Understanding Responsible Online Self-help
PART I: Responsible Online Self-help Groups
The Internet is a wonderful place to connect with other people whom you may never have met otherwise. Many people who seek support online have concerns about their safety and confidentiality. This is especially true for survivors of abuse.
Since I started monitoring the progress of online self-help for abuse survivors over four years ago, many groups have been created. This is probably due to the influx of free services that encourage people to start their own "clubs", "communities", "forums", "egroups", "e-lists", etc., etc. These services are very easy to set up, and in minutes, a "self-help" group (of sorts) is formed. Support also comes in the form of newsgroups, and groups started by non-profit organizations.
A: QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
1. Is this group safe? Many groups claim to be safe. Some even claim to be the "safest place" or "the only place to heal". Be wary of such comments. Look for any evidence they are using to back up their claims. Remember that programs/services run by non-profits are not necessarily safe. Use the questions that follow to determine if the group is really safe. Also, remember that there is NEVER just one place (or time) to heal!
2. Who are the members? Find out who else is in the group and/or uses the services. Find out what the criteria for membership is (M/F, young/old, survivor/non-survivor, etc. etc.), and most importantly, does the moderator have any way of screening new members? Many groups can be joined by anyone who has an account with the sponsoring service. Also, you may want to know the group size. Too many members can make for an ineffective, impersonal experience.
3. What do I know about the moderator(s)? Who is the moderator? What do you know about him/her? How involved is s/he in the group? Does s/he share the same concern/experience as the rest of the members? If s/he does, then s/he is running a self-help group. If s/he doesn't, then the group should really be considered a support group, and the moderator should have certain credentials to lead the group. You may also want to know how many moderators facilitate the group.
4. Who will be viewing my messages/communication? Is the group open or closed? Can anyone view the messages you are posting, or the chat in which you are participating? If you are not comfortable with just anyone looking at your messages, etc., then try to locate a closed forum. There are many individuals on the web who like to lurk at survivor groups, and some researchers are using online forums as fertile ground for research without the members' consent.
5. What are the rules of the group and how are they enforced? At a minimum, groups should have certain rules and guidelines concerning the safety and confidentiality of its members. Groups run more smoothly, and the level of sharing is enhanced if members feel safe and know what is/isn't expected of themselves and others. If a group has rules, find out how they are enforced. Can the moderator delete inappropriate members/messages? How vigilant is the moderator in enforcing the rules?
I believe that responsible online support programs/services have the following features; clearly established membership criteria and new member screening, faithfully observed rules and guidelines, private forums for member communication, and an involved, vigilant moderator. Groups with these features tend to run most closely like "real-world" self-help/support groups and can be very beneficial to their members.
Of course, you may not care if the group you join or participate in has the above features.What is most important is that you make an informed decision about where you feel most comfortable sharing.
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B: SO YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN GROUP?
Here are some steps to take...
1. Determine if you have the time and energy to devote to a new group. Starting a new group can be time-consuming and frustrating. It can also be a lot of fun and very rewarding. Think about how long you would like your group to exist, and if you will be there to see it through. If your group is successful, there will be people really relying on you! You may also have to set aside time to read the groups' messages and facilitate chats. I recommend reading some books on real world self-help groups to help you manage your online group more effectively. Also, educating yourself about your group's topic is an excellent idea!
2. Determine who will meet the criteria for your group and how you will screen new members. For example, you want to start a group for abuse survivors. Will you include males and females? Will the group be just for survivors of sexual abuse or will it include survivors of all forms of abuse? Will your group just be for adults? It is important to not make your criteria too broad, but also, not suffocatingly narrow. Also think about how you can screen new members. Will you communicate with them through e-mail first before letting them join? Will you have a standard application?
3. Formulate some good ground rules. Don't worry if you aren't sure what rules your group needs initially. These rules are subject to change as your group evolves. Start off by establishing simple rules concerning confidentiality and whether or not you want to mandate restrictions on posted material. Visit other groups for suggestions on rules/guidelines.
4. Determine where your group will be located. This means running around the Internet looking for the services that meet your needs. Important things to consider are; how reliable the service is, what "powers" the moderator has in controlling the content/layout of the groups' pages, and if they offer private forums. Weigh the limitations of the free services (especially that many are folding...and fast!) with the cost of a paid service (a better chance that it will be around for a while). If you want a website, try Homestead.com . Their personal sites are low-cost and ad-free. For more information about the services MDSA uses, please visit our programs/services page.
