Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?

[Guest guest]

I think so. I may have been on it very briefly, less than a week or two before it folded. Its been so long I'm not sure though.

In a message dated 3/28/2011 5:53:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Who here remembers Aspergia?Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?Administrator

[Guest guest]

I think so. I may have been on it very briefly, less than a week or two before it folded. Its been so long I'm not sure though.

In a message dated 3/28/2011 5:53:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Who here remembers Aspergia?Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?Administrator

[Guest guest]

Me. I wish I could find a mirror. -=Russ=-On Mar 28, 2011, at 15:53, environmental1st2003 <no_reply > wrote:

Who here remembers Aspergia?

Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Me. I wish I could find a mirror. -=Russ=-On Mar 28, 2011, at 15:53, environmental1st2003 <no_reply > wrote:

Who here remembers Aspergia?

Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Hi Tom

No well before my time

Graham

Who here remembers Aspergia?

Who here remembers Aspergia?Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?Administrator

[Guest guest]

The reason I'm asking is because Edan appears to have kept the domain name even

though there is nothing left of Aspergia except the runes. It makes me wonder if

he isn't thinking of reopening Aspergia at some future point.

Edan does not like to be bothered, however, ESPECIALLY as it pertains to

Aspergia, and so I would not think of asking him what his plans are if he has

any.

Administrator

Me. I wish I could find a mirror.

-=Russ=-

[Guest guest]

I found my old link to Aspergia in an old copy of bookmarked pages. I probably was there just about as it closed down and then went to two other sites, this one and another. The other closed down long ago as well.

In a message dated 3/30/2011 12:21:57 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

The reason I'm asking is because Edan appears to have kept the domain name even though there is nothing left of Aspergia except the runes. It makes me wonder if he isn't thinking of reopening Aspergia at some future point.Edan does not like to be bothered, however, ESPECIALLY as it pertains to Aspergia, and so I would not think of asking him what his plans are if he has any.Administrator

[Guest guest]

Aspergia is Long before my time,

however I have read some of the early emails and files from the archives of this

group, to get a sense of where the group has been and how it is changing.

rl (who believes a key to understanding the present is found in the past)

'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by

Smart

Subject: Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?

To: FAMSecretSociety

Received: Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 2:32 AM

Hi Tom

No well before my time

Graham

 

 

Who here

remembers Aspergia?

 

Who here remembers Aspergia?

Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian

Pride, but Aspergia?

Administrator

.

[Guest guest]

Yep, I recall it, however not long after I found the place it closed down.

>

> Who here remembers Aspergia?

>

> Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian Pride, but Aspergia?

>

>

> Administrator

>

[Guest guest]

" ...however I have read some of the early emails and files from the archives of

this group, to get a sense of where the group has been and how it is changing. "

I am curious, did you reach any conclusions or thoughts on such?

>

> Aspergia is Long before my time,

> however I have read some of the early emails and files from the archives of

this group, to get a sense of where the group has been and how it is changing.

>

> rl (who believes a key to understanding the present is found in the past)

>

> 'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by

Smart

>

>

>

>

> Subject: Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?

> To: FAMSecretSociety

> Received: Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 2:32 AM

>

>

>

>

> Hi Tom

> No well before my time

> Graham

>  

>  

>

> Who here

> remembers Aspergia?

>

>  

>

> Who here remembers Aspergia?

>

> Not Aspergian Island or Aspergian

> Pride, but Aspergia?

>

>

> Administrator

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

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>

>

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>

> .

>

[Guest guest]

I have heard the legends telling of this Aspergia realm. :POn a more serious note, that seems to have been way before my time.

[Guest guest]

; A Thought provoking question, and fun to reply to!

some conclusions/opinions that I had/have when reading the 'history through

posts:'

- many of the original members of this group had belonged to Aspergia, and were

trying to found a new group, with new dynamics,

-they may have been mourning the loss of Aspergia (OR maybe I read too much

sentiment into that)

- some members seemed to have close relationships with other former 'Aspegians',

- they welcomed newcomers, and were willing to explain any questions that arose

due to shared history

-some people who were in the group then are still with us

-some now use different name, NOT deceptively, though

-a few have left the group, some due to differences,(?? a Scandinavian member)

others maybe due to changes in their own life

-some of the 'rules' were implemented over time, to respond to problems, and

protect the group members

-any organization will have struggles at some point(s) in it's life, how it

responds will determine it's future persona

-being the moderators of a group is a major responsibility, as not everyone

seemed(s) to want to contribute to the common good

- at one point there may have been more personal 'sharing' amongst group

members; now there seems to be more discussion of national and world wide

issues, with some personal dialogue.

