>                Bobby Greer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Trish,
>>
>>         I hope you, Betty and Deri are aware of my doing an
>> article on the social support functions of this list for
>> Cyberpsychology and Behavior.
>>
>> Bobby
>>
>Sure Bobby.
>
>No problem here, assuming none of the posters in the threads
>you're using have objected. (I hope this makes it into the
>footnote on "Ethics") ;-)
>
>--
>Deri James
Deri,

        Below is a copy of the ethics guidelines from the editor of
Cyberpsychology and Behavior for your information. These are for studying
on-line groups.

Bobby


- Are you a participant in the group or just an observer?
- Is the group aware of the research being done and what will happen with
the research findings?
- Was permission obtained from the group for you to study and write about it?
- Are the people who own or run the list aware of the purpose of the
research, and have they given their permission?
- Is the group's messages easily accessed by internet users (is it a public
space?) or is it operated privately with restricted access?
- Do the group members PERCEIVE the group as being private?
- Are the identities of the group member's protected (anonymity) in any
reports of the research?
- Is the identity of the group itself protected in the reports?
- Is informed consent (permission) obtained for the use of quotes or for
mentioning specific members?
- Are group members who are quoted or mentioned in the report still active
in the group?
- Is their any possibility of harm to group members by the research and
what is discussed in the research report?
- Has the research been approved by a research ethics committee?
- Is it possible for outsiders to find messages in the group by using web
search engines?