I'm in the middle of reading a very amazing "how to" guide about SM and I came across these six rules that one should always follow. I thought I would share them here, as well as link the book.
From "Consensual Sadomasochism, how to talk about it and how to do it safely."
By: Bill Henkin and Sybil Holiday.
1. Tell the truth, first to yourself and then to the people with whom you play, at least as far as you know it at the time.
2. Keep your agreements with the people with whom you play, to the best of your ability, and if you cannot keep them for any reason, don't change your agreements unilaterally: negotiate with the other parties to those agreements, let them know alterations are in the works, and let them participate in the changes.
3. Play Safely: SM is a sophisticated form of sexuality, and sometimes it does entail physical and psychological risks; learn enough to know what you and your play partners are doing, to know the difference between what is safe and what is not, and to know what to do if something gets out of hand.
4. Play consensually: don't involve people with your sexuality who have not agreed to become involved; play only with people who have agreed to play with you.
5. Play sanely; physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, SM can be very intense, like any intense activity it has the short-term potential to draw people farther into it than they might on other occasions regard as wise; learn your limits, learn the limits your partners what to adhere to, and play within the limits you and your partners have agreed upon.
6. Play non-exploitively: not everybody is ready, willing, or able to be involved in SM, but not everyone who is unready, unwilling or unable knows it; honor people where they are; don't take advantage of someone else's ignorance or vulnerability to satisfy your own ego and desires.
http://www.amazon.com/Consensual-Sadomasochism-Talk-About-Safely/dp/1881943127
