The Internet provides many opportunities for people to engage in conversations with others and engage in social networking. But this arena also allows people to remain anonymous when chatting with others. While this can be beneficial for those with a shy personality, it can also be unsettling, especially when using a dating site. Chat rooms, by their very nature, work to bring people together, and in some cases, relationships can be formed that can be dangerous. To take this to the extreme, a person who is being harassed in the real world may also continue to be harassed online. There are certain actions that can be taken in the virtual world to protect yourself against a stalker. These methods should always be combined with common sense to avoid problems, whether online or in the real world.

The first thing to do is to avoid dating sites that may be positioned towards unsavory characters. For example, going to a chat room to talk about dogs is less likely to attract the type of person who might be annoying, compared to video chat rooms where the discussion is about sexual situations or aspects outside the scope of the conversation educated. This is a bit of common sense that can be very effective.

Next, it is important to avoid revealing any personal information to other people who will be in the chat room. If there are newsletters or other lists that are sent to those in the chat room, the anonymity expected in the chat room is also respected. Otherwise, a person with malicious intent could receive information that should not have been disclosed. If this information comes to light, it’s important not to respond to any questionable emails you may receive, regardless of whether or not it appears to be from someone in the chat room.

There is no need to share those chat rooms you enter with the general population. It is not necessary for others to know the name of any chat room you have entered.

Finally, it is advisable to prevent an unknown person from trying to use other means to establish contact, be it instant messaging, email or any other electronic means (audio or video chat is also down). The urge to respond, whether it be venting or yelling or simply asking to be left alone, should be avoided. The one thing not to do is encourage the harasser to keep trying to make contact. It is possible to ignore the person to the point where better options will be attracted elsewhere: the person will lose interest and go where an answer will be given.