What would happen to your online accounts if you were to die?

Quite!

Exactly, Soutra. What's the point? Surely anyone on here is sufficiently grown-up to stand up for their ideas without needing to disguise a previous identity.

Not sure where you are going with this Ana. While I am sure a person could try to disguise their style, aren't they always at risk from saying more than they should? Or perhaps their style of writing is distinctive and that can give it away. So I think successfully disguising their identity over a long period could be hard work.
Anyway - why bother?

absent, if someone was really clever and wanted to disguise their previous identity, of course their current persona wouldn't remind you of anyone.

Just saying.

Spooky! They are just discussing this very issue on BBC News

I thought that was somebody else soontobe, I don't ever remember you saying you were a teacher, but we did have a member with a problem regarding supply teaching agencies. Was that you perhaps?

There are plenty of gransnet members who post very rarely or never post at all. Just look at the names that pop up out of the blue when there is a competition or a freebie. There is one poster whose name I was struck by in the early days and who has posted only once, I think, since 2011 (some time last year). If people don't want to post but wish to remain members, we have no way of knowing; nor do we need to.

soontobe You remind me of a couple of previous gransnetters, but MiceElf is not one of them.

Speculation is futile, though, is it not?

Well I'm pretty sure you're not Nonu!

Do you really think that I am MiceElf. Good grief!

As I hinted upthread, she was a poster who helped me.
She pmed, or else I pmed her[I cant remember which and cant be bothered to take a look who pmed first] about a slightly complicated teaching matter. She was most helpful.

Soutra, I am suggesting nothing!

But I think it's odd, soontobe, that you would even notice that MiceElf hadn't posted for a while, never mind know anything about her profile.

I think rosesarered more or less disappeared for a couple of months.

I think that this site is too small for some posters, to be able to fly under the radar for long.

She was an ex teacher if I remember correctly.

I was wondering that Soutra. But she was nothing like me!

In general, that is?

Ana are you suggesting soontobe might be a reincarnation of MceElf??

No. She was around for a while. I couldnt tell you how long. About 2 or 3 months I think.

So posters dont miss others?

I see posts from rosesarered- all the time but I agree we haven't heard from Nonu for a while or MiceElf . However as DJ says, did you really overlap by that long? I know one or two members have changed their names, usually for reasons of confidentiality, but maybe more for all I know. Nonu might be posting under another name for all we know.

So right we are opposites soontobe, but you won't need to miss me as I ain't going nowhere, as far as I know!

I think MiceElf left around the same time you joined, soontobe - what a coincidence!

I do miss Nonu, I must admit.

How do you know they have left?

Yes durhamjen. Nonu and MiceElf spring to mind for instance.
I was missing rosesarered but she popped back again!

Have you been on here long enough to think about people who have left, soon?
You've only been on here since November.

Because most posters "help" in some way, at some time or another. I remember their help and think of them fondly.
[I realise that I probably havent got the hang of the new internet age, of people sort of coming and going].
I also have come to realise Soutra, that you and I are almost complete opposites in character! But I might even miss you!

Why on earth soontobe?
Ana has the right idea.