AUTISTIC PEOPLE ON THE (N.A.S.) INTERNET, AND "HOW-TO" USE IT.

If there is no page explaining this already:
.. Can someone explain what ALL of those "achievements" mean , or/and how to "achieve" them? For instance, there is an "achievement" award for "Ask a question on a forum"... yet it seems to me that an awful lot of people ask an awful lot of each other an awful lot of "question"s... and yet (on my E-Reader at least) "no-one" has "achieved" this "achievement"...

I myself have at least "achieved" the "Discussion Starter" "Award" (...). But for me being occasionally playing video-games upon a separate computer system (I play SKYLANDERS)... this "achievement" system would be yet another thing totally NOT understood by me, and useful to clarify here.

Maybe just don't try all the time to highlight things, it's not that important for understanding what you are saying, sometimes it does actually achieve the opposite.

*If I want to change text-style, it comes out like this.*

Finally did it, that time. But I can't alter INDIVIDUAL words within the same sentence. (On this E-Reader.)

If I offended you, then I apologise.  But it's just the way I am!!!

I have a VERY good eye for detail.  And this rubs people up the wrong way.

A few weeks ago I was in an office waiting room and noticed that the firm's displayed insurance certificate was 6 days out of date. It was 6 Oct 2017 ( the certificate was from 1 Oct 2016 to 30 September 2017).  I mentioned it to them and got some very funny looks.

Think I can see what you mean about the "helpful" response from NAS. It would upset me only more to get such a response because I would surely already have tried everything I could to find the information myself. But then sometimes people seem really grateful, either they just pretend this or they had actually really not searched in the right place. So maybe it is useful more often than we would think. Generally I think anything that allows to access more individual support is worth posting, but with links to some general information I'm not so sure, that can go both ways. If someone hasn't seen this general information anywhere yet then it may be helping, but if they have already read the same in various places it could make them even more desperate. No idea, guess the NAS people know what they are doing.

Hi there, trying to define some terms the way I understand them (maybe the fact that English isn't my first language makes that sometimes easier because I get less distracted by the more original meaning of words...)

Topic - what a thread is about

Thread - a series of posts, all on the same topic (well, more or less); someone opens one by posting a comment on a new topic, then people respond, more people respond to those responds and so on. Because of replies to replies to replies... this isn't all simple and linear, and the way this website works often makes it quite hard to read.

Forum - is what is called here the "NAS community". It's this part of their website you are on at the moment. A forum is a place for non-NAS people to discuss things, as compared to the rest of the website where the content comes from people working at the NAS. So all the threads with posts on various topics are found on that forum. The same applies to other forums on other websites.

Post - any comment you submit, either by starting a new thread or by replying to someone else's post

Friend - someone you have made a slightly more personal connection with, on social media (like Facebook, but also this forum) that works like in kindergarten. You can't develop into being friends and both simply know it, you have to ask someone "Do you want to be my friend?" - this is done by sending a friend request. Then the other person can decide if they want to accept this (basically saying "yes, I want to be your friend") or not (by just ignoring it or declining it (o.k., this bit is different from kindergarten). Being friends with someone allows you to do some more private things. You may send them a private message (a message only that person can see) or (for example on Facebook) be able to see their whole profile, their comments etc. On the NAS forum it doesn't have much functionality, it's just for private messages as far as I can see, but it's a way of saying "I find we have something in common and feel somehow connected to you / I appreciate your comments / let's keep sharing our thoughts...", and perhaps to form collection of friends (think this is what people often do on Facebook, not sure if there is much of this here). Guess like in real life one expects friends to sometimes be a little more understanding towards them than the general (forum) population. Unfortunately it does sometimes also go the other way. Generally I'd say to be friends on social media is far less deep or committing as in real life.

