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mandazzle: It was just small talk, but I told my mom on her ...

It was probably the best thing you could have done.

There are some variations in online safety for adults and online safety for children. Children require the protection of adults; adults might require the protection of hosts and moderators (who are serving in a protective role) but the best thing you can do is to educate yourself so you can protect yourself and also, to moderate your own behavior toward others. Some people think it's okay to lash out at others and spill a bunch of hateful vitriol into their mailbox. It's not okay. It's not anonymous. It's not benign. It hurts and it harms.