5. Promote your group. This can be very fun and challenging! Our groups' sites received well over 1000 unique visitors in its first month, despite not being listed in ANY search engines!
One great tip is to do a basic search using key words associated with your site on a bunch of different search engines and see which other sites come up. Then try to get a link to your site listed on their site.
Post messages in public forums (like newsgroups) announcing your group and telling everyone what is so special about your group, ie. it is TRULY safe and explain why.
Sign lots of guestbooks and include your url
Find out which organizations or very high traffic sites are related to your site. Write a letter to them telling them about your group.
If you are at www.homestead.com, nominate your site for "featured site" recognition.
Apply for quality web awards - If you would like an idea of which awards are legitimate, please visit www.awardsites.com; many awards are meaningless, ie. exist only to to give you something to put on your site and to give the award creator a free link to their site
Run an auction on ebay.com and drop a link to your group. Make up a "book list" on amazon.com. This way, when people search for books on your topic, your list and information about YOU will also come up!
Submit your link to different search engines. Some link submission services will add your link for free and will submit to a group of search engines at once. You must individually submit to www.google.com (the yahoo! search engine is now powered by google), www.looksmart.com and aol.com. This is well worth it though!
FINAL TIP: Take care of yourself! You are a member of your group too. Make sure you benefit from the wonderfully supportive place that you have created. If you are in over your head, talk to someone about it or consider having a co-moderator (choose carefully!!).
If you have a different problem, and your group is growing at a snail's pace and you are bored and disenchanted, don't worry too much. Groups with criteria and rules often do not grow as quickly as groups without them. This is because many people just join groups without even knowing what the group is about.
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PART II: Responsible Online Self-help Information
A website can be a wonderful way for someone to tell their story, share their knowledge, and exchange ideas with people all over the world. Unfortunately, the information being shared in not always accurate. This can be frustrating and sometimes harmful to those seeking online self-help information.
A: HOW TO LOCATE AND IDENTIFY QUALITY INFORMATION
1) Know your source - Who is offering the information or advice and where are they getting their information? Is the person speaking from personal or professional experience? Either one can offer invaluable information, but it is important to know if, for example, their comments about diagnosing a certain medical disorder are coming from personal experience or if the person is a professional in the field.
2) Look in more than one place - It is not uncommon to find conflicting facts and figures when looking for information, online or otherwise.Get second and third and fourth opinions. If certain information seems unfounded or contradictory, you may want to consider it suspicious unless it is clearly referenced from a reptuable source.
3) Follow links from reputable sites - A great idea is to start at the top and work your way down. This means that if you want mental health information, you begin at a reputable site, like psychcentral.com, and follow the links they offer. Reputable self-help sites will clearly let you know who they are (the people behind the site/information), reference written material when necessary, provide solid information that isn't wildly opinionated, and usually be fairly well-designed. You should also make sure that they screen the links they add to their database. In terms of search engines, http://www.google.com ranks websites according to hits for a certain topic. Although not a perfect way to find the best sites, better sites are often listed early in their results.
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B: SHARING YOUR OWN SELF-HELP KNOWLEDGE
1) Be clear about who you are - Some of the best information I have found online about coping with flashbacks, self-injury, and other abuse survivor-related issues, have come from abuse survivors/non-professionals who have clearly stated their qualifications for offering information/advice, ie. that s/he was a survivor of abuse, but not a professional. When providing information, letting the reader know who you are and the basis of your comments or advice is important. This helps the reader have a much better idea of how they should regard your information.
2) Stay within the limits of your knowledge/experience - Everyone has an area of personal expertise or something valuable that they can share with the world. Howver, it is important to stay within the limits of your personal knowledge or experience, especially when people seeking self-help information are looking for sound information and not speculation. If you have advice about a certain topic, then it should be presented as advice. Doing this will also help visitors to your website view any other sound information you provide with more confidence.
3) Check your information for accuracy - When providing information, it is an excellent idea to have another knowledgeable person screen your information for accuracy and spelling/grammatical mistakes.
4) Make sure your information is presented well - A well-presented website that is easy to read, loads quickly, avoids distracting graphics and advertising, and has a welcoming feel, will encourage visitors to spend more time at your site.
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IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR GROUP OR WEBSITE IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIBLE SELF-HELP, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A MDSA AWARD.
email the MDSA Director at mdsa@comcast.net
