How to Avoid Stress on the Internet

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Believe it or not, using the Internet can be a major source of stress for some people. This article will offer some tips of relieving your web stress for good.;

Steps

1. Don't post inflammatory comments in a thread/forum if someone else does it. Report it to moderators immediately. They are in the wrong, not you.
   
2. Never log in from college or work. You can or may be traceable. Workplaces tend to have filtering/logging systems, and in some cases you can actually block objectionable sites via the HOSTS file. However, on the upside, logging systems do get deleted after a period of time.
   
3. Don't get into complex, drawn-out arguments over an Internet site. Doing this can cause colleges to investigate, and possible legal threats from site owners. In one example, a British 16-year-old was banned from a forum who threatened legal action against him simply for posting nonsensical, if inoffensive information, and threatened to contact his ISP, but it was later withdrawn when it was revealed he had mental issues. This vignette reveals the dangers that can happen.
   
4. Never use your real personal information. The only exception is when buying items with a credit card. Always use a pseudonym (e.g. if your name is Fred John Jones, then maybe John Jones as a pseudonym etc.)
   
5. Accept that a forum is simply something to avoid getting worked up over. Many will disappear over time, despite the Internet supposedly keeping things for posterity.
   
6. Don't use "fake mail" services". Aside from causing viruses/malware, they also can cause upset and harm and is possibly an unintentional form of bullying.
   
7. Never save anything obscene or pornographic to your work or college PC.
   

Tips

• Never use keyloggers - computers are shared in many cases.
  
• Use the Internet for research, rather than pleasure when in workplace or college situations. In one example, a 16-year-old British boy was investigated by his college over misuse of the Internet and message boards and chat room sites. He was not expelled from college, but banned from the computers for a prolonged period of time without supervision. However, the individual did later reform, but his motivation for doing it was due to poor social skills rather than malice. It was not intentional, rather more due to lack of social skills, but this vignette attests to how a misunderstanding can have far-reaching consequences.
  

Warnings

• Keylogging software should not be used at all by employers. These tend to cause paranoia amongst individuals.
  
• Internet logs can and should be disposed of regularly, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2003 (if you are British).
  

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