We’re posting this again, especially for newcomers but also a reminder to those not-so-new.
Adjusting to a new forum can be confusing, so if you’re still reeling from your diagnosis, just write from your heart and read these tips later. We welcome everyone here, no matter how you express yourself. However, be aware that internet privacy is a major concern, so please make sure you read Section 12b before posting.
1) Choose your title carefully when you write a new post, so that people can easily see what it’s about. (This is a very busy forum and many people just read what catches their attention at a quick glance)
2) Use paragraph breaks frequently. Long unbroken texts are very off-putting and MUCH less likely to be read.
3) Complete your profile. If members know your nationality and details of your CLL history, they can respond to you more appropriately. Try to keep it updated as your situation changes. Use this link to access your profile. healthunlocked.com/profile/... You can access the profiles of others too, by clicking on their avatar pictures. Having people’s background information is a big help when replying to them.
4) When responding to other posts, read the existing conversation before adding your own comments. Also check the dates – some posts are many years old and may no longer be relevant. This will help you avoid making responses that no longer fit the situation.
5) Don’t assume the writer of a post actually has CLL. Many people land on our site when they have one symptom that’s typically found in CLL, but it's actually due to something else.
6) Don’t be too dogmatic. Please share what has worked for you but don’t assume it will work for everyone. (There are many varieties of CLL and people often have other health issues that complicate the situation.)
7) Only give scientific explanations/medical details that are within your knowledge base. Give web references wherever possible, making sure they are from reputable sources. (Dr Mercola’s site is NOT a reputable source).
8) Check who you are replying to. To reply to the person who started the thread, write in the “Reply” box at the bottom of their original post, or in the “Reply” box at the end of all the responses.
To reply to someone who has already responded to the post, select the “Reply” that is at the bottom of their response, and write your message there. If you look above the box you’re replying in, you’ll see “Reply to xxxx”, so you can confirm who will be notified of your response. Starters of threads will get notifications of all replies in their thread. People responding will only get notifications of people who have replied to their response.
Sorry if that sounds a bit complicated, but sometimes people write responses to specific people in message boxes addressed to someone else and the intended recipient never sees it, as they don’t get a notification.
9) Remember this is an INTERNATIONAL group (though it is UK-based). Not everyone has the same medical system as you, with the same ability to choose doctors and treatments.
10) Avoid using too many abbreviations – explain what the letters stand for when you use them for the first time. (It's very off-putting for newcomers to be faced by strings of letters that they don't understand).
11) Show respect to others, even if we disagree with them. When in doubt, be kind… Many people have battles going on in their lives that we know nothing about.
You can report abusive/inappropriate posts by selecting “More v” under that post, then “report”. The admin/volunteer team may decide that content should be edited or deleted, to protect the group. For a detailed description of the CLLSA Health Unlocked guidelines, see cllsupport.org.uk/cll-suppo...
12) Your PRIVACY and SECURITY are very important
a) Choose your username and image/avatar with care. You may not want one that easily reveals your identity. You can change your name later, by following instructions in this link. support.healthunlocked.com/... Note that you can only change your name twice!
b) Posting securely - the following link describes the process. support.healthunlocked.com/... When creating a post, remember that the default setting for privacy is "everyone" - which includes the whole internet community. To “lock” your post and restrict it to this CLL community, choose “Only community members” in answer to the question “Who can see my post?”
All replies to a post are controlled by the privacy set by the person who wrote the original post. So if you leave your post “unlocked”, every reply you get in that thread will be accessible to internet searches. This will deter many people from joining the conversation, and you will get fewer responses. When replying to someone else, check that their original post is locked before you say anything too personal. Remember that a reply to an unlocked post may be found in Google searches and may even turn up in social media.
c) Changing privacy status on your existing post. If you accepted the default “unlocked” setting for your original post, you might later decide to change it, so more people will feel free to respond. To do that: (i) Go to the end of your post— select "More v" then "edit" from the dropdown menu. (ii) Scroll down to "Who can see my post" and select "Only community members" (iii) Close post by selecting "Post" at bottom left (iv) Check privacy symbol has appeared (little grey padlock)
Although we want to err on the side of caution when choosing privacy settings, if your post has no private personal information, no identifying photos, and you don't expect replies to contain personal information, consider leaving it in the default unlocked state. After all, you probably found our community from an internet search. 
d) Sharing private details (eg emails, phone numbers) on the main forum is not permitted. Such information can leave you vulnerable even on “locked” posts so it will be deleted. Instead you can use the private message system, also called “Chat”. support.healthunlocked.com/... Note that you can write to multiple recipients and create private friendship groups by adding usernames to the message page.
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This is a joint post from Admins and Volunteers. We hope you’ve found it helpful We've left it unlocked so that newly diagnosed potential members can find us. If you want to reply but don’t want your words to be read by non-members, you may wish to respond with a new “locked” post rather than replying to this post. (See point 12b)
For more detailed posting tips, see AussieNeil’s article healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...
For more about security, see healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...
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