wrong planet mission

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Wrong Planet's mission is to provide a safe place for Aspies to communicate freely. What's the deal with people who want to destroy such a great thing by attacking each other? Am I wrong to feel sad when people do such things?

No, it is sad. I think the mission statement is a very positive one. Maybe some members forget sometimes that this is actually an Aspie site, not a general social site, although there is social side to this place which is positive. But I think the general balance must be towards providing a 'safe' place and one where new members will feel happy to post, even if this slightly curtails the rights of others to absolute freedom of speech. Sometimes that freedom is misused and people get attacked and then everyone suffers by the general negative atmosphere.

What do you mean by attacking? If you are referring to the recent trolls, then its nothing to worry about. I do, however, suggest hiring a couple of more moderators and make a moderator list that they can refer to.

If you are referring to the rather large list of thankless complainers (those who complain about trivial things that is) on this subsection, then we are going to have to be a little creative in solving that problem. Its largely up to you as to what to do, though I'm sure a few members could give a few suggestions (such as a report post button...)

If you are referring to the problems and bugs this site has had (such as that annoying debugger error I've been running to lately), well, it seems as they were complaining about those for quite a while. You should probably pay more attention, or hire another admin (or create a super-moderator if you are unconfortable with that idea) that can help alleviate those problems.


Those are the problems that I'm only aware of, but since I don't post in every subsection, I could be misinformed. That's why you have to specify what you mean by "attacking".

Brava.

I'd add that to enforce a given standard of conduct on a discussion forum curtails no one's rights, as has been claimed by some in the past. They are free to exercise complete freedom of speech in places created specifically to cater to those tastes. To my understanding, WP was not created for the purposes of being a general free-for-all playground for such activities and Alex has the exclusive right to direct this forum as he pleases. I do believe it is his desire to make this place as free as it can be, while still fulfilling the other part of its mission. I support that 100% and I know that others do as well.

My main goal is to provide a place for people with Asperger's to communicate and grow as individuals. I hate moderating as it generally is a reactive thing that takes away some of the time I want to use to build new features that give everyone a better user experience.

I no longer have the time to follow every issue on the forums and have to trust the WP staff; even though they make mistakes. I see people banned and I don't always know why they're banned, but with 14,000 members, knowing about every single incident that occurs on the site is impossible. I don't ban anyone but obvious spammers myself, just because I always empathize with what it's like to be banned from somewhere. its a yucky feeling.

Anyway, I try to let the moderators make their own decisions.

I think we all appreciate the place you've provided us, Alex. That all kids "don't play nicely" certainly isn't your fault.

I definatly appreciate this community,

I guess what you could do is make the moderators fill out a report or something like that everytime they ban someone. That would make investigation easier. I don't know if there is a ban list but if there is one you could make it public, this way one can see the reasons why a member was banned. Or you could take away the moderators ability to issue permanent bans unless they are issued to spammers.

Also, you should put a "report post" button, it will make it easier for mods to fix problems and there wouldn't be a big commotion when a troll comes around.




I think you should detach yourself from your members. Online communities are great, but regardless this is the internet and the personalities you see online are NOT representative of what they may be like in real life. Obviously banning a member should be a rare occurance. But this problem is up to you and the mods to decide as to who gets banned and who doesn't. Additionally, nobody should be complaining about the members who deserved a ban (I've seen plenty of that around here).

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Just remember that this is your site. You are the one who decides what goes on around here, not me or any of the members. Just do as you see fit.

I personally think you are doing a good job running the site, you just need to get rid of all the annoying bugs.

I don't fully agree with this. While some level of detachment could be of benefit in terms of running the site, taking it too far, becoming "out of touch," could make it more difficult to understand the changing needs of the membership as a whole, and the current "environment" that exists on the site.

True. Though I was interpreting his comment to mean that it is not responsible to keep members aboard simply because they're interesting, entertaining people with whom we'd gladly take tea.

Aspies, especially, encounter difficulty in modifying their behavior to suit a given environment and I think most people here can empathize with that. But a host would not be wise to keep inviting guests who are not respectful of his home, regardless of their reasons for doing so, inability to do so, or his affection for them.

That was more what I meant, sorry if I wasn't clear with my terms.

But yeah, pretty much, if the guy has to be banned, you have to be able to do it without hesitation regardless if anybody likes him or not.

Spammers are pretty easy to spot and deal with. If someone has been a member for a while, an on the spot banning, no hesitation banning grates me the wrong way. I wanted to take a members brain out, put it back in, backwards and scar them for life. A mod calmed me down. I was having a bad day and as it turned out so was the one I was going to go after. If the mod had been having a bad day, harm would have been done. We all have bad days, I have bad months and those months can go into other months. It comes with my comorbids. I'm not alone in this here. It does not give me any above the board privileges, if I were to attack another, I should take my medicine. A warning might suffice, a very direct warning. My bad days tend to pass, would I be given a second chance? I don't have any idea. Have I contributed to WP, well I don't know. I have gotten a few PM's thanking me for things that have happened in the Haven. I'm sure others have as well and thank god when I don't have the answers and others have the right words. Mods don't know the full story, they tend to see the flames, the arguments and not the whole picture, the WP picture. Aren't any of us perfect and I wouldn't want it. I do think a little better set up for banning would be fairly easy to do. I can't begin to think that banning is all the common with members that have been here for a while. Just by the sheer numbers of the site (and it's growing) someone isn't going to get along with someone. That they be allowed to spoil others reasons for being here, no. All to often I see the same people going at it, time in and time out and yet a mod will step in and clobber one and not the other. All to often the whiners get the mods on their side and believe me the whiners are just as polished at that game as any bully ever was.