-Now there are the links to blogs from MIC and Elyse, broadening the outlook,

along with responses to the blog posts.

; To answer your question fairly, I did not re-read any of th archives,

just relied on what I remember of my initial impressions, and how I now see the

beginnings of the group.

Have any other members read some of the early posts?

What do you think about the group?

rl

'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by

Smart

     

     

      " ...however I have read some of the early emails and files from the

archives of this group, to get a sense of where the group has been and how it is

changing. "

I am curious, did you reach any conclusions or thoughts on such?

   

     

   

   

       

 

   

   

     

       

     

               

     

     

     

     

     

 

   

 

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to add a little by way of explanation to your observations.

Once upon a time, there was Aspergia on what was called an EZBoard format. That board had a very simplistic structure. You signed in and saw the thread headings, could click on a thread, and reply to it. That was all there was. I found that format very easy to deal with as did most of the original member. I do not remember how many members we had, but I think it was around 80 or so when Edan, the founder of the board changed formats.

At that time, everyone participted, although I cannot speak as to what lurkers were doing. The conversations were very deep. We were all comparing notes. "How does your AS look compared to mine?" "What are YOUR perseverative interests?" "When were you diagnosed?"

Strict-Non-Conformist was there, Greg was there, Inger (gone from this board now) was there under a different name, Debbie (who has since died) was there, and a couple others that show up here from time to time. We also talked a lot about politicis, world events, and perseverative interests.

Edan, the creator of the board who had AS, was this mysterious figure who only posted once in a great while. We never considered him a voyeur, but it was interesting. we might talk on the board about wanting some new feature, and the next day we'd sign in and there it was!

Then came our first troll, and after that followed a bunch of different groups of people. The "Could I have AS?" people. The self-diagnosed ("I was diagnosed bi-polar/schizoparanoid, but I don't agree with what my five thousand specialists have said, I'm convinced I have AS.") The wanna-bees ("AS is COOL!").

The problem with some of these self-diagnosed people was that they began telling those of us who were diagnosed that we had no conception about what autism was and that we were atypical. Many of these people are now the founders and board members of the most influential autism organizations and some are even determining policy for autistics on a national and international level.

Edan then switched over to Delphi forums, and that was when the backstabbing began. The Delphi forum format allows you to have private message boxes, emoticons, and multiple usernames from one IP address. So these undiagnosed people began holding secret little meetings to troll and steer discussions via PM boxes, and they would befriend you under one username while trying to collect information on you and use it against you with their friends. All these self-diagnosed people were very sociable, and started inviting their friends to Aspergia. Soon we didn't have just three or four bipolar people, but thirty or forty coming in from therapy groups, all believing that they have AS because from what they could see from the "friendly" people on Aspergia (the bi-polar self-diagnosed autistics) they had AS too!

Finally, what happened was Aspergia became a place where you could act like an asshole, and be loved for it. The worse you acted, the more you were loved. If you hated Christians, you made fun of Christianity and propelled yourself up the social ladder. If you read that an Aspie was arrested for raping a child, and you expressed outrage that the police didn't understand that raping children were a perseverative interest of that Aspie, you grew in popularity. There was a member which Strict loved to hate who captured the hearts and minds of people who loved polyamory. Soon EVERYONE on the board was thinking of ending their monogamous relationships to try this seldom heard of free love. There were the druggies, who were obviously Aspies because, you know, they were so misunderstood. So it wasn't long before kids on the board found out where to get drugs and how to use them.

Cliques developed, with actual diagnosed autistics representing the minority. Squabbles developed until it was too much to handle and Edan shut down the board. I set up these groups to take the influx while some other member created Aspergian Island. Even before Edan shut down the old board, I knew that there was someone setting up a new one, but I was not allowed to tell anyone that this new board was being set up in case this someone decided at the last minute to cancel. There were also a lot of glitches to work out before opening. I moderated for that board until I was set up by some people who then got promoted to moderator status. These moderators eventually stole the baord from its creator. The creator of that board finally got rights to the control of the board back and shut it down. Other boards carrying the Aspergian name existed, but they have since shut down. My boards are the only ones that carry the Aspergian name and logo with permission from the founder of Aspergia. If a message board exists with the name Aspergia, it is illegally using the name.

