Not a thread about a thread

I give posters the benefit of the doubt even if a post sometimes seems a bit dodgy as I would hate to miss someone genuine.
Those who get a kick out of winding us up are to be pitied. Must have boring lives.

Also, as has been said before, whether the OP I’d genuine or not, others may benefit from the advice and suggestions given?

I couldn’t agree more Bluebelle.
Gransnet was shown at its best, people giving the benefit of the doubt to posters we didn’t recognise, giving time and sympathy, giving helpful advice and most of all not making any judgement.
Such a shame that a few decided to use the GNHQ panic button and perhaps deprived others of important advice and, even more importantly, the knowledge that Gransnet is a good place to come if you are in trouble.

It is a good place to come to unless, as was the case, you are a previously banned poster who is making up a story to elicit sympathy. A genuine poster has nothing to fear.

I agree with GSM there are some posters who feed of these illicit threads.

How do we know that a previously banned poster was involved?
And does it really matter if the advice given might be useful to others?

I'm another who would rather try to be helpful to a fake than leave someone potentially in distress.

I honestly don't feel scammed by some fake poster. It seems sad to me to be truthful. I've only lost a few minutes of my time after all.

The poster asking for advice on a legal matter seemed a little suspect to me from the start. But there was loads of advice from people wanting to help which could be of benefit to others.

It's unpleasant but people often just make stuff up.

It would irritate the hell out of me to think I’ve been taken for a ride. Sorry.

I agree Urmston and that's why I rarely engage in 'drama' threads and obvious fake threads, of which there have been many.

I'll make a factual statement or give advice if I can help on something I know about as a nurse, but I don't engage further, unless of course it's a regular poster.

Millie22

The poster asking for advice on a legal matter seemed a little suspect to me from the start. But there was loads of advice from people wanting to help which could be of benefit to others.

It's unpleasant but people often just make stuff up.

I didn't get involved in that thread, and I must say was surprised to see so much support expressed, as none of us had any idea of how serious the crime was, and it did feel somewhat strange.

I agree with you Lauranorderr. I wrote to Gransnet asking them to reconsider for the reasons you’ve given, but too late.

It didn’t really matter whether it was a hoax or not, or how serious or minor the “crime” was, sound and compassionate advice was given which might well have been helpful to others. Nobody was harmed.

I suppose we’ll be in trouble for mentioning another thread, but hey-ho

Why do people in there 50s/60s/70s/80s have to worry about being ‘in trouble’
I personally think it does matter and agree with Urmston it would irritate me mad if I d gone to the trouble of looking things up, passing on links etc while someone is sitting giggling in their glass of wine We ve had threads in the past where people have made out they’ve lost family members in tragic circumstances only to find out we ve been laughed at for our empathy and love and I think that is hard to take I know some grans were very very upset by them
But of course you’re right the information given could be valuable for someone else but that’s not really the point

I didn’t comment on the longer thread as I had a really bad feeling about it from the beginning

Just for the record I didn’t report either thread

Neither did I - been out all afternoon and this evening.

Great film btw. 'Where the crawdogs sing'.

Riverwalk

I agree Urmston and that's why I rarely engage in 'drama' threads and obvious fake threads, of which there have been many.

I'll make a factual statement or give advice if I can help on something I know about as a nurse, but I don't engage further, unless of course it's a regular poster.

Some are very plausible.

I loved that film Fleur my friend who I went with hated it . Strange we have so much in common but obviously not that?

I didn't see a problem with the food advice thread. No matter who posted it or why some good advice was given.

I don’t understand your post Kircubbin Neither were about food ???

I think Kircubbin was talking about another thread by a banned poster. I know the one she means and who it was,

I didn’t know more had been taken down in the last few days GSM quite a little spate then

Yes, several troll accounts were created.

Yes, I didn't realise the crime one was fake.The food one was a few weeks ago.

As BlueBelle* has said the worst type of hoaxes are where a false character and lifestyle is created and built up with regular posts over several months before the character is allegedly ‘killed’ in some tragic accident.
There was a particularly nasty, elaborate one a few years ago.

It was horrible to think of some sick individual presumably laughing at all the upset comments from posters before it was apparent that it was all a hoax.

If we have to follow rules that say we can't discuss another thread on this thread, and have to show the title as " Not a thread about a thread" to stay under the radar, no wonder there are folk setting up tall tales and sitting around giggling in their wine.