PSA

[rivka]

How not to get into my research study: Part 17283 of a continuing series.

1. Call me "baby."

1a. Call me "baby" again, after I already told you not to.

2. "When did you last use heroin or cocaine?" (Voice slurring, eyes drooping, head rolling and nodding) "When? It was juuuuust... before... I got... clean."

Comments

Re: What in the world?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

FWIW i read it exactly as you did, but i figured rivka didn't actually mean it like that, being as she strikes me from years of reading her articles as scrupulously professional.

Thanks for that. I think this is where we get into the implied audience of LJ. I wouldn't use wording like that in a purely public setting, because, well, it's unethical research conduct to pick and choose your participants based on anything other than your stated criteria. But here in my journal, I figure that the people reading my words know me - or at least, know enough about my public self-presentation to be able to read my tone.

Re: What in the world?

[(Anonymous)]

As yours was the most recently updated of only *six* livejournals listing "HIV issues" as an interest, I stumbled into this mess purely by accident. Wish I hadn't- people are saying really cruel and untrue things about me, and it doesn't seem to help when I try to explain myself. I guess this reminds both of us that the internet,(and any livejournal, sans filters) *is* a purely public setting, and you have little control over who reads you, and how you are interpreted.

Re: What in the world?

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

at first i felt a bit sorry for you, but now you're well on the path to convincing everybody that you are just a troll because you're not listening and acknowledging that you misunderstood, but instead you're still lecturing. rivka doesn't need reminding what place this is; you on the other hand need to learn some basic livejournal etiquette. so listen up; i like to lecture myself:

the same standards for behaviour don't apply to all public places and all public gatherings. if rivka sits in gazebo in a public park and tells an anecdote to people who're at a picnic with her, and you as a random bystander walking past overhear and are bothered by some off-the-cuff remark, do you think it'd be appropriate to pipe up out of the blue and let her have your words of "wisdom"? if you think that'd be obnoxious you have the social skills that you should transfer here. if you think that'd be just fine you need a remedial course in how to interact with strangers.

this is a mostly private gathering in a public place. since you seem unaware of the differences: livejournal isn't usenet or a public web forum. yup, anyone can wander by and misinterpret things, but the space isn't shared equally; instead said wanderer is a guest of the journal owner, and it behooves one as a guest to perform some rudimentary introductions, and learn something about the gathering before opening one's mouth. if one skips that step one is likely judged much more harshly, because there are people (whom we call "trolls") who specialize in stirring up the natives.

Pleonastic: thank you for explaining:

[(Anonymous)]

"livejournal isn't usenet or a public web forum."

I meant no harm, and I honestly didn't know the difference. Now I do. I'm sorry for writing in your journal as if it were usenet or an open discussion topic, rather than a private gathering, Rivka.

Re: Pleonastic: thank you for explaining:

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

You came by here looking for posts on "HIV issues." Those posts might be tagged "research," "work," "hiv," or "therapy," but anything that references my actual clients (not by name or identifying information, obviously) is probably friends-locked.

Re: What in the world?

[firecat]

Datapoint: I thought you excluded him because of his recent drug use and the "baby" thing was just additional irritation.

Re: What in the world?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The person in example #2 was actually someone else, who didn't get into the study either. "Baby" guy didn't have a high enough CD4+ (T-cell) count for the study.