Netiquette

Table of Contents

This group is intended to be a safe, respectful space for all people with ME/CFS, Long COVID, Post-Vac, and their relatives. We want to foster mutual support, understanding, and trust. Please help ensure this succeeds by observing the following rules:

1. Respectful Interaction & Safe Space

This group is a protected space. Always treat others with goodwill, kindness, empathy, and respect—even when opinions differ.

  • No insults, provocations, personal attacks, or discriminatory statements. Hate speech or discriminatory content (e.g., racist, sexist, ableist, or anti-queer statements) will not be tolerated.
  • If your capacity allows, please use inclusive language that excludes no one.
  • Humor and irony can be easily misunderstood—use explanatory notes (irony) or emojis if necessary.

2. Confidentiality & Data Privacy

Everything shared in the group remains confidential. Personal information or chat histories may not be passed on or quoted without consent—not even in anonymized form.

  • No screenshots or quotes from the group on social media or in other chats.
  • If you use translation or AI tools, do not enter the private content of others into them.
  • Respect everyone’s privacy—even after you leave the group.

3. Respecting Personal Limits, Pacing

ME/CFS involves extreme exertion intolerance and limited energy. Please be mindful of your energy levels—and those of others.

  • You do not always have to answer—breaks are allowed and important.
  • Do not expect quick reactions from others.
  • If topics overwhelm you, you can mute them or ask the moderation team for support.
  • Respect the boundaries of others as well—no one owes you a reply.

4. Sensitive Handling of Health Topics

This group is for sharing experiences, not for medical advice. Exchanging experiences is welcome, but please do so responsibly.

  • No diagnostic suggestions, promises of cures, or advertising for dubious therapies (see Code: Commitment to Science).
  • Experiences may be shared (“this helped me…”), but no general claims (“this helps with ME/CFS”).
  • Every person walks their own path—the therapy decisions of others are not to be judged.
  • No advertising, no product placements, no affiliate links.

5. Mindful Communication & Barriers

Many members have cognitive and sensory limitations. Please structure your posts so they are accessible to as many people as possible.

  • Use paragraphs and legible text whenever possible.
  • Avoid walls of text, garish colors, flashing elements, or animated GIFs.
  • Avoid voice messages if possible; if you do use them, write a short keyword/summary regarding the content.
  • Please resolve conflicts calmly and objectively—or contact the moderation team.

6. Trigger Topics & Emotional Safety

Some topics can be distressing. Look after yourself and others when sharing sensitive content.

  • Mark sensitive content with a trigger warning (e.g., “TW: Trauma” or “TW: Suicidal thoughts”) and insert an empty line before the text if necessary.
  • You are allowed to talk about difficult feelings, but do not take on therapeutic responsibility for others.

7. No Spam, No Advertising

This group is for exchanging information about ME/CFS and football—not for self-promotion or commercial use.

  • Sharing helpful, reputable, and non-commercial resources is allowed.
  • No commercial offers, coaching, product links, or donation appeals.
  • Please discuss advertising for other groups, channels, or projects with the moderation team beforehand.
  • Political, religious, or ideological content is only allowed if it is directly related to ME/CFS or football and is formulated objectively. Content that promotes or justifies extremist, populist, missionary, or divisive movements (e.g., MAGA, QAnon, Reichsbürger, etc.) is expressly prohibited.

8. Handling AI, Social Media & Data Privacy

AI tools are often helpful for those affected by ME/CFS. Since the data privacy situation is currently still opaque, we ask you to observe the following points:

  • Group discussions or personal experiences may not be used for AI training, blogs, podcasts, or social media—even anonymized—without the consent of those affected.
  • When uploading documents or images, ensure you do not publish any private data (e.g., real names, addresses, diagnoses of others).
  • If you use AI-based tools, carefully check data security and source quality.

Conclusion

This netiquette is intended to help ensure our group remains a safe, mindful, and supportive place for everyone. Constructive feedback and suggestions regarding the group structure are always welcome. Thank you for treating others respectfully, empathically, and responsibly. In the event of rule violations, the moderation team reserves the right to delete posts or exclude members. Thank you for being part of this community.

Your Moderation Team