Social Media Ethics Guide 🌐

How to gather wisdom without violating trust or privacy

The Sacred Rule of Our Commons

Anonymous by default, permission always required for attribution.

Just because someone shared something in a public space doesn't mean they invited researchers to quote them. Treat every post, comment, or discussion like you're eavesdropping on a conversation between friends—because to them, it might feel exactly like that.

Think of this as learning to be a respectful forest visitor: you can observe the wildlife, but you don't capture the animals without permission.

🚦 The Magic Traffic Light System

🔴 RED LIGHT - Never Quote Without Explicit Permission

Direct quotes with any identifying breadcrumbs (usernames, handles, unique life details)
Screenshots showing usernames or profile info
Content from private spaces or closed communities (even if you're a member)
Anything involving young adventurers (under 18—even with permission, extra magical protection required)
Medical/mental health discussions that could identify someone
Personal stories with unique circumstances that make someone recognizable

🟡 YELLOW LIGHT - Proceed with Extra Protective Magic

Anonymous paraphrasing (still describe the source generally: "community members report...")
Aggregated wisdom ("Multiple forest dwellers mentioned...")
Common experiences that don't reveal individual identity
Technical discussions about tools/code (less personal but still needs care)

🟢 GREEN LIGHT - Generally Safe Territory (But Stay Respectful)

Publicly available statistics from platforms
General trends or patterns you observe (without specific examples)
Information that's already widely documented elsewhere
Your own posts/comments (but consider impact on others who replied)

🗺️ Your Quest Planning Process

🌅 Before You Start Your Information Gathering

1. 🎯 Define Your Mission - What specific mystery are you trying to solve? - How will this wisdom help fellow builders and creators? - Could you answer this question without using individual posts?

2. 🛤️ Choose Your Path - 🌫️ Pattern Recognition: General themes (no direct quotes) - 🔮 Wisdom Synthesis: Anonymous insights (paraphrased) - 💎 Direct Wisdom Sharing: Quotes with permission (rare, special occasions only)

3. 🛡️ Set Your Protective Boundaries - Which communities will you respectfully observe? - What time period feels appropriate? - What sacred territories are off-limits? (personal medical info, crisis situations, etc.)

🏞️ While Gathering Community Wisdom

📋 Document Your Journey: - Platform and community visited - Date range explored - Search terms or keywords used - Total posts observed vs. posts that informed your understanding

🚨 Red Flag Alert Check: - Is this person in distress or crisis? → Skip entirely, offer resources if appropriate - Does this identify someone uniquely? → Anonymize completely or pass by - Would I be comfortable if this were my post? → If no, don't use

🌟 Excellent Approach:

"Community members in accessibility spaces report that high contrast modes can trigger headaches and vestibular symptoms. Several discussions highlighted specific color combinations being particularly challenging during longer browsing sessions."

⚠️ Definitely Avoid This:

"User RedditUser123 posted in r/accessibility that 'high contrast gives me migraines and makes me dizzy, especially the blue-white combinations.' This was supported by CommentReply456 who said..."

💎 For Direct Wisdom Quotes (Rare Sacred Occasions Only)

When it might be justified: - The exact words contain crucial technical insight that paraphrasing would lose - It's a positive testimonial and the person would likely want recognition - It's already been widely shared and attributed elsewhere - It demonstrates a specific point that general wisdom can't capture

🗝️ Required Steps for Permission: 1. 📨 Reach out directly via platform messaging 2. 🌟 Explain your quest and how you'd like to honor their wisdom 3. 🎫 Ask explicit permission - don't assume silence means yes 4. 🎭 Offer anonymity as the comfortable default 5. 👁️ Give them final approval over how you use their words 6. 🛡️ Honor "no" gracefully - find another path to make your point

📜 Respectful Contact Template:

Hi [username],

I'm working on accessibility research with the Comfort Commons community (link to project). Your insight about [general topic] really helped me understand [research question].

Would you be comfortable with me sharing your wisdom anonymously in our research? I wouldn't include your username or any details that could identify you.

If you'd prefer your comment not be referenced at all, that's completely fine - just let me know.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the community!
[Your name/project contact]

🎭 Anonymization Magic (Making People Invisible in the Best Way)

✨ Remove All Identifying Breadcrumbs

Usernames and handles - obviously
Platform-specific clues ("this subreddit," "our Discord server")
Timestamps that could help someone track down the original post
Unique circumstances that make someone identifiable in their community
Cross-references to other posts or comments by the same person

🔮 Scrub Personal Details

Medical conditions - generalize ("vestibular challenges" not "Ménière's disease")
Locations - remove or generalize ("a major city" not "Portland, Oregon")
Jobs - generalize unless crucial ("developer" not "senior React developer at Google")
Demographics - remove unless directly relevant to the accessibility question

🌫️ Generalize the Setting

Instead of: "In r/vestibular, a user posted..." Use: "In online communities focused on vestibular disorders, members report..."

Instead of: "A comment with 50 upvotes said..." Use: "A widely-supported community perspective was that..."