When I created this series of boards, I did it with the idea of keeping the integrity of the original EZ board Aspergia intact. I decided to smash trolls early and throw out those who wound up taking over the Aspergian Island message board. Any time you see a troll on this board in our history, if you take a look at their usernames, if you do some detective work on the net, chances are you will now find them as board members on the biggest autism advocacy organizations in the world. I cannot control what they do OFF this board. If they want to screw everything up for autistics, so be it, but they will not do it here.

I resent what some of these people have done. Some of those people were mods on another forum which has been accused of inciting a forelorn self-diagnosed member to commit multiple homicides. That board, currently the most popular on the net, is being sued twice over for different alleged improprieties.

Now to to your observations...

- many of the original members of this group had belonged to Aspergia, and weretrying to found a new group, with new dynamics,

True, although as I have said, many of those were original board members who were looking to regain what was lost after the trolls took over.

-they may have been mourning the loss of Aspergia (OR maybe I read too muchsentiment into that)

True, although what was lost were the friends. When I discussed the reasoning behind setting up a new board (I was even thinking of springing for the cost of a bigger, more elaborate setup than this) many told me they were no longer going to participate online anywhere because they had emotionally invested too much into friendships on Aspergia. I still get emails from these people now and then. These people claim not to be members of autistic message boards.

- some members seemed to have close relationships with other former 'Aspegians',

True. The closest friends were those who were (or said they were) diagnosed. There really was a group think among them. It was amazing. Of course, we have no way of knowing that those who said they were diagnosed WERE diagnosed.

- they welcomed newcomers, and were willing to explain any questions that arose due to shared history

True.

-some people who were in the group then are still with us

True.

-some now use different name, NOT deceptively, though

True.

-a few have left the group, some due to differences,(?? a Scandinavian member)others maybe due to changes in their own life

True.

-some of the 'rules' were implemented over time, to respond to problems, andprotect the group members

True.

-any organization will have struggles at some point(s) in it's life, how itresponds will determine it's future persona

True.

-being the moderators of a group is a major responsibility, as not everyoneseemed(s) to want to contribute to the common good

True.

- at one point there may have been more personal 'sharing' amongst groupmembers; now there seems to be more discussion of national and world wideissues, with some personal dialogue.

True.

-Now there are the links to blogs from MIC and Elyse, broadening the outlook,along with responses to the blog posts.

True. But here is where I want to point out something. In one sense, the lack of interest in what Elyse and I are doing is typical of the autistic community. As long as autistics get fed and watered and housed everyday, most don't care what happens in the world, or to other autistics. On the other hand, if you start a movement which is going to get a bunch of freebies, then you get a bunch of self-diagnosed and diagnosed people on board looking for goodies. The most militant forum on the net believes that autism ought to be given minority status by the UN and has been fighting for that for years. If that is passed by the UN, it would mean that treating autism or its symptoms would be a hate crime. And they are all for it.

Have any other members read some of the early posts?

I do.

What do you think about the group?It sucks. Aside from dismayed people carrying this grudge which never makes them want to get on the net again, there is a second group of people who simply hate the Yahoo format, and so they haven't joined here or haven't stayed. I could switch formats, but if I did, it would be to the EZboard format which is not what people would want anyway.

But guess what folks, I DO have a secret place set up for all of us JUST IN CASE Yahoo ever shuts down Yahoo Groups. You won't find it on the net though, because it is "hidden" with a "secret" status.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Very good summary. I was thinking through how to do one of my own but yours is much better. I will add a few points.

After reading your summary and looking through some old links on a little used screen name, I found an Aspergia link. That was time when I was rather asocial and was put off by the things mentioned. When Aspergia folded I went to two different AS sites, 's and another. The other one was small and had few problems. However, the site was hacked a few times and finally the owner never bothered to replace it, mostly because almost none of the members were coming back or answering emails we sent to them.

As for 's site, I think there was more discussion at one time. There was a time when trolls came through, I think three "waves" of them. Each time a few members left and I'm not sure if they came back or not. It did seem to get a little quieter each go round though.

