Infiltration

Well said, Bluebelle! It's not new posters like you notreallyallhere but the windup merchants (for want of a better word) so stay with us.

notentirelyallhere please don’t take things like this personally and please keep posting we love to have new posters and new ideas but just now and then we get a few (maybe bored people or teens) try to have a laugh by posting a problem and getting everyone all revved up and it’s really not nice as people spend time and effort to be helpful and sometimes people talk about their own similar problem in the quest to be a comfort
I hope you understand what’s going on and not a nice start to your time on Gransnet
Hopefully the person or persons who were doing it this time have gone now

farmor, I don't think it is possible to have 2 names. I suspect the person you are talking about had to have a new name for some reason and just added a number to their original name.

notentirelyallhere ?

I haven't had a chance to look at this thread again until now. I wasn't intending to be harsh towards anyone, if anything the complete reverse! I was also feeling nervous that having posted, as a newbie, with a problem I was amongst those being listed as a wind up merchant, which I'm certainly not! There are some very odd people out there, for sure, and social media gives them the chance to sow misinformation and discord. Perhaps lurking discretely is the best way of being, leadt said, soonest mended, etc. Goodnight all, sleep well.

old batty I think there are odd people who get some kind of kick from creating a fake identity, posting something controversial and possibly giving a reply under another identity. It happened once on another discussion forum I was on, but moderator discovered that first poster and one of the inflammatory responders were actually from same Internet address.

janea ' appen so.

Oh dear.
I usually don't post on the questionable threads, but I did suggest to a poster yesterday that she should buy her grandchildren a onesie each and let them enjoy Christmas with their parents! And now I see the thread has been deleted.
It never occurred to me to report the thread; if it was a genuine post then the OP would have received some slightly odd, but harmless advice, whereas if it was a 'joker' they would know they'd been rumbled.

oldbatty nowt so queer as folk as I’m sure you know!

Grandad 1943
I don't think Gransnet or Mumsnet will rebranded anytime in the near future.

I cannot for the life of me imagine somebody spending their time creating an identity( takes about 2 minutes admittedly) ,creating a fake problem and getting off on loads of kind people trying to help.

One of the threads I ask HQ to look into has been deleted and the poster is being investigated
I m pretty sure I wasn’t imagining things

chewbacca

I think the point made by the op is lg that some people don't know they should be allowed to fizzle out.

Apparently it is possible for a person to have more than one username - on a thread recently a regular poster said she had a second one, as she had problems with password or something. Second name was identical to first, with the addition of a number. That seemed genuine, but it would seem it's possible for the same person to post under different names.

Salted caramel kitty. I'll save it for when the next joker comes along; shouldn't be long, they're coming thick and fast lately!

What flavour chewbacca?

Well if the thread has been deleted perhaps Headquaters has acted as I did ask for them to check a few new posters

I don’t like being played so I will continue to let HQ know if I think there is jiggerybpokery going on

Lemongrove the Gransnet name in itself is outdated in present times I believe.

That name should be changed to Grandparents net and Parentnet for its counterpart. The foregoing is especially prevalent as legislation now allows for single sex marriage and parenthood.

I was avidly following the granny who wanted sole access to her GC on Christmas Day but it seems to have vanished. I bought popcorn too!

Doubtful threads started by names you don’t recognise can just be left alone to fizzle out.

.....and I believe that the po faced comments so often displayed on this forum by members shows a distinct lack of a sense of humour.Other males on this forum seem to cope well Grandad43 naturally, there aren’t many as this forum is called Gransnet.

I believe that the Misandry so often displayed on this forum by members very much makes this site a very large target for those wishing to take the P*SS.

We so often see threads started with the sole intention by wives and partners of holding up their male counterparts to outdated derogatory ridicule and totally sexist remarks.

The above is often referred to on other social media sites, and that may well draw to this site those who wish to ridicule this forum and its members.

In this the old adage comes to mind, being (you reap what you sow).

Indeed, Fennel, the dilemma is how to help those who need it without encouraging the small number of exhibitionists who want to see their fake posts taken seriously. Asking a few (polite) questions of the original poster to make their story clearer is one way. If the answers don't add up, or the explanation reveals other holes, then reporting it along with the reason why you are doubtful is the next move. However, sometimes it is difficult to ignore!

If we're over cautious in reporting we might harm someone who has a genuinely weird problem, and desperately needs help or sympathy.
Fact can be stranger than fiction.

How do you 'regulars' know what any one else's life is like, how unkind to judge

I don't think anyone is judging. Regulars are just that, regulars, and so are more familiar with what seem to be genuine posters.

Most GNetters are kind and helpful and are just concerned about others being drawn into threads without realising that they are not genuine - and giving their time, wisdom and, often, part of their own personal story.

On the whole, I think that we are protective of one another and try to alert others about fake threads.