The MN Mail Column - what we think, and what we plan to do next... part 2

[whataboutthisone]

Firstly, I am a regular but have created a new name for this.

My thoughts about what I know so far:

1. In a much earlier post there was a discussion about a change in T&Cs and whether they are valid or not. Several years ago I took a company to court for a breach of their T&Cs. Their argument was that they had changed T&Cs and my complaint was therefore no longer valid. However, the judge said that because I had not specifically been asked to accept the new T&Cs, I was entitled to rely on the ones I had accepted and therefore I won my case.

1. I choose to post on MN in the knowledge that the details I give are probably just obscure enough to anyone I may know in RL who also posts, so that what I say still effectively remains private. However, that doesn't mean that the same could be said of, for instance, my mother, who reads the DM (!) There is probably just enough about my circumstances that would enable her to put 2+2 together. I would like the option to choose whether or not I let my Mum ( or anyone else in RL) in on certain areas of my life, and there is a real possibility that this hack, has taken that choice away from me.

1. I have never ( and now will never) post asking for advice, but I will also be very careful about offering advice in the future. I, along with many others, occasionally use examples from my life to explain where I am coming from. If I continue to do that, as I said earlier, it is possible that some people would be able to work out who I am. Now, I am not so big-headed as to believe that any advice I offer is worth taking, however, there are many fantastic posters on here who do give amazing and insightful advice based on their own experiences. It would be a real shame if that was to stop because they, like me, do not want to share some of those experiences with the folk they are close to in RL. It would also be a real tragedy if others were prevented from asking for help for the same reasons.

I am very disappointed that any MNer would feel it is acceptable to violate the trust we place in each other on this forum. I do not know who she is. I do not want to know who she is. But I hope she is hanging her head in shame for breaching the trust that has been placed in her by everyone whose words she has stolen to make a few bucks!

The comments are disgusting: "If this is what mothers today worry about, I'm glad I didn't have children" "These so called mothers", yeuch. They all hate women.

look in active convos some of those are troll posts from mumsnet peeps

have you seen the article on fiona phillips aswell? they have took a photograph of her with no make up on and made a really nice article out of how she has let herself go

Therev.., I'm sure they will find a way to print posts from 'sensitive' boards. I suppose I just don't think people write their posts in that way (or at least they didn't used to), and I have read very emotional, personal and moving posts written on threads that are part of AIBU, or parenting etc. I wonder if people are going to be a bit more guarded now, which would be a shame because people get such a lot of support when they open up on here.

"When I was at school, my mum sent me in with a baked potato in my pocket. So, I was warm all the way to school and had lunch as well. Happy days. I am quite severely osteoporotic, now, though.

• Jill Bennett, Bath, UK, 20/8/2009 10:14"

ROFFLES

I think they will be, I know a lot of people from the sn board have either left or name changed. so now the board has lost a certain something.

The journalist in question used to post on the special needs board therev. My concern is not about this journalist in question as I actually like her (oh get me) it is about other people lifting the threads. But this is just my personal view

yes, fio, these are the interesting points here.

1. LH/DM column has once-and-for-all exposed the fact that our words can be lifted and re-printed elsewhere.

1. MNHQ has once-and-for-all exposed the fact that as an organisation it's not going to use their right to Fair Use to prevent our words being lifted and re-printed elsewhere.

which is a bit... icky.

I would really like to have an honest view from MNHQ about whether they reagrd this DM feature as on balance a good thing for MN.

I'm v much looking forward to meeting Stella and all the other Femail readers at the Christmas punch meet up.

Has the Journalist in question apologised to the mumsnetter who she falsely attributed the quotes to last week yet?

Infact has she been in touch with mumsnet HQ at all yet? If I have missed it can someone point me to the post?

I hadn't read the comments - Aitch that one is pure genius! Surely Stella

("Or else they will grow into adults with scant respect for their elders and probably claim benefits and cheat the State. Us tax payers will end up funding their fussiness. As usual.)

isn't real? Mind you I have avoided the mail for so long now that who knows!

don't punch Jill Bennett, Swedes, she'll snap like a twig, the poor love.

beanieb, on the last thread Justine said she has contacted the journalist and they have spoke about it (cannot remember full details, whether it wa son the phone or whatever)

lolol i don't think stella's very 'empathetic' is she? lolol. this is all SUCH bollocks, isn't it? stinks to high heaven. i'm feeling a bit hysterical about it all. lolol.

it was an email exchnage beanieb, jsutine quoted below

"In fact the first contact we had was this week (only after the column was brought to our attention by a Mumsnet thread about it) when I wrote to the author of the item in question - whose name we recognised as a Mumsnetter - to ask whether the Mail were planning on this being a regular thing.

At that point we, wrongly we now think having had a chat with a lawyer, didn't believe that we had any redress anyway (see endless posts about the journalistic defense of fair use) but we were, privately, a little surprised that they'd not consulted us.

Whilst we shared/share some of your misgivings about the idea of a MN-DM collaboration, I was, for sure heartened by the fact that the item was being written by a Mumsnetter who, though I don't know her personally, always seemed to be well respected by lots of Mumsnetters. I am quite sure after a couple of email exchanges with Leah Hardy, that she has/had no wish to sensationalise events on Mumsnet and that she would endeavour to protect people's identities. I'm also sure that she didn't feel she was compromising anyone's identity more than they'd already been compromised by posting on a public forum. We do think some of the comments about her have been overly harsh. After all many on here do that she's done nowt wrong in lifting quotes save perhaps for not consulting with us at HQ. That may be because she wouldn't think we could possibly object to her giving Mumsnet weekly publicity - as I've said before most websites/PRs would be in a frenzy of excitement about the Daily Mail doing a weekly column about them"

It IS bollocks, it really is. But I still don't see why it is regarded as being so very different from MNHQ's attitude to earlier cut-and-paste jobs in the press.

If the DM are going to feature mumsnet discussions wouldn't it be so much better if they used threads like this one about the BNP or other serious threads about all aspects of female opinion and life rather than concentrating on lunchboxes and fake tan?

I know it's typical of the Daily mail to portray women as daft brainless bints but there are plenty of debates and discussions on mumsnet which aren't just about kids or husbands etc.

Will they be steering away from 'am I being unreasonable' for example. Imagine if they printed some of the stuff from there, imagine how shit it would make mumsnet look?!

PMSL at the comments on the DshiteM website

Surely at least some of them are MNers stirring?

I'd bet a considerable amount of money that none of those 'comments' are genuine.

Trouble is, it's a bit hard to separate parody from the DM's usual content.

I think we should form an alliance with those feisty bounty gals and storm the board en masse.

I did think about posting a comment about the sardine sandwiches that my mum used to put in my lunchbox, 'plenty of omega 3 in my diet, but no friends, ah happy days...'

but can't bring myself to post on Mail webshite.

Aitch - I don't think I'll be going to the Christmas meet up. I don't trust MNHQ not to invite Nick Griffin to be Mumsnet's Santa 2009.

Am loving Mr N from Dorset....well done trollies