Private messages - Sometimes I would like to reply to someone but know that it would either upset others or perhaps embarrass the person I want to reply to in front of others. If I were good at that I could probably write it anyway but in a way that avoids all these problems, but I'm not. Turning it around, for example if someone sent me a private message saying "oktanol, no need getting so worked up about this, xyz didn't mean it like that even if it came across that way" it would probably make me calm down, if someone would write the same as a reply to something I posted I would probably feel more irritated, think they are taking sides, that it's not fair, and go on arguing and getting more upset. Sometimes I would also like to say something that's too private to be on a website where everybody (including people that are not members of this forum) can see it. This is way I would sometimes like to send private messages. Whenever I tried this I got no response though - possibly because the other person just didn't want it, which is fine, possibly because they didn't see it - who knows.

Hope it has clarified some things. Don't worry about asking, it took me also a while to figure out what mods are.

To Oktanol (again) this turn,
"Private Message". Until you specified that term exactly, I honestly did not know what it meant, as it keeps appearing as part of a list of one of those "pop-up" lists that likes to have massive fight with the "Virtual Keyboard" on my E-Reader. I try to access it, it disappears/reappears. I try to tap a part of it, it disappears/reappears. I twitch or blink, and it disappears/reappears.

"Friending". All of what I posted then, was what I meant and happened. The "friend" request was kind of meant as that sort of thing which is done in real life, where one may visit a shop/store, yet unexpectedly encounter very much difficulty (or hostility)... and only one (or two) persons actually rescue you therefrom... and in great relief at them, a '"THANK YOU" CARD' is a most appropriate thing to give back to them.
The "Thank You" was to "NAS24896" (correct number?); I genuinely meant to "send" a "ThankYou", and I did not know how this involves "sharing Emails" or such jargon and before I could even consider such implications, the "BOX" that I said appeared did appear, and I couldn't do anything else about it. But whatever I wrote, I GENUINELY meant the "Thank You"! I intended to copy/paste/edit the message I sent, but as I said, EVERYTHING else I was doing disappeared after that.
This all is a part of what this "thread" is for - to report "niggles" such as that, and how such "niggles" are not found out until AFTER doing them, and about how confusing or difficult they may be.

A last "niggle/issue", related to this. Sometimes even when I switch from one thread to another or just press the "back" button (still here on NAS), I am "signed out", text disappears, I wind up elsewhere, etc. Some of these problems are to do with NAS, and some are not; but for this "thread", all such are mentioned as reasons for trouble or misunderstanding while "using the Internet". ふっ.

This should show up as me replying to myself (!).
If anyone didn't follow that 2.30AM post of 19th October there, then don't worry about that. I was attempting to describe a picture, and all of us know how that confusing *that* is. The point of the post was to describe something I saw, which made no sense. I repeat again:

THE "ISSUES" here are this:
"ElephantInTheRoom" shows up as the person I supposedly replied to... but I was actually replying to "NAS24896"!
"14 other replies" ... really? Where?
"22 days ago" - I only posted all of that YESTERDAY (i.e. about 2 hours ago).
"[Clock Icon] 2 days ago" - Less than two hours, and contradicts it saying "22 days ago" as above.

...That was what I saw, and in this new post I was going to advise anyone to visit the "NAS Community Home Page" to see any errors for themselves...
...but as I post this now - the entire record of me writing that has disappeared from the entire HISTORY(!)... On rechecking the "Home" page again and again, that post history is still missing.

YET, for other people's posts, you MIGHT still see what I meant. Little errors such as:
- "posted yesterday" ... "[clock icon] 22 days ago".
- "This happened to me in November 20xx" ... but it is SAID to be posted in October of the same year.

Another new thread which is welcome (if it does not exist already), is one explaining what all of these [icons] are supposed to mean or what they indicate. I understand that it is different across computers, devices, times, etc. And that they may be "computer" errors... But as a possible (erratic) confusion, it is mentioned for the sake of this thread/topic: Some of us take all of this LITERALLY - we "misunderstand" or are confused - and we make errors over it.

To Laddie49.
Three things for me in this reply.

