MNHQ want money from us

[JellySlice]

Perhaps now is the time to tell MNHQ what we want from them.

eg
Relaxation of the anti-women censorship rules.
Reinstating banned respected posters like LangCleg.

I've already indicated that I can't say. It's up to you to decide whether to cling to your over-reaching version of the current landscape, in which MN needs to court commercially valuable FWR users, or to listen to someone who sounds pretty confident about the impact that hosting debate has already had on MN and the necessity - even on purely selfish grounds - of being realistic about what the ultimate result might be. Ie MN is forced to close FWR or goes under altogether.

99.9%, indeed? You do seem to have an awful lot of statistics and backroom knowledge up your sleeve, Vitreous. The only possible way you could be so certain of such "facts" is if you were an employee of Mumsnet.

Is the anonymous authority you're appealing to socially constructed through discourse, Vitreous?

Asking for a friend.

There have been numerous threads along the lines of, came for the baby advice, stayed for the Feminism. This is one of the busiest boards on the site, and statistically, I believe, for every poster there are 12 lurkers.

Justine herself has deliberately gone public to say that she favours free speech, which is why she will not bow down to transactivists who deliberately target her revenue in order to shut down the speech that she is trying to platform.

I might have less scepticism over the success of transactivism on her advertisers, if the tide had not already turned in favour of women's rights, with both the Scottish and English government putting reforms on the back burner, legal precedents being set, and many, many people coming out in favour of free speech at universities and penalising those who disallow it. Justine nailed her colours firmly to the free speech mast right when it was unpopular to do it. Many more people have taken the same path, and if anything, she is falling behind the times in terms of openness.

Whatever happens, the optimum time to leverage advertisers has passed.

Mumsnet has at least 12 million unique users. That's a hell of a lot of women, many of whom post and read here.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't read about somebody, often an MP, or journalist, who mentions mumsnet as a source of information or their own. enlightenment.

It's the people who create the content here. That content can happen anywhere.

It's already proven to be massive, huge, unbelievable money maker and source of power.

The truth is that I wish you could all take a step back and realise that a bit of gratitude might be in order. You have done so much nose-cutting. I understand why and I have the same impulses myself. But it's ultimately completely self-sabotaging. It's shit, I know.

This is one of the busiest boards on the site, and statistically, I believe, for every poster there are 12 lurkers

Source?

(Also interested in Vitreous source as well as that's a lot of statistics/numbers being quoted from Vitreous and nothing to back up the claim)

The truth is that I wish you could all take a step back and realise that a bit of gratitude might be in order

Gratitude to whom?

But it's ultimately completely self-sabotaging

If MN closes FWR or evening the site goes itself, there are countless ways to simply start a new forum. It doesn’t take specialist ability.

It's up to you to decide whether to cling to your over-reaching version of the current landscape, in which MN needs to court commercially valuable FWR users, or to listen to someone who sounds pretty confident

Ah now I know this one, and it's usually called male privilege (not casting aspersions as to anybody here's sex of course).

I had an ex who used to confidently expound on many topics and have women hanging off his every word, even if they knew just as much or more than he did.

As feminists we learn early on to not take somebody's word for something just because they say it confidently.

If Vitreous does work for MNHQ then I must say that this is rather poor form.

Gratitude to whom?

I'm assuming to MN for having a board we can discuss issues on in the first place?

if the tide had not already turned in favour of women's rights

I think that's also an overreach. It certainly is for advertisers - you massively overestimate their sophistication. They will be on the TWAW tip for another 5 years at least.

I'm assuming to MN for having a board we can discuss issues on in the first place?

It’s merely a vehicle surely? Given its users provide all the content it’s simply a platform that can easily be replicated.

Vitreous, for some it might well be that they don't consider they should be paying in order to provide content for the person whose business it is.

But for many, it's about the security aspect.

People have lost livelihoods and their mental health over being targeted. No one is going to risk that unnecessarily.

You've just said yourself that advertisers, in your opinion, are pulling out because they are being targeted. You can't have it both ways.

Mumsnet has been a source of unbelievable influence over this issue.

The women here have jobs, families, lives. I can guarantee, that the lure of identifying these women, will be very tempting to any hackers who know their details are kept at stripe.

I had an ex who used to confidently expound on many topics and have women hanging off his every word, even if they knew just as much or more than he did.

I think my favorite anecdote related to this was a woman who met a man at a party who started to talk to her about something he'd read. She was having a conversation with someone about her specialist subject and he butted in all "well, I read a book about that and it said", and she was all "yes, that would be my book, that I wrote". And then he continued trying to explain her own book and its central argument to her.

The security aspect is why I would not sign up for a subscription. It's just not a good idea given the track record on tech issues as well as the Emma thing.

MN members have repeatedly thanked the site for not completely capitulating to "transgender 'thought police'"

MN members have also expressed & owe gratitude to women who were posting here for many years identifying & raising consciousness of the implications for women's sex-based rights & Safeguarding children/Vulnerable/Adults.

According to the accounts, this site has been incredibly lucrative, despite the security breaches, etc.

Millions and millions of women congregating in one place and reading, or talking to each other is unprecedented in history.

It's an incredible moneyspinner. If she wanted to, Justine could have been one of most politically powerful people in the country.

Online sites have awakened women's inner feminist, across the globe. It's not going to stop now.

Whether it's mumsnet or Datunsnet 😁

I think my favorite anecdote related to this was a woman who met a man at a party who started to talk to her about something he'd read. She was having a conversation with someone about her specialist subject and he butted in all "well, I read a book about that and it said", and she was all "yes, that would be my book, that I wrote". And then he continued trying to explain her own book and its central argument to her.

TheProdigalKittensReturn YY

As feminists we learn early on to not take somebody's word for something just because they say it confidently..

Nevertheless, if you hear 'Change course chaps there's a fucking iceberg!' you'd be rather foolish to ignore the speaker because they're shouting confidently.

I must say that this is rather poor form.

Oh for goodness sake, really? You'd rather not know?

If you work for MNHQ and aren't identifying yourself as such after being asked? Then yes, poor form.

I don't work for MNHQ.

I'm off to the sunshine now.

Great, could have answered that question earlier but perhaps being vague is more fun.

Honestly, none of this is fun.

I'm assuming to MN for having a board we can discuss issues on in the first place?

The FWR (Feminism & Women's Rights) board existed to discuss feminism & women's rights. Some feminists recognised & understood the implications of transideology & growing power of transactivists for sex-based rights & Safeguarding many years ago.
The board was/is targetted by those who wanted #nodebate.

Important actions/groups which contributed to public awareness such as #ManFriday grew from discussions here & MN members.

VitreousHumour

You hinted you have inside knowledge. So what an earth are you trying to say? That we should contribute financially to the coffers, otherwise it shows a lack of gratitude and/or we might get the board shutdown?

If Justine comes up with a way of people contributing money without identifying them, I have no doubt that she'll get tons of the bloody stuff.

It's the single biggest concern.

If you have inside knowledge, please pass that up the food chain. (although I'm assuming HQ can read, and should have concluded that them self).