So, I finally had to kick asl. For real. Got properly sick of it, you know how it is.
It wasn't always a massive headache. Way back, felt like every online chat kicked off with that. But things change, or at least they bloody well should. Trying to run my own little online spot, this "asl?" thing became a proper nightmare. New folks would pop in, and bam, first thing out of their mouths: "asl?". It drove me up the wall. And worse, it scared off the good people, the ones you actually want to stick around.
My Old, Pretty Useless Methods
At first, I tried being reasonable. Yeah, that worked about as well as a screen door on a submarine. Then I tried just ignoring it, hoping it'd go away. Bad move. That just made the whole place feel like the wild west, no rules, anything goes. I wasted so much time just zapping messages one by one, or dishing out warnings that, let's be honest, nobody ever read.
- Tried giving gentle little nudges. Pointless.
- Tried laying down the law with stern warnings. People just got their backs up.
- Tried just banning them straight off. Felt like I was playing whack-a-mole, more annoying than effective.
Truth be told, it felt like I was spending more time swatting these asl pests than actually doing anything useful or fun. It was a bit like this one awful job I had years ago, trying to fix ancient code that was so brittle, it should've been in a display case. You'd patch one hole, and two more would spring open. Absolutely soul-crushing, that was.
The Lightbulb Moment – Or More Like The "Had Enough" Moment
Then one day, after a particularly irritating wave of these "asl?" numpties, I just lost it. Decided there and then, no more Mr. Nice Guy. No more subtle hints. I was going to kick asl, and kick it good and proper.
My grand solution wasn't some bit of high-tech wizardry. Nah, I'm not that clever. It was simpler: a change in attitude and a really, really blunt approach. Here’s the play-by-play, my own little "kick asl" system:
My Dead Simple "Kick ASL" Drill
Step 1: The Big, Unmissable Warning.
I slapped up a new rule, right there at the top of the page, in massive, bold letters you couldn’t possibly miss. Something along the lines of: "ABSOLUTELY NO 'asl?' or any similar nosy questions. Ask it, and you're out. No second chances." Made it crystal clear. No ifs, no buts.
Step 2: The Hair-Trigger Response.
And I wasn't kidding. First time someone broke that rule, boom, they were gone. No debates, no "Oh, I didn't see the rule." The rule was right there in their face. If they couldn't be bothered to read the very first thing they were shown, well, they weren't the sort of person I wanted hanging around anyway.
- Did I set up fancy filters? Not really. It was mostly manual at the start, but I was quick. Someone types it, I spot it, they vanish.
- I also got my trusted regulars involved. If they spotted it before I did, they'd give me a shout, and I'd deal with it sharpish.
Step 3: Making an Example (Not always, but it worked).
Sometimes, not all the time, mind you, but sometimes, I'd make a bit of a public example. Not by naming and shaming, nothing like that. Just a simple, factual "User Y has been removed for breaking Rule #1." It showed everyone else I meant business.
Step 4: Giving Time to the Decent Folk.
With way less time wasted on the asl rubbish, I could actually chat with the people who were there for the right reasons. Have proper conversations. It just made the whole atmosphere a load better.
So, Did It Actually Do the Trick?
You better believe it. Worked like a charm. The "asl?" questions pretty much dried up overnight. Sure, a few people got the boot. Some probably moaned about it somewhere. But the ones who stayed? They loved it. The whole place just felt cleaner, more grown-up, more respectful. People started having real chats instead of that creepy interrogation nonsense.
It’s a funny old thing, this whole "kick asl" business. It reminds me of when I tried to pack in smoking, donkey's years ago. Tried the patches, tried the gum, tried cutting down bit by bit. Nothing worked. Then one day, I just chucked the packet in the bin and said, "Right, that's it. Done." Went cold turkey. It was tough for a bit, no lie, but it was the only thing that actually stuck. Sometimes you just have to be firm and rip the plaster off, don't you?
This whole online world, it's chock-full of these little annoyances that can drain the life out of you if you let 'em. Whether it's "asl" or some other daftness, sometimes you've just got to put your foot down and be firm. Took me a while to get that, but better late than never, eh? Now, my little corner of the internet is a much nicer place to be. Less noise, more actual community. And I don't have to clench my jaw every time a new name pops up. That's a definite win in my book.
