How To Block Skeezy Online Stalkers

Jami Howard/freakbacon.com

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Should you worry about your privacy when joining an online dating site? I answer this question in my latest online etiquette column, Dear @nna. Here’s an excerpt:

Generally, posting information on online dating sites isn’t any more worrisome than posting it on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. Most of the same rules apply, except for a few no-brainers which I will post anyway, because I don’t have very much faith in humanity. Don’t be a dumbass and share your full name, your address, phone number, credit card, or anything else you wouldn’t give to a stranger unless they were really hot.

Plenty of people are vague on dating sites about what they do in order to protect their identity, while still getting the points of their personality across. For instance, if you’re an investment banker, you can just say “soulless.” Don’t list your company, obviously, and limit the number of photos you share. You have to post at least one photo though, or people will think you are Nick Nolte and then you’ll never find true love….

Read the rest of my online etiquette column at SF Weekly.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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