For myself, I do tend mostly to talk about current events because history is a perseverative interest of mine and I can see how history is repeating itself again and it really annoys me. So I talk about it here because trying to explain things on news sites isn't worth the effort because, well, those places regardless of which site are mostly full of people shouting various political slogans and calling names with few having any real interest in what is going on. Very irritating. I've been posting fewer articles on my own lately just because there is so much going on and I do feel rather bad about posting all that and not so much about Autism itself. I'd be glad to talk more about AS and all but the subject doesn't come up very often, same with other people's interests.

Anyway, back on subject. I've also noticed the lack of interest by a lot of people with AS with what is going on not only with Autism but also in the world. I've run into a few others on the net and also in real life and I've felt them out before telling them about this site. So far I don't think any would be a good fit. One guy I know probably would have ended up a troll. Some others really liked the idea of minority status (because it would come with benefits, etc.), are devout vaccines did it types and/or members of Autism speaks. So, I haven't invited anyone over. I've also noticed that many of the new members here post maybe once, if at all, some later leave. That troubles me because if they want to know something about AS, they should ask questions. That might not be easy for some people, and I'm actually quiet on new boards for a while, that is if I bother to join any.

I'll close by saying that I have appreciated this site over the years. It has been a social outlet especially in years when there was no other. Even now it is a more comfortable place than most others.

In a message dated 4/3/2011 6:25:43 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Just wanted to add a little by way of explanation to your observations.

[Guest guest]

Edan then switched over to Delphi forums, and that was

when the backstabbing began. The Delphi forum format

allows you to have private message boxes, emoticons, and multiple

usernames from one IP address. So these undiagnosed

people began holding secret little meetings to

Most web services permit multiple connections or users per IP

anyways. The problem with locking it to an IP is that some ISPs use

shared IP addresses (like my connection from university), and most

ISPs use dynamic IP addresses. AOL in particular makes it

practically impossible to effectively block an AOL user by IP

without blocking all AOL users.

But guess what folks, I DO have a

secret place set up for all of us JUST IN CASE Yahoo

ever shuts down Yahoo Groups. You won't find it on the

net though, because it is "hidden" with a "secret"

status.

_,_._,___

I assume you keep a list of our email addresses outside of Yahoo?

When Yahoo shuts down a group, they do not give access to the

members list.

[Guest guest]

" Anyway, back on subject. I've also noticed the lack of interest by a lot of

people with AS with what is going on not only with Autism but also in the

world. "

I accept that there are various levels of functionality and differing topics of

interest, but even so, world events are very significant because they will

affect us all in a big way. We've seen a taste of this with the recession, but

there is more to come. To stay afloat on what may be a foundering ship in the

future, it pays to look ahead and prepare. I do not understand why more people

are not interested in doing so.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

-- In FAMSecretSociety , Zoe J wrote:

" I assume you keep a list of our email addresses outside of Yahoo? When Yahoo

shuts down a group, they do not give access to the members list. "

Yahoo Groups has a management section which allows me to see the contact

information of anyone who joins. You cannot export the list but you can copy and

paste. People who hide their email addresses will be lost. Everyone else will be

offered an invitation to the new group...provided I choose to open the new one.

There are certain headaches that come from managing these groups and certain

legal obligations that I take seriously. Half of me wishes to be free of those

headaches and obligations. The other half of me likes to stay in contact with

the members here who still post.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

-- In FAMSecretSociety , Zoe J wrote:

" I assume you keep a list of our email addresses outside of Yahoo? When Yahoo

shuts down a group, they do not give access to the members list. "

Yahoo Groups has a management section which allows me to see the contact

information of anyone who joins. You cannot export the list but you can copy and

paste. People who hide their email addresses will be lost. Everyone else will be

offered an invitation to the new group...provided I choose to open the new one.

There are certain headaches that come from managing these groups and certain

legal obligations that I take seriously. Half of me wishes to be free of those

headaches and obligations. The other half of me likes to stay in contact with

the members here who still post.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Thanks for replying. You summed up things quite well.

I have occasionally gone back and re-read posts from the beginning - I sometimes

like to feel a sense of continuity.

I do recall at some points in the past there were disagreements and to some

extent also 'trolls', people coming on to the board to intentionally cause

trouble - to me such is quite sad :-(

I am pleased however that what I have heard called 'flame wars' are not allowed

here.

>

> ; A Thought provoking question, and fun to reply to!

