Cynicism

Well who would have thought it? Thanks janeains.

BB most half terms a bored teenager comes on, pretending to be a grandmother who's worried that her DD won't buy designer trainers for the GC or something like that.
A variant is that the school uniform has been changed & they don't like the new version.
I don't follow them very closely

Yes, there were a few political threads like the one you mentioned M0nica where someone was posting under several different names - gave him/herself away by certain very recognisable spelling mistakes! I got told off by another of our more gullible kind posters for drawing this to his/her attention

And then there's the plimsole threads of course Jane

What are school plimsoll threads?

I think I have been a social worker for too long and I have developed something of a radar for stories which don't sound quite plausible.

The vast majority of posts on here do seem genuine.

Then of course there are the school plimsoll threads

Yes, but that sort of thread is obviously dodgy. It's the ones that start off plausible, then after a few responses from concerned GN posters the OP's story starts to lose credibility when he/she comes back and adds a few more details which don't fit in with the original version.

Usually spotted pretty quickly, and we haven't had any of those for quite a while, thank goodness!

There was a man called, I think, something like Michael1234 who used to start threads asking us to support petitions for all pensioners to have pensions twice the national wage with fuel bills and community tax paid by the government.and similar such ideas. He disappeared after a while because no-one agreed with him.

Of course there could be posts that are entirely made up ( either for attention or any other reason) I have heard that it's fairly common on some sites.
We can't accept anything as gospel that we read online.
in order to have a dialogue though, we have to at least outwardly believe the post, unless it becomes preposterous.

Annsixty My big concern about Frank was that he was on GN talking about the financial goings on of the other people he was apparently assisting with various legal financial issues and there were references made about the towns where some of these people lived. That was an unnaceptable lack of confidentiality.

It did not appear he was doing this on behalf of any proper financial organisation.
That was quite enough to make this former social worker feel concerned about possible financial abuse of the elderly.

I have no evidence whatsoever that he was doing anything wrong but he should not have been discussing these issues in whatever role he was involved.

That's a good idea janeainsworth. I don't believe Frank was a genuine poster and we've had the odd wind up merchant (not you etheltbags, your wind ups are legendary and obvious) or journalist, would be author . Generally I think most posters are genuine, especially the regulars !

Perhaps we should have a cynical emoticon so we can indicate when we suspect the collective Gransnet leg is being pulled.

I thought you were talking about recent threads regarding Wills and making sure the children were fairly provided for, jane.

Oh, Frank was lovely - and his dog Andie (who often seemed to drink out of a bowel...)

I was talking about Frank, Ann - I must be unusually cynical!

If we are talking about Frank I always thought he was genuine just a bit of a bore and a know it all. Also very boastful about his finances.

Oh, were those not genuine then? I thought they were - I remember replying a couple of times...

There were a number of threads focussing on potential disinheritance when widowers in particular acquired new partners, that I seem to remember
The poster in question was subsequently banished, so let that be a warning to anyone tempted to try a bit of fantasy on GN

I assume all posts to be genuine though I have been told before that I am niaive. Of course that was exh.... I wasn't that niaive !!

Ther have been a number of odd threads at various times. Some turn out to be advertising but one or two have been real windups. However, we have usually seen through these pretty quickly and either said so or ignored the thread.

To write a really convincing fake hardluck story is not impossible, but it takes a lot of time and, usually, the sort of person that wants to do that sort of thing lacks the skills or perserverence necessary for it to ring true.

I have asked for help many times and I think that all my replies are genuine and certainly none of my quieries are made up, even though some people may think Im winding them up as I have done in the past not by making things up but by saying provocative things. (guilty- hold my hands up). I don't wind anyone up after all the kind support I was given when I had cancer treatment.

The posts asking for help/advice on personal or family matters are often quite long and detailed. Why would anyone even bother to make things up - you would have to be very bored!

I hope the fact that people have responded that they believe 99% ( nothing is guaranteed) of posts will mean nobody is put off. I have had a slight doubt about one or two posts over the years I've been on GN. Apart from the obvious scams.
I also agree that anyone making up a cry for help, is in fact in need of a different type of help.

It would never have occurred to me that posters might make things up. If they do then they need all the help they can get.

If anyone were to post asking for help / advice to get attention they need help and attention surely . I believe every post which asks for help/advice

Just hope this thread doesn't stop anyone from seek support here