The internet has always been where Harm Reduction has found a home, providing pseudonymous and cheap platforms for spreading HR messages.

Sites like Facebook and Reddit often offer highly moderated communities, which can be good, even if standards are somewhat arbitrarily enforced. On the other hand, platforms like Telegram, Discord and WhatsApp offer less moderated experiences, often run as peer support groups. This can be fantastic for getting help, but you have to be on your toes, watching for trolls and keeping up on terms of service – every platform has some limits on the type of content and interactions that are acceptable.

Participation is as simple as creating a username and jumping into the conversation. Although finding a community that fits your needs may take a while, don’t be afraid to explore private Facebook groups, Discord servers, and message boards. An excellent way to judge a community is how welcoming participants are to new members learning to use the system.

Pitfalls

These are peer-run systems with all the good and bad that brings. So, it’s important to be aware of a few things before heading out into the world of boards and chats:

• Relationships over networks have a different power dynamic than normal relationships, so be careful when getting close to people you do not actually know.
• Don’t doxx yourself! You don’t owe an explanation of where you are/personal details to anyone in an internet setting./li>

• You might build trust over time that warrants disclosure, but it isn’t required, and anyone asking for personal information up front probably has harmful intentions./li>
• Don’t feed the trolls. Internet communities always have a troll element. A good community has active mods that will quickly correct abusive behavior, but to effectively use online help models, you have to learn to ignore a certain amount of BS from people with nothing better to do than harass others./li>

• Seek mods. ANY online community worth your time will have an active, concerned moderation team that responds quickly to harassment or inappropriate content, corrects behavior and makes the community safe for all participants. If this is not the case, find a new community. Or – join up as a mod! And build the community you would like to see!/li>