Netiquette

Kidney Information Network (KIN), Cheshire and Merseyside Kidney Information Network (CaMKIN), Greater Manchester Kidney Information Network (GMKIN)

A netiquette refers to a set of rules for behaviour within online groups. Within this group making occasional mistakes is acceptable but sustained negative behaviour will not be tolerated. It is important that we treat each other with politeness and respect, and by following a few simple rules we are less likely to make mistakes that others find upsetting.

As a member of this group you will be expected to:

Be supportive towards each other and share information to help the group prosper. Everyone is a member just like you – respect them. Treat everybody with respect, regardless of differences in culture, ability, race, gender, age, sexual orientation or social class. Respect that we all have different views and opinions.

Please remember the following:

Think before you press send.

Double check what you have written prior to posting.

Remember others cannot see your facial expressions

This is not face-to-face and other users cannot see your facial expressions, smiling or frowning. However, you may wish to use emoticons or smileys and explain your ideas. Always avoid sarcasm, people who don’t know you may misinterpret its meaning.

Remember others will read your comments

If you are not sure how your comments are being taken, ask for feedback. Sometimes electronic messages can be perceived as harsher than intended because there are no visual clues such as facial expression or body language. If you disagree with what someone has said, please bear this in mind as you express that disagreement. Ranting at other members is never acceptable. If you are offended by comments, please don’t post angry retorts. If you are concerned about anything posted within the group or feel offended please message the moderator privately to express your concern.

Use appropriate language

Please avoid coarse, rough, rude or derogatory language. Never use harassing, threatening, embarrassing, or abusive language or actions. Avoid online ‘shouting’ or sentences typed in all capitals.

Respect others’ confidentiality and privacy.

Please don’t share personal information with non-group members. Please don’t quote or forward personal messages without asking the original owner.

Remember this group is meant to be a safe place to share.

Your own privacy

Remember that you are part of a group and your Facebook friends cannot see that. However, members of the group can see your posts on the main wall. You can make your posts private

Click at the top right of any Facebook page and choose Settings.
Select Privacy from the left menu.
Under the Who can see my stuff?
Click Limit the audience for posts I’ve shared with friends of friends or Public?
Data usage

The data retrieved from the Facebook group will be used for research as stated below:

Data will be downloaded on a university secure server and analysed to identify if social media groups retain patients in longitudinal research.
The data will be used for non-commercial, scholarly research and teaching, and deleted as soon as the project is completed
The data will not be shared with any party and only used for this research
None of the details and demographics of the group members will be revealed in the research. More precisely, Identifiers such us email, IP, pseudonyms, localisation of network, and direct quotes, which may be attributable via search engines will not be included in any material that will be made available to public
We will respect the contextual integrity of data, maintaining the flow of information and the meaning of it
The findings of the analysis will be shared with the administrator.