Looking for advice regarding forum rules

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archeotech
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28 Nov 2011, 2:51 pm

Sorry I hope this is the right place for this?

I'm a mod on a forum for a hobby. Like this forum we have rules and we recently banned someone for repeated inappropriate conduit and posts. The person we banned has autism/aspergers and claims we shouldn't follow rules in the same way for her even though we have given her many warnings, and temporary bans so I'm wondering how rules are enforced here, and if there's any advice you can give? Ban's are something we hate but we were getting too many complaints from other members. :(

Thanks in advance.



Sparx
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28 Nov 2011, 2:57 pm

AS or not, there's no excuse.



TallyMan
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28 Nov 2011, 3:18 pm

I'm a moderator on this site. Sites have rules of conduct. If people don't adhere to the rules they get banned. That applies here too. The vast majority of members here stay within the site rules. Sometimes a little guidance is necessary regarding honest mistakes or warnings if people deliberately break rules. However, Aspergers or not, if people flout the rules with impunity they get banned, simple as that. Sounds like the person on your site is playing you, using Aspergers as a excuse. Maybe time you gave them a permanent ban.



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28 Nov 2011, 4:27 pm

AS as an excuse, that's the oldest trick in the book, and I hate when people try it. :roll: I agree with TallyMan, it may be time for a permaban, or if the situation is bad enough, a deletion. What ever you do, do not it expect it to be over, as she will likely make a sockpuppet and post things just to piss you off. If she hates you and your fellow staff members for banning her, consider it a good thing, because that means you are doing your job.


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League_Girl
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28 Nov 2011, 7:00 pm

Sparx wrote:
AS or not, there's no excuse.


Agree.

I also agree with tallyman too that it sounds like she is using AS as an excuse.



NZaspiegirl016
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28 Nov 2011, 10:33 pm

I agree with all the posts saying she is just using Asperger's as an excuse. It isn't a good excuse. I follow forum rules, having never had warnings or anything on other forums (not trying to brag, but it's true) and I have AS. I once ran a forum site, and there was one person who kept spamming the forums, so we banned him, but he kept coming back with multiple accounts, but we just kept banning him. I don't think he had autism or AS, but in his most recent account, he said "Why do you keep banning me, I just want to have fun" we told him he was breaking the rules by spamming the forums, and his only excuse was "But I just want to have fun" I also agree with the others who have said to permanent ban, just like I did on my site, which has now been inactive for 3 years now! 8O And if she makes more accounts, keep banning those too. Eventually she'll get the idea that she's done something wrong.


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archeotech
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29 Nov 2011, 11:37 am

Thanks for the advice and support :) I feel really bad for her but it's really not working out. She refuses to listen to word anybody says and insists everyone else is in the wrong and gets into online fights blaming society and rules for not accepting her and allowing for her outbursts which are a result of her having a panic attack?



MrXxx
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29 Nov 2011, 12:00 pm

She's asking for you to write different rules for her than for everybody else. That's called reverse discrimination. She sounds like she's trying to claim you are discriminating against her. Not true.

Same rules for everyone. AS or not. That's equal. Not discrimination.

The mods may put up with a lot more here than mods on other sites, but if you spend enough time here, it's not hard to see why. Still, the same rules apply to everyone, Autistic or not.

Almost nobody here really wants to hear the excuse, "But I'm Autistic and I can't help it!" Most of us ARE, and WE don't want to hear it. Think about that.


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TallyMan
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29 Nov 2011, 12:01 pm

archeotech wrote:
Thanks for the advice and support :) I feel really bad for her but it's really not working out. She refuses to listen to word anybody says and insists everyone else is in the wrong and gets into online fights blaming society and rules for not accepting her and allowing for her outbursts which are a result of her having a panic attack?


There are occasionally similar circumstances on this site. However, the rules exist for the well-being of the majority of the members. You cannot allow one disruptive member to drive away other members on your site, no matter how bad you feel about banning her. Sounds like she has had enough warnings and you need to dispassionately take action. I found it hard to make such decisions when I started moderating here, but it is important to learn to take unbiased, decisive action without emotional involvement in your decisions - if you want to sleep at night. You can't be everyone's social worker. I've banned people from here who have real need of help and support, but if they keep getting into fights and attacking other members on the site then they have to go, simple as that.



League_Girl
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29 Nov 2011, 2:41 pm

I think this is a good example why AS has such a bad name. I have seen people saying online that people use Asperger's to say whatever they want and to be an a**hole. This could be one of the reasons.



NZaspiegirl016
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29 Nov 2011, 9:26 pm

League_Girl wrote:
I think this is a good example why AS has such a bad name. I have seen people saying online that people use Asperger's to say whatever they want and to be an a**hole. This could be one of the reasons.

This is in Glee, I read that in the topic "asperger's character on glee, anyone else offended?" Sugar does that, but she's self-diagnosed.


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