Forum Rules

These rules are supplementary to the Terms of Use.

Scope

These rules apply to the whole site including private messages except where stated.

Illegal activity

This site cannot be used for illegal activity.

Common examples illegal activity: copyright, trademark, patent infringement and libel, etc.

The site is under the jurisdictions of UK and Ireland and adheres to applicable EU directives.

Violence, harassment, trolling and bullying

Violent content (including imagery, videos, artwork), threats of violence, inciting violence, harassment, trolling or bullying are not permitted. Members may seek support on issues relating to violence, in the appropriate categories, so long as the rules are adhered to.

We take allegations relating to threats of violence, inciting violence, harassment, trolling, bullying or abuse/safeguarding issues seriously and will investigate. We require members with any knowledge of harassment, abuse safeguarding issues to report this activity, with any supporting information.

Making false allegations is not permitted.

Members must not dispute the diagnosis of another member, nor the lack of a professional diagnosis, nor discourage any neurotype from using the site. While it is not feasible to confirm personal details on the site, it also isn’t our objective to do that. Instead we wish to provide a space for Autistic people to express themselves, and anyone else who wishes to to support the autistic community or learn more.

Sexual content

Nudity including genitalia or nipples are not permitted (including imagery, videos, artwork).

Pornography or sexual imagery, videos, artwork, etc are not permitted. Discussion of a sexual nature is not permitted except in the Adult category.

The Adult category is age restricted and intended for discussions around sexuality and sexual health.

Members may seek support on issues relating to sexual abuse, in the appropriate categories, so long as the rules are adhered to to.

Commercial interest

The site cannot be used for a commercial purposes, except with permission from the owners (which rarely happens).

Personal interest in recommendations/advice must be declared. The site cannot be used to advertise or promote products or services without permission from the owners.

Spam, scams, fraud

Posting the same topic multiple times for attention is not permitted. Posting the same topic in multiple categories is not permitted.

Posting about member disputes or moderation issues in muliple locations is considered spamming, and will not result in faster resolution.

Posting information or contacting members in order to deceive or commit fraud is not permitted

Joining the site under false intentions is not permitted.

Multiple Accounts

Multiple accounts per individual are not permitted except for moderation/administration tasks by staff.

Privacy

Don’t share other people’s private information without permission, including Private Messages. Private Messages are between recipients but can viewed by staff to deal with moderation issues.

Medical, legal or professional advice

None of the advice given on the site should be represented or taken as medical, legal or professional advice regardless of who posts it.

Tangents

We allow people to choose if that will allow tangents in their discussions or not and also have a field to specify the scope of discussion to help people stay on topic. Some categories will be excluded from this becuase they are too informal (e.g. Random). Otherwise if you wish to allow tangents you can check the box on the form. Discussion comments relevance will be moderated based on if the opening poster's wants tangent or not, the opening post and the information entered for scope of discussion. General rules still apply. Good etiquette is to acknowledge the opening poster and the premise of the discussion. If you find yourself diverging from the main discussion you should consider making your own discussion, otherwise may get a warning.

Category Rules

Individual categories can have their own rules, which must be adhered to in addition to the TOU and the Forum Rules. These rules will be listed as a “sticky” announcement post at the top of the discussion list, in the category. You must read them before posting.

Active Citizenship

Good citizenship can mean a number of different things, and there not one state of being on the this site, in fact we oppose the very idea of gate-keeping or pigeon holes. Nevertheless there are things we will ask you to try an refrain from or be proactive on.

Please familiarise yourselves on the Core Values.

The Core Values are very much the spirit of the rules and a basis for enforcement.

A rule is not a comment on the wider world, nor is the wider world reflected in every rule. We are not providing the role of a state or a commune, more a space for support and social interaction, and this does rely on give and take from members. It is not purely about what we can offer you, nor for an individual to mould it into what they want at the expense of others.

We encourage you to be active in expressing yourself in the wider world, we are not censoring you if we enforce the rules here.

We provide an alternative to other ASD communities, this not a platform to attack or effect change on other ASD sites. That doesn't help our cause. So that is the minimum commitment expected, to want this project to work.

Most of all we want this to be a welcoming space. This is not achieved by bickering or ragging on others out of entitlement. Of course this an ideal, nobody is perfect. It is very different being on the other side of things for me. Every single member has an effect on others even if they think this only works one way. This effect can be positive or negative.

So active citizenship is really about trying to make this site a positive experience for others, but not in selective way. Participation in both support and social categories is part of the path to Citizenship, but once there, it is more about keeping thing civil, being tolerant of different backgrounds and view points, within reason.

All members are expected to practice Active Citizenship regardless of if they are full citizens yet. We hope to reward those who put practice Active Citizenship well.

General points for Active Citizenship in no particular order:
  1. Try to de-escalate conflict
  2. As it is easy to miss-interpret people online, try to give people the benefit of the doubt when someone says something that seems off to you.
  3. Try to self-moderate your emotional reaction to others, don't jump to the most extreme approach first.
  4. If someone says something that upset you or you find offensive, explain why you are upset civilly to them, and try to reach a resolution between parties.
  5. Agree to disagree if nothing else.
  6. If you dislike someone intensely, don't engage with them. It is your responsibly not to engage.
    7. We may be providing tools to help with this, but these are only tools.
  7. Don't take for granted moderators or mentors, and rely on them to fire-fight.
  8. Don't undermine moderators in their duty. If there is an issue with a moderator, report it to the admins/council.
  9. Don't use citizenship as a badge of authority over other members. Even non-citizens will be expected to practise active citizenship.
  10. Do not try and manipulate our principles or rules for personal gain.
  11. If you see someone causing trouble intentionally then report it. Don't be a bystander. Whether it be someone trying to get a rise out of others, harassment, spamming or anything you are not sure about.
  12. If you are having difficulty coping, it OK to make use of support, contact a mentor, or taking time out. Active citizenship is also about using support that is available, and asking for help.
  13. Moderators enforce the community rules not personal resolutions (see 4.), so that is on you between parties.
  14. Encourage other to use the site appropriately and post in the appropriate category, keeping support separate from social area of the site. It is still moderators job to enforce this, so be good natured about it, and not assume content will be categorised how you believe it should.
  15. Don't push the boundaries just because you can.
  16. Don't actively set out to antagonise people.
  17. Focus mostly on criticising a person's ideas not personal traits or just insulting them.
  18. Don't assume because you are allowed to do something that criticism doing of it is not allowed or invalid. Both may be valid actions.
  19. If you use humour it may get a mixed response and this may bring up serious issues related to the subject. This comes with the territory.
  20. Don't assume that being reminded of rules or of boundaries being pointed out has to reflect negatively on you. It is our job to point these thing out for clarity and it intend to be helpful. You can do likewise.
  21. Avoid reading between the lines, straw-manning, or jumping to conclusions about what a member said. If in doubt ask for clarification.
  22. Satire is fine, but avoid creating obscure or ambiguous meaning when directly referring to another member.