Contributing data without breaching anyone's privacy posts 61–72

Worth separating two things that post #57 runs together.

Community-collected datasets: some members have compiled datasets from their own experience and shared them. They are self-reported, unblinded, and therefore limited as evidence. But they show real patterns that people experience.

post #61 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Bias toward positive outcomes: datasets collected by members are biased toward people who found the compounds useful. People who did not respond do not return. People who had bad outcomes might have left the community.

Two things before anyone answers the substance.

First, the context in the first post is clear and specific. Second, the question is framed so that an answer can actually address it. Both are the norm here and both matter more than they sound.

Reproducibility: if sharing data, include enough context (compound, dose, timeframe, method) that someone reading it understands what it represents.

How to contribute: if you have longitudinal data you want to add, the format is simple: date, measurement, context. Contact the maintainer of the specific dataset.

post #65 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

Coming back to post #65, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Combining data from different sources: datasets from this site are not directly comparable to published trials because the populations are different. They are worth reading separately, not merged together.

Bias toward positive outcomes: datasets collected by members are biased toward people who found the compounds useful. People who did not respond do not return. People who had bad outcomes might have left the community.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

Privacy: if contributing data, only share data you are comfortable making permanent and public. Once posted, data is persistent.

This follows post #68 rather than contradicting it.

Using data in discussions: datasets are useful as reference points when someone claims something unusual. "I have not seen that reported in the data" is different from "that is impossible", but data gives you something to say.

I read post #70 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

Community-collected datasets: some members have compiled datasets from their own experience and shared them. They are self-reported, unblinded, and therefore limited as evidence. But they show real patterns that people experience.