📚 Documenting Your Sources (The Visible and Invisible Records)

🗄️ For Your Internal Quest Log (Never Public)

Keep detailed records for accountability and fact-checking: - Original URLs or screenshots (for verification only) - Date collected - Platform/community source - Permission status (if any)

🌐 General attribution only: - "Based on exploration of online accessibility communities" - "Community discussions from [date range]" - "Feedback from multiple platforms and forums" - "Analysis of [number] discussions across [number] communities"

🚫 Never include: - Specific URLs or links - Platform names if they could lead to identification - Usernames, handles, or unique identifiers - Exact post dates or timestamps

⚖️ Legal and Ethical Considerations (The Serious Magic)

📜 Fair Use vs. Ethical Use

Legal permission doesn't equal ethical clearance. Even if something is technically allowed, it might not be kind. Our commons operates by higher standards than legal minimums.

🏛️ Platform Terms of Service

📋 Check platform policies about research and data collection
⛔ Some platforms prohibit certain types of data gathering
🎓 Academic fair use might not cover advocacy or community research

🌍 International Considerations

🇪🇺 GDPR and privacy laws protect users regardless of where you're based
🌈 Different cultural norms around privacy and consent
❓ When uncertain, ask - it's better than assuming

🔍 Special Territories (Extra Care Required)

💚 Crisis or Mental Health Content

🛑 Don't use it. Ever. - If someone is in distress, they can't meaningfully consent to research use - Focus on your research mission, not providing individual help (direct them to appropriate resources) - Mental health discussions require the strongest protective magic

🔧 Technical vs. Personal Content

Technical discussions (about code, tools, bugs) might need less protection than personal experiences, but still: - Anonymize by default - Consider impact on someone's professional reputation - Be extra careful with criticism of specific tools or companies

🗑️ Deleted or Edited Content

If someone deleted their post: They removed it from public view - honor that choice If someone edited their post: Use the current version or skip it entirely

🏘️ Community-Specific Norms

Different communities have different comfort levels: - 🏥 Medical communities: Maximum privacy protection needed - 💼 Professional spaces: Consider career impact of any reference - 💚 Support communities: Highest bar for consent and anonymization

✅ Quality Magic Check Before Publishing

Before sharing any research using community wisdom:

[ ] All identifying information removed or properly consented
[ ] Sources documented privately for fact-checking
[ ] General attribution provided (platform type, date range)
[ ] No quotes that could uniquely identify someone
[ ] Nothing that could harm someone's reputation or privacy
[ ] Clear benefit to accessibility community
[ ] Respectful, dignity-preserving language throughout

🚨 When Things Go Sideways (Damage Control Magic)

😰 If Someone Objects After You've Published

🏃‍♀️ Immediate response: 1. Take their concern seriously and listen fully 2. Remove the content if possible 3. Apologize sincerely and explain what you'll do differently 4. Update your research process based on their feedback

😬 If You Realize You Made a Mistake

🪞 Own it completely: 1. Remove problematic content immediately 2. Contact affected individuals if possible and appropriate 3. Document what went wrong to prevent future issues 4. Share lessons learned with the community (anonymously, of course)

📋 Templates and Examples for Your Quest

🗂️ Research Documentation Template

## Community Wisdom Sources

**Communities explored:** Online accessibility forums and discussion spaces
**Time period:** [Month Year - Month Year]
**Content reviewed:** Approximately [X] posts and discussions
**Focus criteria:** Discussions about [specific accessibility topic]
**Analysis method:** Thematic analysis of community experiences and insights
**Privacy protection:** All content paraphrased and fully anonymized

## Key Wisdom Themes Discovered:
1. [Theme 1] - shared by multiple community members across platforms
2. [Theme 2] - consistent pattern in community experiences
3. [Theme 3] - emerging insight in recent discussions

*No individual posts were directly quoted. All insights are carefully aggregated and anonymized to protect community members' privacy.*

📨 Permission Request Templates

For Direct Quote Permission:

Subject: Permission to honor your accessibility wisdom

Hi [username],

I'm researching [specific topic] as part of the open-source Comfort Commons project ([link]). Your insight about [general topic - no specifics] provided really valuable perspective.

I'd love to know if you're comfortable with me:
- [ ] Sharing your wisdom anonymously (no attribution to you)
- [ ] Quoting you directly with credit to your username
- [ ] Using the insight but please don't reference my comment

Whatever feels right to you is perfect - including saying no entirely.

Thank you for contributing to these important conversations!
[Your name]

For Community Permission:

Subject: Research on [topic] - seeking community blessing

Hi everyone,

I'm working on accessibility research about [topic] as part of the Comfort Commons project ([link]). The discussions here have provided incredible insight into [specific issue].

I'd like to reference themes from community conversations (fully anonymized) in the research. This would help developers and designers better understand [benefit to community].

If anyone has concerns about their contributions being referenced anonymously, please let me know. I want everyone to feel comfortable with this approach.

Thanks for creating such a thoughtful community!
[Your name]

🎯 Your Quick Reference Guide

🌟 Default approach: Anonymous paraphrasing and theme synthesis only 💎 Direct quotes: Explicit permission required, save for truly special cases 🔮 Always remove: Usernames, handles, unique identifying details 🗄️ Always keep private: Original sources, URLs, internal documentation 📋 Always check: Platform policies, community norms, legal requirements 🛡️ Always honor: "No" means no, deleted content stays deleted

🤔 When uncertain: More privacy protection is always better than less. Ask yourself - "Would I want my comment used this way?"

Making research ethical and respectful, one anonymized insight at a time—because wisdom sharing should protect the wise 🌈🔒✨

Questions about gathering community wisdom ethically? Create an issue tagged ethics-social-media and our community will help you find the most respectful path forward.