Forum & Follow

Forum basics

The forum is a great way to find information about symptoms, treatments, and living with your condition while building relationships with other PatientsLikeMe members. All members of the PatientsLikeMe community can read any forum post. However, you have to be a member of the forum to reply to posts or start new threads.

Web developer Adam Darowski shares the basics of the PatientsLikeMe forum in the A General Introduction to the Forum screencast.
What is the Forum Code of Conduct?
Our Forum has a Code of Conduct which states that ideal PatientsLikeMe members:
- Ask questions to help learn about their condition
- Welcome newcomers to the community
- Keep your health profile up-to-date, such as disease progress, symptoms, and treatments
- Share their opinion with others in a considerate way
- Respect confidential information and don't transmit other members' information outside the PatientsLikeMe community
- Enjoy healthy debate on the forum but stick to the argument rather than making comments directed at an individual user
- Check in on other members, make sure they're OK and help them to keep their profiles accurate and up-to-date
- Share personal experiences without trying to provide medical advice
- Give feedback to the PatientsLikeMe Team about potential improvements, questions, or comments about the site
You can access the Forum Code of Conduct by clicking on the "Forum Code of Conduct" link in the top right corner of every page in the forum:
Can I post content that's not my own?

We encourage members to share relevant news stories, journal articles, and blog posts with the community. We do ask that members include a reference or link back to the source.
Can I modify or delete my forum posts?

Yes, you can modify or erase any of your forum posts at any time by clicking ‘Edit’ underneath your post. A post cannot be blank, but you may put any filler text in the text field (e.g., “deleted” or “amended”).
Can I add a picture to forum posts?

To post an image click on the little picture of a green tree located between the link button and the smiley face in the tool bar. That will take you to a pop up window where you can browse for and locate the image you'd like to post. Once you've selected it, hit upload and the picture should appear in your post.
How do I join, leave, or switch forum rooms?

JOIN OR LEAVE
To join a forum room, visit the ‘Forum’ tab on the top of the page. Under the search field, click on ‘See more forum rooms’ to be taken to the forum directory. Here, you can join or leave a forum room by clicking on the “Join” or Leave” button next to every forum room (with exception of the PatientsLikeMe and Technical Help Rooms, to which all PatientsLikeMe users are subscribed.

SWITCH
To switch between forum rooms, you can visit your forum homepage by clicking on the ‘Forum’ tab and click on the ‘View’ button to go to the room you’d like to visit.
Alternatively, if you’re already in a forum room, you can click ‘Switch Room’ on the top of the page to see a selection of the rooms you’ve joined.
How do I use tags, filters, and search?

Curious about some of the advanced features of the PatientsLikeMe forum like tags, filters, and search? Web developer Adam Darowski will give you an overview in the Getting the most out of the PatientsLikeMe Forum screencast. (Feb 18 2010)
How do I use the follow/following tool?

Be sure to follow things and people you are interested in to take full advantage of this improved feature! “My Feed” logs your activity and draws from the sources . Go to the “Followers” and “Following” section to see who/what you are following and whose following you.
You can find thebutton in the following places—profiles, treatments, forum threads, forum tags, and conditions.
How do I add a topic?

First enter the forum room you want to post in. Next, find the “Post Topic” button on top of each page within the forum. Click the “Post Topic” button to start a new topic in the forum.