interesting points I used the word immoral as it has come up from time to time in the literature (and is what got me started thinking about this in the first place - what is 'immoral' in a religious discussion group may be grist for the mill on a slash fanfic mailing list!). In a similar vein, what is illegal in one country is not in another - I am reading this because I am thinking about constructing a project that involves looking at online material which is skirting in contested territory regarding copyright - how can I satisfactorily define what is 'illegal' and reportable behaviour for myself and for those my research brings me into contact with? What constitutes reportable behaviour, in which jurisdiction, and where, when and to whom should I report? Almost certainly the people I will be talking to will be under other systems of national law to me - do I have to familiarize myself with every legal system? (does grant money cover a legal team? *g*) Like you said, making these things clear and explicit is important for building trust and rapport, as well as (I would argue) part of good practice of being a researcher, so thanks for your reply, Paul, it's certainly added grist to the mill (or fuel to the fire!) erika ~~ Erika Pearson Dept. of Media, Film and Communication. University of Otago P.O. Box 56 Dunedin 9054 Aotearoa/New Zealand Ph: (+0064 3) 479-8680 E-mail: erika.pearson@otago.ac.nz