>

> some conclusions/opinions that I had/have when reading the 'history through

posts:'

>

> - many of the original members of this group had belonged to Aspergia, and

were trying to found a new group, with new dynamics,

> -they may have been mourning the loss of Aspergia (OR maybe I read too much

sentiment into that)

> - some members seemed to have close relationships with other former

'Aspegians',

> - they welcomed newcomers, and were willing to explain any questions that

arose due to shared history

> -some people who were in the group then are still with us

> -some now use different name, NOT deceptively, though

> -a few have left the group, some due to differences,(?? a Scandinavian member)

others maybe due to changes in their own life

> -some of the 'rules' were implemented over time, to respond to problems, and

protect the group members

> -any organization will have struggles at some point(s) in it's life, how it

responds will determine it's future persona

> -being the moderators of a group is a major responsibility, as not everyone

seemed(s) to want to contribute to the common good

> - at one point there may have been more personal 'sharing' amongst group

members; now there seems to be more discussion of national and world wide

issues, with some personal dialogue.

> -Now there are the links to blogs from MIC and Elyse, broadening the outlook,

along with responses to the blog posts.

>

> ; To answer your question fairly, I did not re-read any of th archives,

just relied on what I remember of my initial impressions, and how I now see the

beginnings of the group.

>

> Have any other members read some of the early posts?

> What do you think about the group?

>

> rl

>

>

>

>

>

>

> 'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by

Smart

>

[Guest guest]

" Yes, also am pleased that flame wars are not allowed;

sometimes I get irrationally reactive/hostile, and just knowing that flame wars

are not allowed helps me keep my cool, and exercise some restraint at times,

also I don't want to cause the moderators stress or more work than their duties

already are. "

You've never stressed any of us RL.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

;

Thank you for giving more info on the history of this group!

Since reading this, I have been pondering different things, and doing self

examination.

In trying to reply, am not able to use the rich text format, so some of the

sense of what I said and your replies are mixed.

When I joined FAM Secret Society, I was fairly naive about Internet Forums,

trolls, etc; I still believe that this group is a good 'fit' for me; as there

are standards of respect for one another. Some of the autism groups are quite

un-mannerly. I enjoy eccentrics, as I am one, but do try to not be rude,

slanderous etc, appreciate the not-so common decency on this group.

said:

<True, although what was lost were the friends. When I discussed the reasoning

behind setting up a new board (I was even thinking of springing for the cost of

a bigger, more elaborate setup than this) many told me they were no longer going

to participate online anywhere because they had emotionally invested too much

into friendships on Aspergia. I still get emails from these people now and then.

These people claim not to be members of autistic message boards.>

<my comment;

This is sad, loss of friends, some of us do find change difficult, and even if

everyone who wanted the common good from Aspergia had joined, there would have

been change. Yet by cutting themselves off, those who did so have hurt

themselves and taken their knowledge out of the common body of discussion, this

depriving others of their insights.

said

<True. The closest friends were those who were (or said they were) diagnosed.

There really was a group think among them. It was amazing. Of course, we have no

way of knowing that those who said they were diagnosed WERE diagnosed.>

my comment;

This was a good form of group think, I would hope that those who said they were

diagnosed were truthful.

said

<True. But here is where I want to point out something. In one sense, the lack

of interest in what Elyse and I are doing is typical of the autistic community.

As long as autistics get fed and watered and housed everyday, most don't care

what happens in the world, or to other autistics. On the other hand, if you

start a movement which is going to get a bunch of freebies, then you get a bunch

of self-diagnosed and diagnosed people on board looking for goodies. The most

militant forum on the net believes that autism ought to be given minority status

by the UN and has been fighting for that for years. If that is passed by the UN,

it would mean that treating autism or its symptoms would be a hate crime. And

they are all for it.>

my comment;

'mea culpea' (in some ways I am part of the apathy.)

My only excuse is that, I try to contribute to the well being of individuals who

are minority; in my work, i am willing to hire people with different abilities

who want to learn the job, even if they don't speak English or are in some way

mentally different; and I have tried to teach them in a way that they can learn

the work and succeed. Of course, just as with average folks, not every one is

able to do the work.