UP LATE. Yes, I guess I stay "up late" much, since the whole of the UK including the Internet, is much quieter then (except at weekends)...

EMOJIS. Another Technical "issue" the reasons for which I began this "thread". On my Tablet/E-Reader, I can see this emoji. But on the iPod which I receive "messages" or "updates" and whatnot... it is completely not there. (Despite the "keyboard" for it being loaded and I CAN type them in as well.)

"Mods". Um, to be honest, it took me three reads and a whole day to figure out what "mods" meant...! This is another topic about "misunderstanding/confusion", and "slang" and/or "jargon" for which this thread is started. For instance:
NT - NeuroTypical (not ASD)
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
AS - Autistic Spectrum, OR Asperger's Syndrome
ND - NeuroDiverse (includes AS, ASD, NT)
...
But for ASPERGER UNITED Magazine, I would not know what NT, AS, ND... mean.
For the sake of "newbies" (including me?!), I would start a whole new thread, including general Internet terms as well. (It is why I often write "thread/forum/topic", or "post/reply", because I don't know which term to specify for THIS exact place and message.) If all of that "jargon" is specified elsewhere upon the NAS website, then can someone tell me (& everyone else?) where, exactly...

I know I said three topics, but this is a fourth answer, which I think another "thread" is talking about. Mr. Chris Packham's documentary. No, I didn't see it, but I have read much from him concerning Autism and his two-then-one dogs, "Itchy and Scratchy". I know a bit about dogs and pets... but with regards to me, that is another topic altogether...

To BonniePurple. When you say "forum" it is, mayhaps, my own fault for not knowing if you mean just this-particular-thread/topic... or the entire NAS WEBSITE. My own tip for the Internet in general is to make the SEARCH box your very best friend. I too could never find a single thing anywhere without typing in certain "keywords" or "quotations" into SEARCH. When there is no search-box offered, I just kind of sit there, flummoxed, and whining "But I KNOW that that is here! Where did it go?..." (!)

Concerning all else you address, thank you for sharing and that IS supposed to be what this "thread/topic" is about.

To Robert123...I wasn't certain how to reply, but then I looked back at a certain other "thread" ("formal diagnosis... advice, please") and saw that you are one of "those persons", just like myself, who has done a certain thing which... well, 'provoked a certain response from NAS, which they think is helpful but isn't always'. I have also done this, on yet another thread... and if this seems confusing, then part of that is what this reply is about.

1- The "helpful" response from NAS. - I don't repeat the exact words here, because the topic itself would be a diversion from this thread here. But the fact that they give a stock response to CERTAIN KEYWORDS --- that IS a topic for this thread.
2- The "rule 4" response from NAS. - Same as before. I wrote an entry about this which should be far below: the entry that contains [ "!!!!OMG!!! THAT IS SOOOOO FUNNY!!! LOL!!!" ] ... that one, down there.
3- Why I reply to your reply is... note that I first of all said " 'are okay as if the entire affair were RATED UNDER 15 if it were a classified as a movie'." -note here the word UNDER. I suppose this means that, if you speak, write or act as if you were in a 12A or PG13 movie, then that is more acceptable.

...and if THIS seems confusing, then this last should make it all quite clear:
I *would* like to start a NEW THREAD, titled:
"Words and Things (concerning Autism) which you are NOT allowed to talk about on the NAS-WEBSITE. "
...But of course I can't, because we aren't allowed to talk about them! (やれやれ...)

To Oktanol, about Text Formatting. On my E-Reader, this box/format-button only gives me the options: PARAGRAPH,  Justify Text left, Justify Text centre, Add Picture, Bullet-pointing, Listing.

No Bold, Italics, or such.
*If I want to change text-style, it comes out like this.*
And that sentence there, I cannot see how it will appear until *after* I've posted it. So I'm STILL USING CAPITALS, SOMETIMES...!

