The Internet offers many opportunities for people to engage in conversations with other people and participate in social networks. 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 form that can be dangerous. To take this to the extreme, a person who is being harassed in the real world can also continue to be harassed online. There are certain actions that can be taken in the virtual world to protect against a stalker. These methods should always be combined with common sense to avoid any problems, whether online or in the real world.

The first thing to do is avoid dating sites that might 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 a conversation. cuts. This is a bit of common sense that can be very effective.

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

It is not necessary to share those chat rooms that you enter with the general population. It is not necessary for others to know the name of any chat rooms that have been entered.

Finally, it is advisable to avoid an unknown person who tries to use other means to establish contact, be it instant messaging, email or any other electronic means (this also includes audio or video chat). The urge to respond, whether to vent or yell or simply ask to be left alone, should be avoided. The only thing not to do is encourage the bully 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 head to where an answer will be given.