It just seems to me, that a report of some kind quoting the problem between people from both sides and a little care taken before the hammer is put down would be a better approach.
I also think a time limit for the ban might work well, a second chance so to speak.

I fail to see why a person might be banned from commenting but be allowed to read here. That strikes me as being condemned to hell and I'll make your life miserable till you get there. I would also be interested to know what kind of response is taken after that remark. Tough call isn't it, I'd hate to be the mod that did that one. I wouldn't sleep for a week. But I bet they sleep just fine, they had an agenda that was more then clear. They should have banned themselves for doing exactly what they were banning the other for. They did it in the very first reply in the thread, what gave them the right? It wasn't needed at all. It was inflammatory to say the least. I suspect they were having a bad day. Maybe psyching them selves up with another that was just as guilty, but was coming in the back door. That is called fear biting.

Being a mod isn't easy. I've had more then my fair share of that kind of thing and I won't walk through that door again. It spoils the experience for me. It makes me need to be level headed and responsible. Ick!! It isn't easy, really, but it could be improved, I think, and not make it burdensome for all involved. Ultimately someone has to be the judge and no one is perfect. It isn't anything to beat yourself up about if it didn't work out right. I do think it could be less hidden, a more open process and not take away from any of the power or clout that is needed to keep this an enjoyable experience. If the process needs to be hidden, then there is something that needs to be hid. That should be the first hint something needs looked at. Don't quote the rules to me, those are just words, people enforce the words and they don't always have good days. Do we.

Yup that was good advice the mod gave me. I hope they remember it. Walk away and then come back. I just choose to let it slide, a mod can't always do that. I don't envy them a single bit. Been there done that.

I appreciate the fact that this is supposed to be a safe, welcoming place and I support the idea of having basic standards for behavior in order to promote respect and avoid conflict.

I like the idea of a "report post" button. I think it would be best if members were warned at least once before being banned. Sometimes ASD and comorbids can cloud one's judgement when it comes to appropriate behavior. I agree that some people might just be having a bad day, and a small reminder could make a big difference.

The social aspect of the site is a good thing because it helps people (myself included) to work on social skills. So I think that if someone wants to learn to be respectful, then they should be given a chance to do so without being banned right away. Mean-spirited posts and threads could still be deleted.

I very much appreciate your trust.
To the best of my knowledge, no one has been banned without just cause. There have been numerous cases where I or others wanted to ban individuals for personal reasons, typically along the lines of "they're destructive to the site," but restraint has always been advised and demonstrated. Often, more evidence comes to light, after the fact, that the bannings were correct, in the form of posts at other sites.
Procedures for moderating this site, and for the selection of moderators, are under continuous development and review. Moderators are subject to peer review. I am the de facto senior member of the moderation team, but no moderator, including myself, has authority over another. A system has been established where moderators report bannings to each other and to Alex for review. It is my personal opinion that some moderator activities must necessarily happen behind the scenes. It is my hope that the membership will be able to have the same trust in us that Alex has shown. I am absolutely convinced that every member of the moderation team wants WP to be a safe and supportive environment for aspies to grow and flourish as individuals.

This site is a wonder of the modern time, and many have said, they have been around on the net, and never met such friendly, welcoming, intelligent people.

Many have also said, "That explains my whole life!"

Some have come in total dispair, a problem that was ruining their lives, and here found the key to changing all that. Once they knew what they were dealing with, the rest fell into place.

The God Vs Darwin thread could not have happened anywhere else. All sides are polite, flames and profanity are lacking, and the general seems to be seeking points of agreement.

There are a lot of subjects, a lot of opposed opinions, and still, a civil discourse.

The Internet is beyond control, people will wander in, some are quickly dealt with by the mods, others by the rest of the posters, their atempts to incite met with reason, which takes the fun out of their plan.

Those who stay around do grow.

All of your main objectives have been met.

There will always be those who respond to posts by attacking the poster. It is childish, but that is all. If ignored they will go away or grow. The "Everything you know is wrong, and I am too busy and important to explain why, as you could not understand it anyway," has been around for a long time.

Most people get over it by Middle School. Here the threads continue with reason, mutual respect, and between the members and the mods, order rules.

I came at the end of the third year, since then membership has doubled.

Wrong Planet is becoming the voice of AS/Autism, and some other groups do not like that.

That they would send a few agent provocatures to disrupt things is to be expected, their paychecks are on the line.

AS is broad, undefined, and not everyone here seems to fit. Of course parents, teachers, writers are different, but some take AS as a test they wish to pass, a ticket to accomidation in the workplace.

It seems they wish to discuss their AS with their vast network of professional friends at cocktail parties. I feel for them.

Rapid growth is dangerous, being seen as a threat to established voices, who are making money off it. Any group of 14,000 will have a few events that do not reflect well. It is not WP or AS, it is just a fact of numbers.

The members do seem capable of defending themselves. Growing for us means learning to deal with the same in real life, so we need some troublemakers to practice on. Members also join in a common defense, often by continuing the thread, and ignoring the troublemaker. If they persist, it comes to the attention of the mods.

In an imperfect world WP is a wonder. It is becoming self regulating. I think it has improved while I have been watching. It is something of great value to the members, and they work on making it better.

99.9% is running smoothly. The other 0.01% is quickly dealt with.

The lists of banned people I have seen were short, I am sure there were more, most stopped quickly by the mods.

The system you created works. I think it works better than you ever hoped. It is The AS site, and is credited with being the most open, friendly, civil, intelligent site on the web.

With a range from seniors down to children, from all over the world, regular riots would be expected, not here. Posts are far out numbered by views. A lot of people are finding the information they want.

WP is a stable platform, it will grow. The current model works.

Be happy with the good you have done.

Everything Inventor and everyone else says... plus...

What are the plans for the "One Millionth Post Party"?