a regular what??!!

welliemum · 05/01/2009 11:04

I'm repeating myself I think as I've posted this elsewhere, but we need to remember that MN is ultimately a business, and MNHQ won't be keen on anything that limits the site traffic.

For that reason, any anti-troll measures that make the site less public and visible will be non-starters.

FioFio · 05/01/2009 11:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SatsumaMoon · 05/01/2009 11:09

I only found MN by googling something I was looking for information on many moons ago (oh how I curse that moment of madness and how many hours I have wasted spent on MN since!)

Sometimes I am a bit concerned how much info people have divulged about themselves/their families over time - esp prolific posters. But then maybe it's what made some of those posters popular - because people could build up a mental picture of them and their lives. Sadly it probably meant that they were ultimately identifiable by people who knew them in RL and hence the Cod thing....

Maybe MN could make the chat section private to those registered? Most people seeking/offering information would use one of the other topics. And Chat has ben used a lot by people who want their thread to disappear sooner rather than later so would fit in with that...

daftpunk · 05/01/2009 11:10

i thought you had to register to post on mn??

SatsumaMoon · 05/01/2009 11:28

You do daftpunk but you can read the posts without registering

daftpunk · 05/01/2009 11:46

satsumamoon (love your name btw)...so do you think people read posts and then decide to join mumsnet to cause trouble?

EldonAve · 05/01/2009 12:06

I have just decided I'm going to namechange regularly and try to post less

BlueSapphire77 · 05/01/2009 12:09

I agree with one of FAQ's first posts, i wouldn't have found MN had it not been googleable and not only that i have typed in the search bar a sentence and more often than not somewhere up high in the search, has been a MN post, quite useful i thought.
For as long as you have sad individuals with nothing better to do, and a computer screen/keyboard and anonymity to hide behind, you will always get trolls.

LIZS · 05/01/2009 12:13

I think there may be a case to make some areas of Talk register only and others (like Chat or AIBU) remain open to view.

FairLadyRantALot · 05/01/2009 12:15

well....I probably should be careful ....regular poster aitch...I was on about some regulars that when bored do troll threads....
btw...that is something I had never experienced before mn....funny isn't it...

choosyfloosy · 05/01/2009 12:18

Sorry, have only skimmed thread but no in my opinion (but I missed the whole moldies thing).

Having said that, I once reported a post to MNHQ because I thought I should from a child protection point of view. But as they don't keep addresses there was nothing relevant to be done.

FairLadyRantALot · 05/01/2009 12:19

oh, and I better put a disclaimer on here...obviously I am not saying that ALL regulars do troll impersinations when they are bored...but some may well !

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