Warning about stalkers and harassers: first draft.
I've written a first draft of what I hope will eventually be a regularly-posted notice to this newsgroup. I welcome feedback, particularly suggestions about what the Subject: line should be, and whether it should be signed by me (or anyone).
I may not have time to respond in person to the discussion over the next week (job + job application due + funeral to attend in the next week) but I think this is ready for other eyes and I want to keep this process moving.
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Welcome to alt.polyamory! To increase your safety and comfort while here, we'd like to present this little safety talk about online stalkers and harassers.
The majority of people online are perfectly nice, decent people. But there are a small number of unpleasant people around, who engage in various forms of abusive behaviour. You may run into such people in any online community, but unfortunately if you're female and post to alt.polyamory, that "may" becomes a near-certainty.
It's quite likely if you've just begun posting to alt.polyamory, that you are going through major upheavals in your life around relationships and your own sense of who you are. This makes you more emotionally vulnerable. Remember that you don't owe any stranger on the internet or in your email in-box anything, even if they are making insightful observations and asking penetrating questions. You get to decide what your own boundaries are, and even if answering those questions to yourself has been helpful, you do not need to answer to the other person. That confidential self-revealing email may be broadcast more widely by them; you have no control over what they do once you've hit the "send" button.
If you do find yourself interacting with someone who makes you uncomfortable, do not be afraid to ask for advice, either by emailing an alt.polyamory poster you trust, or here on the newsgroup. You will be believed by most of the participants, and you will be backed up.
Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy your time in alt.polyamory.
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Aqua
I would like to include my LJ and DW readers in the invitation for feedback, same caveat about me responding, of course.
This entry is originally published at http://aquaeri.dreamwidth.org/80684.html. Please go here to read comments; here to leave a comment (you can use your LJ OpenID).
comments so far.