Forum categories

Here's some tips that might be useful to help you navigate the forum and figure out some technical aspects of it.

The Members Page can be found under "About" on the main menu of the website. Creating a member profile allows you to participate in our forum. You can do this on the "Forum" page under "About". Everyone can view the profiles of your community members. You can change your settings of your profile by clicking on the profile icon (your picture) in the top right of the forum. Members can:  Like and comment on posts Follow posts  Follow other members  Subscribe to the Blog and customize notifications Edit their profile page View members list

The forum is meant to be informal. However, to help keep the group focus and create the safe, supportive and compassionate space we aim for , we'd ask the following from all participants: For your profile: The choice of what you share in your profile is entirely up to you, but we’d recommend you: • Allow at least your first name and a photo to be seen by other members. This will help make the forum more personal and help people connect members in the forum to people they meet in the group. • Add the illness(es) you have to your profile. ME/CFS and FM are similar but do have some important differences (as do other co-morbid illnesses like POTS, Lyme, MCS, etc). Having it clear which illness(es) you have may be helpful to others when discussing experiences including symptoms, treatments and resources. When creating/responding to topics or connecting in any way with members via the forum: • Speak from your own experience. • Focus on empathy, connection, and sharing of knowledge and experience, being mindful of giving advice unless it's asked for directly. Please do not use the forum to either seek or give professional opinions, even if some members are qualified to do so (e.g. medical, legal professionals, etc.). An exception to this rule, would be if we specifically invite a professional to the forum for that purpose. • Nurture your compassion, be mindful of your judgments—there’s no right or wrong in what we share. • Aim to empower each other to make our own best choices in the management of our physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health. • Keep topics relevant to living with ME/CFS and FM and related health issues. • What happens in the forum, stays in the forum (just like Vegas): Outside of the group, please respect people’s privacy and anything personal that has been shared in the forum. • While the forum can be used to encourage attendance at events or to discuss products or treatments, it should not be used to directly solicit others for profit. The forum is not a good place to look for help if you are in crisis, whether emotional or physical. If you find yourself in this situation please contact any of the following: -Crisis Centre (BC-wide): 1-800-784-2433 -Emergency Dispatch: 911 (or go to your nearest ER) Forum participants who do not follow these guidelines may be asked to leave or removed from the forum.