Hi DC, sorry if it seems a silly question, but I'm a little confused. What are you actually trying to do? Why "emails"? Do you mean private messages on here? Are you trying to send them and it doesn't work? You don't need a email program for that or a phone number, but depending on someone's account settings you can usually only send private messages to someone you are friends with. Was that what you tried? To become friends with someone, and was that not working? Or had someone send you a friend request in order to be able to send you private messages, and you couldn't accept it (on your device, I mean)?

Try not too hard to understand the structure of this forum, it's not you being dumb, it's just a strange system and confuses everybody a bit. When replying to someone, perhaps address them (as you did), then it's clear anyway, even if the reply appears in the wrong place. 

I'm sometimes getting a little confused with your quotation marks. At times you seem to use them to indicate that this is exactly how the button is called, o.k., I understand that, but often I have no idea. Sometimes people use them to indicate a sarcastic or not literal meaning but that doesn't seem to fit either. Like in the last sentence you wrote. Or is it a way of highlighting words? Think I would find it easier to read without a lot of highlighting because I'm focusing a lot on understanding the reason for highlighting (if that's what it's for). Others may have other preferences though. Don't worry too much about it, It's just my personal opinion/preference and may or may not be shared by anyone else (and even if others share it there is no law about it).

There are also only a few kind of laws here, other things are a matter of personal judgement which isn't always easy and is subjective and autism doesn't help with it. So you are certainly allowed several posts in a day, but say if you keep posting comment after comment and nobody has time to respond or you are not actually taking replies into consideration when posting then there can be a point where it gets too much and it starts to appear offensive, no matter what the content is. You haven't done that, so no worries. It's also allowed to deviate from the topic a bit, but if the deviation becomes the main topic of the thread then opening a new one is certainly the better option, otherwise it's a bit unfair to the original poster. That's exactly what you did (opening a new thread, I mean) - perfect. 

Anyway, just trying to understand what you are having problems with. 

Didn't expect to post this, but it is yet another example of "issues":
"[" and "]" divide the whole of the part actually copied AS TEXT. (I have a "snapshot" of the screen, but did not want to start along such lines, since "text" is hard enough for some of us to "post" already. If I can, then I shall try to "post" the "snapshot" if anyone asks.)

[18 Oct 2017
ElephantInTheRoom
ElephantInTheRoom in Home
AUTISTIC PEOPLE ON THE (N.A.S.) INTERNET, AND "HOW-TO" USE IT.
Disallowed Cynosure replied:
"Hi" in reply to your "EMAILS" at me, which don't show up on this website, but "EMAILing" brings up many other "issues" of the sort over which I began this "thread/forum"... This is what I did & I still do. Believe it or not, I have *never* used "Emailing software" to send an "Email" in my entire life, never. The device I use to "SetUp" all of this Internet stuff is an iPOD, which can "receive", yet has no "phone number". Upon this little fellow I gain any "messages", "notifications", "updates... (with 14 other replies)
Like 22 days ago ]

... There were also "buttons" after which, I can only describe as: Like [ThumbsUp Icon] 2 [Clock Icon] 2 days ago. [... Icon].
If this makes sense, anyone should recognise it.

THE "ISSUES" here are this:
"ElephantInTheRoom" shows up as the person I supposedly replied to... but I was actually replying to "NAS24896"!
"14 other replies" ... really? Where?
"22 days ago" - I only posted all of that YESTERDAY (i.e. about 2 hours ago).
"[Clock Icon] 2 days ago" - Less than two hours, and contradicts it saying "22 days ago" as above.

The time of me POSTING this particular "issue" should register as around 02.30 (half-past-Two AM.). On 19th October.
So... yet another "confusing" thing about "The Internet". ふっ.

"Hi" in reply to your "EMAILS" at me, which don't show up on this website, but "EMAILing" brings up many other "issues" of the sort over which I began this "thread/forum"...

