Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Working in Applied Behavior Analysis can be a rewarding experience.  But it can also be overwhelming.  It’s easy to feel alone and unsupported, even when working in a clinic with co-workers nearby (more so when providing home and community-based services).  This community has been created to provide an opportunity for ABA professionals, those seeking to enter the field, and individuals looking to learn more about ABA to connect, ask questions and feel supported.

This discussion forum is for educational purposes. Shared knowledge helps us all to learn more. Please respect that this forum is for educational purposes only.

The rules of the forum are intended to provide a safe space for all who participate.  Anyone found abusing the community, attempting to solicit or being disrespectful will be removed.  Thriving Not Surviving LLC dba Master ABA reserves the sole right to remove any and all posts from this forum at any time. 

1. No Spam / Advertising / Self-promote in the forums

Spam is considered unsolicited advertisement for goods, services and/or other web sites, or posts with little, or completely unrelated content. Do not spam the forums with links to your site or product, or try to self-promote your website, business or forums etc.

Spamming also includes sending private messages to a large number of different users.  If multiple members complain about messages received, the person sending this messages will be removed from the forum.

DO NOT ASK for email addresses or phone numbers.  Your account will be banned permanently and your posts will be deleted.

2. Do not post copyright-infringing material

Providing or asking for information on how to illegally obtain copyrighted materials is forbidden.  Posts that violate this rule will be removed.

3. Do not post “offensive” posts, links or images

Any material which constitutes defamation, harassment, or abuse is strictly prohibited. Material that is sexually or otherwise obscene, racist, or otherwise overly discriminatory is not permitted on these forums. This includes user profile pictures. Use common sense while posting.  This is a web site for professionals and all posts should appropriate for this audience.

4. Do not cross post questions

Please refrain from posting the same question in several forums. There is normally one forum which is most suitable in which to post your question.  Cross posting makes it unnecessarily difficult to browse for topics of interest.

5. Do not PM users asking for help

Do not send private messages to any users asking for help. If you need help, make a new thread in the appropriate forum then the whole community can help and benefit.

6. Remain respectful of other members at all times

All posts should be professional and courteous. You have every right to disagree with your fellow community members and explain your perspective.

However, you are not free to attack, degrade, insult, or otherwise belittle them or the quality of this community. It does not matter what title or power you hold in these forums, you are expected to observe this rule.

General Posting Guidelines

To ensure you get the best responses possible, be sure to follow these general guidelines.

1. Please use search first

As the forum grows, there will be a pretty good chance that unless you have some really odd or unique problem that it has been addressed on our forum before.  Please use the forum’s search feature first to see if there are already some good threads on the subject. It’s easy to search – just click the “Search” button at the top right of the page.

2. Be descriptive and don’t use “generic” topic names

1. Please post a descriptive topic name! Give a short summary of your problem in the subject.  (Don’t use attention getting subjects, they don’t get attention and only annoy people).
2. Here’s a great list of topic subjects you should not post:
   Help me,  Hello,  Very urgent, I have a question

Generally ANYTHING similar to those is unacceptable. Just post your problem, question or idea.

• Here is a good example of a way to post a question:

My boss asked me to do something I believe is unethical.  How can I refuse and still keep  my job?

• Remember when people respond to you, they are trying to help.  Be patient, help people out by posting good descriptions of what you need help with. 
• Please hold to a single topic for each thread. Be sure to list your topic in the message header/subject box before sending. This will aid the reader(s) in identifying the topic.
• If you read a posting and feel that the replier misunderstood your post, give the writer the benefit of the doubt. Communicating on-line is very difficult. Not everyone has the needed writing expertise to adequately express themselves.
• Please ‘sign’ your post by including your name on the post.

3. Remain HIPAA Compliant

It is your obligation to remain compliant with HIPAA. Do not post any personally identifiable information in the forum or in messages.

General Forum Questions

Am I allowed more than one account?

No, there is no reason why you should have more than one account for our forums. If you are banned from the forums, please do not create a new account. If you continue to create new accounts after you have been banned, your IP address will be blocked from the forums.

What happens if I break a rule?

If you break a rule, then you will either be warned or banned. A ban of your user account may either be temporary or permanent. The administrators and moderators also have the right to edit, delete, move or close any thread or post as they see necessary, without prior warning.

What happens if I see a thread/post which has broken a rule?

Please report the thread/post to the moderators or admin.

Becoming a moderator

All moderator applicants must be a member for at least 90 days (3 months) and have at least 100 posts.
You must be active in the individual forums you wish to moderate and regularly create and respond to threads in those forums.
You must also maintain a working knowledge of the subject matter.

Please be aware that applying to be a moderator does not guarantee acceptance and that moderators will only be appointed when needed.

Current moderators and administrators will review applications and decide if the applicant fits the desired post. Administrators have the final say and we reserve to right to refuse applicants with or without cause.

Moderator Policy

To apply to be a moderator you must be:

• a forum regular user
• have been at the forum for over 3 months
• have a positive presence on Master ABA Forums
• be proactive
• knowledgeable in the Forums you would like to moderate
• polite and helpful towards other members and give advice whenever needed and whenever possible
• visit the forum each day, actively take part in discussions as often as possible, ideally once a day, setting a good example to the other members
• take an active part in discussions between Moderators relating to the running of the forum
• help to keep unsuitable content out of the forums as much as possible