Just a heads up

I agree BlueBelle.

Thanks for the heads up BlueBelle I think I was taken in by one and responded .

Thanks BlueBelle.

I don't t understand why they are attracted to a Grandparents' forum in a foreign country.
🤔

I know you're right - but personally would rather risk a posting to a non-person than ignore someone.
Someone real may still benefit anyway.

I am curious as to they start these threads in the first place.
What do they get out of it?

spaggetti that’s what people say but no two problems are the same and it’s best to get individual attention and advice
BUT
more importantly the LESS we engage the sooner they get the message that it’s pointless to start these silly threads

The common denominator seems to be a feeling of being excluded. A person with a chip on their shoulder?

It seems a very strange way for people to pass the time. Perhaps they have a perfect life and no real issues to bother with. Thanks for the heads up BlueBelle. MILs get enough bad press already without inventing more to add to it.

more importantly the LESS we engage the sooner they get the message that it’s pointless to start these silly threads

Absolutely. Thank you.

Maybe it's half-term in USA also Bluebelle 🙂

It could well be Bridie

I just think if we are more cautious, than launching in to help they might get the hint
They are pretty easy to see
They all seem to have fairly long (new to us) user names
They re pretty long complicated in law stories
They’re from US
They seem to be around mother in law or some other in law problems ( jealously, feeling left out, finding them rude )
Quite well written ( probably a bot)
We don’t have to be rude just not engage until we re sure they are genuine
The problem is they could take over if we do engage

Thanks, will avoid them.

As a personal rule of thumb, I find the longer and more detailed the post, the less likely it is to be genuine so I mostly don't engage.

They are all bots.
This article explains it better ( and quicker 😂 ) than I could.

www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/learning/bots/what-is-a-social-media-bot/

We know they aren't all bots. Recently there was a genuine user - can't remember the thread but it was checked out and left up.

I will still be making my own decisions - if I'm wasting time at least it's mine to waste. Others can just leave the thread alone (after reporting it).

There’s a bot thread running on MN right now.
I’m surprised that the younger demographic on that site don’t pick up on it.
Could it be that they generate a lot of traffic. Surely not 🤷‍♀️

Of course you can make your own decision Spaggetti and hopefully we won’t get too many more but just remember the more you answer the more it keeps the Bot going

A chatbot often requires a person or even a team of people to maintain its functionality

Yes, BlueBelle. Another feature of these threads is the frequency with which the poster returns to respond to comments. That happens far less with genuine posts, where often the OP doesn’t return for some days, if ever. The bots want to engage in conversation, to argue.

Good point GSM

They happen whenever it is suggested on the estrangement thread that not ALL mother in laws are monsters.

Do you know what? I now only "talk" to GNs whose names I know and recognise. There are far, far too many of these intrusions on here lately. Today is no exception. It must be off-putting to any genuine new poster to be viewed with suspicion, but I'm not prepared to waste time any more.

What is the point of a bot on Gransnet? What is the motive for putting up posts? I am a bit puzzled.

Thanks Bluebelle