This is what I did & I still do. Believe it or not, I have *never* used "Emailing software" to send an "Email" in my entire life, never. The device I use to
"SetUp" all of this Internet stuff is an iPOD, which can "receive", yet has no "phone number". Upon this little fellow I gain any "messages", "notifications", "updates", "offers"... but the only way to tell what is what, is by how it is presented.
In doing such as setting up this "thread/forum" I use a *different* device: an E-READER: it is newer and quicker and bigger, and the keyboard is likewise. Yet - the two devices seem as if *deliberately* made to NOT connect to each other, even when sharing identical software...!
On the E-reader, I clicked the "friend" button and a whacking-great-big BOX appeared, which "ghosts" out almost everything else apart from two buttons: and in not wanting the device to delete everything underneath, I write in the BOX and "send/friend" it... but even after doing that, it STILL got rid of everything else, and so...
1) I can't recall what I wrote! I think it started with "Um..."
2) I apparently SENT an "Email" but didn't know it. This is another learning lesson about "The Internet".
3) I HAVE pressed "friend" buttons before, but they did nothing before. I do understand that it is supposedly a two-way thing, but the same is also said of so many other "Internet"-matters (e.g. link, like, dislike, post, delete, check, share)...
4) Personally to you, "NAS24896" (if that number is right?)... I am, of course, still very grateful at you, which was why I attempted the "friend" button...but the fact is, via "Email Software"... I can't reply to you! I can only do so via "boxes" or "buttons", and here, where it is for many to be read.

This again is another of the kind of "trouble" over which this "thread/forum" was started. Glad tidings to you in any case.

Guess if you say WOW nobody will be offended (as long as nobody thinks it was being sarcastic, that is). It's all a matter of context. Guess you are doing quite a common thing - trying to work out the rules and then applying them very strictly to everything while everybody else seems to get where they apply and where not (without even thinking about it). That is, on here not everyone does and it is a bit sad when people feel like they have to leave for that reason or are actually kicked out. Hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm certainly the type for it too. Perhaps the like/dislike button was not visible when you switched devices because you weren't logged on yet? Although you could post, so maybe there was no reason... I can't reply to anything but the first post in a thread on Edge, and my router doesn't always seem to like other browsers... Don't (or "do not" - I can't see what would be wrong about that, but then it isn't my first language, so I have 23 years less of getting used to what sounds "normal") get worked up about it, they are not that important, sometimes they do quite the opposite than they say. I don't think bullet points are bad, think many people actually struggle to read long continuous paragraphs. It just makes it all look a bit more direct, no soothing packaging around it, so that may be seen as offensive.

As somebody asked that in the other thread, I think everyone has the right to feel offended, also by an autistic person, and to voice it. Best of course without accusing each other but simply stating that this is how it came across and that it did hurt, but when feeling hurt this is hard to do, so is sometimes just not possible. We should try to accept apologies and then move on though. This is where there is perhaps some understanding gap between NT and autistic people because the apology, written or said while being emotionally quite stirred up already, may not sound right, it may sound sarcastic or as if it isn't actually honest, and then the whole thing spirals down. So if anyone has the capacity to give someone else the benefit of the doubt then I think it's good to use that. This capacity depends a lot on circumstances and nobody has it always and that's alright, it would already make a difference to do it when we can.

An issue playing quite a big role with this (at least for me) is the inflation of "thank you" and "sorry". If you really mean it you have to say it lots of times, otherwise it may not be seen as real, but not always - it can also come across as sarcastic, in that case you shouldn't repeat it at all... Yes, I'm also confused. I was accused of not thanking people and couldn't understand this because I genuinely did, also when someone had just done their normal job rather than doing me a favour or going an extra mile. Until it occurred to me that I tend to say it once and really mean it (but possibly lacking the right facial expression to go with it - not intentionally). That's not enough to some, so they don't register the first one at all, it seems.  

Hi DC I see you are up late like me Wow I actually made a smile work!

You are not the first (nor will you be the last) to run into the mods on here. I can think of quite a few including me who have "crossed" the line and had posts deleted because they were too honest and came across as offensive.