I don't intend to sound 'snide' but had 2 people quit without notice, they were

supposedly 'normal. (I used to supervise 'flier inserters' at a newspaper; now I

am r Supervisor, with about 150 to 200 hundred carriers in 4

municipalities) AND (to some of my more materialistic friends puzzlement), I

don't mind that my husband works for a non-profit teaching computer skills to

(amongst others) new immigrants, low income people, etc)

Now that I have made my excuses; I must acknowledge;

Ignorance to what happens in the 'outside world' is not wise, though, because

what does occur affects us all; economy, politics, etc, and possibility of

plague etc.

;

If this group is shut down, please contact me, when/if you start another group.

I genuinely enjoy the group, even though I am not very active, and (along with

the folks on a 'cat' group, refer to you folks as my internet friends.

rl

'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by

Smart

From: environmental1st2003 <no_reply >

Subject: Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?

To: FAMSecretSociety

Received: Sunday, April 3, 2011, 4:25 PM

 

     

      Just wanted to add a little by way of explanation to your observations.

Once upon a time, there was Aspergia on what was called an EZBoard format. That

board had a very simplistic structure. You signed in and saw the thread

headings, could click on a thread, and reply to it. That was all there was. I

found that format very easy to deal with as did most of the original member. I

do not remember how many members we had, but I think it was around 80 or so when

Edan, the founder of the board changed formats.

At that time, everyone participted, although I cannot speak as to what lurkers

were doing. The conversations were very deep. We were all comparing notes. " How

does your AS look compared to mine? " " What are YOUR perseverative interests? "

" When were you diagnosed? "

Strict-Non-Conformist was there, Greg was there, Inger (gone from this

board now) was there under a different name, Debbie (who has since died) was

there, and a couple others that show up here from time to time. We also talked a

lot about politicis, world events, and perseverative interests.

Edan, the creator of the board who had AS, was this mysterious figure who only

posted once in a great while. We never considered him a voyeur, but it was

interesting. we might talk on the board about wanting some new feature, and the

next day we'd sign in and there it was!

Then came our first troll, and after that followed a bunch of different groups

of people. The " Could I have AS? " people. The self-diagnosed ( " I was diagnosed

bi-polar/schizoparanoid, but I don't agree with what my five

thousand specialists have said, I'm convinced I have AS. " ) The wanna-bees ( " AS

is COOL! " ).

The problem with some of these self-diagnosed people was that they began telling

those of us who were diagnosed that we had no conception about what autism was

and that we were atypical. Many of these people are now the founders and board

members of the most influential autism organizations and some are even

determining policy for autistics on a national and international level.

Edan then switched over to Delphi forums, and that was when the backstabbing

began. The Delphi forum format allows you to have private message boxes,

emoticons, and multiple usernames from one IP address. So these undiagnosed

people began holding secret little meetings to troll and steer discussions via

PM boxes, and they would befriend you under one username while trying to collect

information on you and use it against you with their friends. All these

self-diagnosed people were very sociable, and started inviting their friends to

Aspergia. Soon we didn't have just three or four bipolar people, but thirty or

forty coming in from therapy groups, all believing that they have AS because

from what they could see from the " friendly " people on Aspergia (the bi-polar

self-diagnosed autistics) they had AS too!

Finally, what happened was Aspergia became a place where you could act like an

asshole, and be loved for it. The worse you acted, the more you were loved. If

you hated Christians, you made fun of Christianity and propelled yourself up the

social ladder. If you read that an Aspie was arrested for raping a child, and

you expressed outrage that the police didn't understand that raping children

were a perseverative interest of that Aspie, you grew in popularity. There was a

member which Strict loved to hate who captured the hearts and minds of people

who loved polyamory. Soon EVERYONE on the board was thinking of ending their

monogamous relationships to try this seldom heard of free love. There were the

druggies, who were obviously Aspies because, you know, they were so

misunderstood. So it wasn't long before kids on the board found out where to get

drugs and how to use them.

Cliques developed, with actual diagnosed autistics representing the minority.

Squabbles developed until it was too much to handle and Edan shut down the

board. I set up these groups to take the influx while some other member created

Aspergian Island. Even before Edan shut down the old board, I knew that there

was someone setting up a new one, but I was not allowed to tell anyone that this

new board was being set up in case this someone decided at the last minute to

cancel. There were also a lot of glitches to work out before opening. I  

moderated for that board until I was set up by some people who then got promoted

to moderator status. These moderators eventually stole the baord from its

creator. The creator of that board finally got rights to the control of the

board back and shut it down. Other boards carrying the Aspergian name existed,

but they have since shut down. My boards are the only ones that carry the

Aspergian name and

logo with permission from the founder of Aspergia. If a message board exists

with the name Aspergia, it is illegally using the name.

