Last week, I made the extremely difficult decision to suspend one of our longstanding community members. Though I won’t be getting into specifics here out of respect for the individual, this decision resulted from numerous infractions of our community guidelines, particularly those regarding offensive language, antagonistic/harassing behavior, and respect for staff and guild leaders as representatives of Ackerly Green.
To prevent any confusion regarding this decision, I wanted to publicly explain what goes into making a decision like this, and what our official policy is regarding anyone who repeatedly shows disregard for the community guidelines.
When the decision to suspend someone is made, the individual is notified by email of the decision and the reasoning behind it. This email is the final communication between the individual and Ackerly Green. I do not hold grudges or any personal vendettas against anyone, neither does Catherine, but we simply can’t afford to spend any more time than has already gone into an already difficult decision on one person who has repeatedly shown they cannot respect and uphold our community values. This is the first time we have ever had to do something like this in over three years, but this is how we will continue to proceed should we ever need to take similar action again.
Honestly, it sucks to have to do this, and it’s made us feel sick to our stomachs as humans. It’s not a decision we came to easily, but at the end of the day we are a business with a community to protect, and suspending someone who infringes on the guidelines that make our community so special, and threatens the safety and security of our business and fellow members is well within our responsibilities to this company and community.
I’ve always said that our community is at the heart of everything we do at Ackerly Green. Although this is a business, we have made a point of never treating you all as just customers. Rather, we see each and every one of you as individuals with the potential to bring magic and wonder into this community, and we recognize and are completely humbled by the effect that Ackerly Green has had on your lives as well. It was for this reason that many of the aforementioned infractions on behalf of this particular individual were either overlooked or patiently dealt with over the past two years. And to be clear, this individual was fully aware of their infractions. They received multiple official warnings.
We pride ourselves in being a safe space that can feel like home for our community members, but when one individual continuously attempts to undermine the shared trust of the Ackerly Green community, as well as the community’s trust in Ackerly Green, at a certain point we can no longer tolerate such behavior.
I realize that many of you have personal relationships beyond the forum, and I think that’s wonderful. However, I also realize that these relationships can be vulnerable to those who may try to take advantage of them as an opportunity to express their frustration with the decision. Although there’s not much we can do about someone’s behavior once they’ve been suspended, if you have any questions or concerns or have been put into a situation where someone else has made you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to let us know privately.
We treat your trust in us with the utmost respect, and we hope that by being transparent with you about this process, you can continue to trust us to create a safe, welcoming, and fun space for everyone who is willing to reciprocate those values.
I am currently out of town at the annual Ackerly Green Summit (where we develop future narratives and plans) but Catherine will be checking this topic for questions you may have, and I’ll follow up next week when I’m back in the office. 