[DoreenMichele]

Cool. :)

FWIW, it's not really intended to be some edict with zero exceptions. How it's done matters.

I don't have any pithy advice for how to do it well. I'm still trying to sort that out myself.

I like being helpful and I hate seeing people suffer and I'm chronically ill myself, so I tend to feel like that ought to count for something in terms of being viewed as a good faith effort (other people don't always agree). Nonetheless, I recently got cussed at and blocked by someone on Twitter who was having an especially rough time. (Granted, the topic in that case was suicide, but I didn't know that when I first said something.)

When you're in a lot of pain all the time, it's really easy for things to just rub you the wrong way and get on your very last nerve when you just want to participate in the conversation like a normal person and be treated like a contributor.

I've started asking people if they want suggestions from a random internet stranger and respecting it if they say "no thanks." Or offering suggestions in a low key fashion if they are actively soliciting feedback. (This list is not comprehensive.)

Have a great day.