When I created this series of boards, I did it with the idea of keeping the

integrity of the original EZ board Aspergia intact. I decided to smash trolls

early and throw out those who wound up taking over the Aspergian Island message

board. Any time you see a troll on this board in our history, if you take a look

at their usernames, if you do some detective work on the net, chances are you

will now find them as board members on the biggest autism advocacy organizations

in the world. I cannot control what they do OFF this board. If they want to

screw everything up for autistics, so be it, but they will not do it here.

I resent what some of these people have done. Some of those people were mods on

another forum which has been accused of inciting a forelorn self-diagnosed

member to commit multiple homicides. That board, currently the most popular on

the net, is being sued twice over for different alleged improprieties.

Now to to your observations...

- many of the original members of this group had belonged to Aspergia, and were

trying to found a new group, with new dynamics,

True, although as I have said, many of those were original board members who

were looking to regain what was lost after the trolls took over.

-they may have been mourning the loss of Aspergia (OR maybe I read too much

sentiment into that)

True, although what was lost were the friends. When I discussed the reasoning

behind setting up a new board (I was even thinking of springing for the cost of

a bigger, more elaborate setup than this) many told me they were no longer going

to participate online anywhere because they had emotionally invested too much

into friendships on Aspergia. I still get emails from these people now and then.

These people claim not to be members of autistic message boards.

- some members seemed to have close relationships with other former 'Aspegians',

True. The closest friends were those who were (or said they were) diagnosed.

There really was a group think among them. It was amazing. Of course, we have no

way of knowing that those who said they were diagnosed WERE diagnosed. 

- they welcomed newcomers, and were willing to explain any questions that arose

due to shared history

True.

-some people who were in the group then are still with us

True.

-some now use different name, NOT deceptively, though

True.

-a few have left the group, some due to differences,(?? a Scandinavian member)

others maybe due to changes in their own life

True.

-some of the 'rules' were implemented over time, to respond to problems, and

protect the group members

True.

-any organization will have struggles at some point(s) in it's life, how it

responds will determine it's future persona

True.

-being the moderators of a group is a major responsibility, as not everyone

seemed(s) to want to contribute to the common good

True.

- at one point there may have been more personal 'sharing' amongst group

members; now there seems to be more discussion of national and world wide

issues, with some personal dialogue.

True.

-Now there are the links to blogs from MIC and Elyse, broadening the outlook,

along with responses to the blog posts.

True. But here is where I want to point out something. In one sense, the lack of

interest in what Elyse and I are doing is typical of the autistic community. As

long as autistics get fed and watered and housed everyday, most don't care what

happens in the world, or to other autistics. On the other hand, if you start a

movement which is going to get a bunch of freebies, then you get a bunch of

self-diagnosed and diagnosed people on board looking for goodies. The most

militant forum on the net believes that autism ought to be given minority status

by the UN and has been fighting for that for years. If that is passed by the UN,

it would mean that treating autism or its symptoms would be a hate crime. And

they are all for it.

Have any other members read some of the early posts?

I do.

What do you think about the group?

It sucks. Aside from dismayed people carrying this grudge which never makes them

want to get on the net again, there is a second group of people who simply hate

the Yahoo format, and so they haven't joined here or haven't stayed. I could

switch formats, but if I did, it would be to the EZboard format which is not

what people would want anyway.

But guess what folks, I DO have a secret place set up for all of us JUST IN CASE

Yahoo ever shuts down Yahoo Groups. You won't find it on the net though, because

it is " hidden " with a " secret " status. 

Administrator

   

     

   

   

 

[Guest guest]

Thank you! rl'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by SmartFrom: environmental1st2003 <no_reply >Subject: Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?To: FAMSecretSociety Received: Saturday, April 9, 2011, 10:49 PM

"Yes, also am pleased that flame wars are not allowed;

sometimes I get irrationally reactive/hostile, and just knowing that flame wars are not allowed helps me keep my cool, and exercise some restraint at times, also I don't want to cause the moderators stress or more work than their duties already are."

You've never stressed any of us RL.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Will do.

Administrator

If this group is shut down, please contact me, when/if you start another group.

