How To Stop Internet Bullying. Be Safe On The Internet.

Every single person who writes for the Internet is opening themselves up to harassment or even stalking. When we first sign onto a site, we believe that everybody else will automatically respect your privacy and just politely comment and then move on.

It seems that this isn't so. I have recently been harassed by another hubber, who's name I shall keep to myself. This was not just harassment, this was actually much more than that. It was more like stalking.

Purely because I have been polite to him on his hubs, he has decided that I must be interested in him enough to leave his own country, get on a plane and come to live with me. I am sure my new boyfriend who I live with will be really happy to hear about that!

So why does someone who has literally read a couple of my comments on their hubs decide that actually I am 'up for it?' so to speak.

This is a great question. And the answer? I have no idea. But I do know one thing. I now realise that the debate recently in the newspapers about whether you should give your real name out on the Internet, or whether you should change it so that its completely different does actually answer this question. I now know that I would never ever use my real name.

For anybody out there that thinks by writing a comment it will actually be an open invitation to come over and move in, here's the answer. Please don't bother. We are here to write. We all have our own private lives. I know I do.

I have recently met a great guy, and yes I call him my husband, go figure! lol! But seriously, why does someone who only reads my work, believe they know me so well?

And actually have the nerve to ignore the facts and think I am interested in them? I believe its because we all are so familiar with each other as writers, that we get to thinking that we actually know each and every person intimately.

But this is just not the case. Writing on any site is just a small part of our lives. What we do, where we go and who we interact with in the outside World is much more important and real.

Now I have that out in the open lets just take a quick look at what we should do to keep safe.

• Never ever give your real name. I don't care if some stupid Politician decides that we must, according to a new survey.
• Never ever give out your email address. If someone contacts you from hubpages or any other site, unless you trust them completely, make sure you send them a reply from another email address that has no money links. For example the same email address you use for Paypal.
• Never write about the town you are living in. I did write about the town I was born in. Different thing altogether. Now that I have moved up North I felt that it was fine to mention it. If you still live there, don't bother to write about it.
• Always be polite if you start getting harassed. But then remove your follow status etc from hubpages, facebook and any other site you have contact on.
• If you feel as though the person doing the harassing won't listen, then contact Hubstaff or the Staff of the site you are writing for.
• And last but not least, never ever send money over the Internet. In my case this wasn't even asked for, but just in case you are asked, never ever reciprocate.

To keep safe just use your common sense. And if you feel that these measures are not enough, then contact your local police.

Hopefully the person who keeps harassing me will understand that I am not available, and was just being friendly. I am sure it was just a misunderstanding. In this case I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

This time.

copyright nell rose.