I guess we have to remember that many posters on here are not autistic and struggling to cope with their own situations and problems so we have to be careful not to offend even if it is obvious to us what the problem might be.

I am lucky to be at the high functioning end of the spectrum and sometimes forget many are not so lucky.

Did you watch Chris Packham's documentary tonight? I could not sleep after watching it,  it was so good.

Any way don't give up, take care, Laddie.

Me, yet again, and some miscellaneous "issues"... both "Autistic" and "Technical".
- It is SO weird to "reply" to "myself", in order to post anything...
- Whilst I was writing upon a "Tablet", I know that I said to try to "like" anyone.. But then I next access all of this on a laptop, and there is NO such button/information concerning "like/dislike/unlike". I know that it is a "software" issue, but this is rather the point: a website may CLAIM to offer certain things and certain assistance/help... but it is not always be able to DO what the writers say that it does. But the "User" is the one to suffer.
- Lastly here...I wanted to write about the "Warnings" from NAS themselves.
"rule 4 - Be nice to one another and enjoy chatting with others. We encourage conversation and respectful debate; however, insulting posts or comments making personal jibes will not be tolerated."
...What is "nice", "enjoyable" and even "chat" differs so greatly from person-to-person, that - even discounting being Autistic or not - this is *totally* not a helpful guideline. Some people "enjoy" flowers, singing, or classical opera...while just as many persons "enjoy" insulting, bullying, or acting out certain "illegalities" which I shan't specify here. "Nice", "chat" and "Proper language" is also not specific: children and "movies rated under 15" do not contain *certain* words... and yet even in front of children such words are now used by many in casual, "nice", and "enjoyable" conversation.
--- Actually in my own experience, I have had "children" as well "swearing like a trooper" or "effing and blinding" at me. And on forums/posts/threads... *they* are also allowed to use excessive capitals such as in "!!!!OMG!!! THAT IS SOOOOO FUNNY!!! LOL!!!"... but adults can't do any of this kind of thing on here.

All of this is more and more of what is confusing.

Hi DC your discussion in this post has been very interestng and it is good to see your day has ended on a happy note. 

It is me, the starter again. I have learned not use CAPITALS so much. But...

I do not know if one is allowed to post more than one message per-day, and so I squeeze in a lot here again.

The first thing I should say is, excuse me an uncharacteristic ebullition --- YAY! I was thinking of deleting this "thread" after I first did it, but now given what is written it is marvellous, all of you, so please keep it up. I thought I was alone in being "offensive" ("on the Internet") but I'm not? This is something I thought might be addressed elsewhere, (in NAS), but it seems that I was 'useful' to start something like this, and I really needed it "right now".

Second thing(s), pretty important to keeping this forum/thread/discussion going... Anyone reading any of this, or anyone in replying to others - PLEASE use the "like" button (if you can find it), this is part of the "test" of this business. Some of us get "disliked" without knowing why and get, um "thrown off"/"banned" or whatever. (But NAS only sends a "stock message" which does not help at all). Or if this doesn't work, send a short "reply" and see how "liking" works when doing that - or even if replying is POSSIBLE, which kind of links to the next point...

Next, Technical stuff: Please post in this forum/thread what you yourself have learned if you care to share it: from missing "buttons", links that change, or anything at all. When there is trouble, please state it - so far it should be good to know warnings about bad things which are usually dismissed normally, yet are constant, if you know what I mean...

Is this last? This is more I can add about the subject of "protocols". As well as CAPITALS, they don't seem to like it when you do not CONTRACT your English: i.e. "I cannot and shall not do this" is seen as more hostile than "I can't and shan't do this". Don't ask me why, but non-contracted (formal?) diction is seen as more hostile on a forum/thread ... (LOL-if-I-were-not-Autistic.)
Also they dislike LISTING or "Bullet-pointing", which is as if to go like:
a) first point
b) second point
c) third point
... like that. I'll close this now. (Don't forget to "LIKE" each-other, for all the good it may be allowed to do.) がんばって!