I genuinely enjoy the group, even though I am not very active, and (along with

the folks on a 'cat' group, refer to you folks as my internet friends.

rl

[Guest guest]

, I appreciated your insights and more background info, and have been thinking about them; wrote:"For myself, I do tend mostly to talk about current events because history is a perseverative interest of mine and I can see how history is repeating itself again and it really annoys me." Yes, many folks seem to live in the present or future. On a personal level, I tend to live in the past and the present, find it difficult to 'see' my future in the sense of workng towards it on more than a few basic levels, such as planing home improvement project, or learning certain skills, or accomplisihng things at work. The past is as real to me as today is, in many ways. wrote:"I've been posting fewer articles on my own lately just because there is so much going on and I do feel rather bad about posting all that and not so much about Autism itself. I'd be glad to talk more about AS and all but the subject doesn't come up very often, same with other people's interests. "Possibly I hesitate to say much about Autism, becauseI don't have official diagnosis, just see myself as a person with MANY traits of Aspergers. (I feel it would be as if I, who is 1/4 Native, but raised in multicultural white man's world, to expound on Native issues while pretending to be Native)Although I do have diverse and eccentric interests, at this time in my life, I don't have much energy to try and dialogue about them. lame excuse, but....rl'My cat Rusty is a servant of the Living God....'adapted from a poem by SmartFrom:

VISIGOTH@... Subject: Re: Re: Who here remembers Aspergia?To: FAMSecretSociety Received: Sunday, April 3, 2011, 5:01 PM

Very good summary. I was thinking through how to do one of my own but yours is much better. I will add a few points.

After reading your summary and looking through some old links on a little used screen name, I found an Aspergia link. That was time when I was rather asocial and was put off by the things mentioned. When Aspergia folded I went to two different AS sites, 's and another. The other one was small and had few problems. However, the site was hacked a few times and finally the owner never bothered to replace it, mostly because almost none of the members were coming back or answering emails we sent to them.

As for 's site, I think there was more discussion at one time. There was a time when trolls came through, I think three "waves" of them. Each time a few members left and I'm not sure if they came back or not. It did seem to get a little quieter each go round though.

For myself, I do tend mostly to talk about current events because history is a perseverative interest of mine and I can see how history is repeating itself again and it really annoys me. So I talk about it here because trying to explain things on news sites isn't worth the effort because, well, those places regardless of which site are mostly full of people shouting various political slogans and calling names with few having any real interest in what is going on. Very irritating. I've been posting fewer articles on my own lately just because there is so much going on and I do feel rather bad about posting all that and not so much about Autism itself. I'd be glad to talk more about AS and all but the subject doesn't come up very often, same with other people's interests.

Anyway, back on subject. I've also noticed the lack of interest by a lot of people with AS with what is going on not only with Autism but also in the world. I've run into a few others on the net and also in real life and I've felt them out before telling them about this site. So far I don't think any would be a good fit. One guy I know probably would have ended up a troll. Some others really liked the idea of minority status (because it would come with benefits, etc.), are devout vaccines did it types and/or members of Autism speaks. So, I haven't invited anyone over. I've also noticed that many of the new members here post maybe once, if at all, some later leave. That troubles me because if they want to know something about AS, they should ask questions. That might not be easy for some people, and I'm actually quiet on new boards for a while, that is if I bother to join any.

I'll close by saying that I have appreciated this site over the years. It has been a social outlet especially in years when there was no other. Even now it is a more comfortable place than most others.

I

[Guest guest]

Thank you RL.

I think your are right about most people living in the present and the future, with an emphasis on the present and very near future. As you say, I think mostly in the past, not necessarily my own but the past in general, and the present. Much of the time I am thinking, which is not always a good thing. The future is something I have trouble with as well, particularly since it is my experience that plans rarely turn out reliably enough to plan overly far ahead. Besides that is the uncertainty of my business makes long term planning impractical and its getting worse.

As for not having an official DX, I think you could still post about AS all the same. I understand also about the lack of energy to pursue interests. There's a lot going on these days on all fronts and it does take the wind out of your sails. For me its mostly watching the nonsense in DC and from the elites of the world and watching how things are getting tight for the majority, myself included. The future thing is intruding a lot into my thoughts which is something I dislike. Its necessary, but since there is so much uncertainty, it is hard to make effective plans.

, I appreciated your insights and more background info, and have been thinking about them;