As for tracking your IP address and so on - first off, if you're with a major ISP offering internet service to thousands of corporate and private customers, even if your online contact could retrieve your IP, that won't give a direct clue to get your address or your name. The most it will give him is the name of your ISP.(which is worthless for trying to determine who you are). And most ISPs use dynamic IP numbers, changing on irregular intervals from a pool of IP addresses that the company owns. If you're using an online mail program, like Hotmail, Gmail or AIM, the program account won't disclose your IP number because the mail will be rerouted over their own mail server before really being sent (with local mailboxes where the mail is really stored permanently on your machine, it gets different). I'm assuming your contact isn't a really accomplished hacker who can construct his own spybot viruses and use specialized stuff to infitrate your pc, but a good firewall will repel most of those assaults too.

It's a good basic security measure not to be using your normal mail account but instead a separate online account that's only used for the purposes of kinky exploration.

If you want to check your own IP number in Windows XP, open the command line interpreter (cmd.exe, the "black box") and type ipconfig, then click Enter. That's also a good way of checking if you suspect that your connection's been hijacked; if you'll get a new and completely different ip number (not in the same range as you normally get) then it's a sign of trouble and possible hijacking or virus attack.

Sharing pics only happens when you're sure of your ground with the other and also sure that nobody else on his/her end will accidentally get to see whatever you send over. Take special care with pictures of your face or your house (sorry for stating the obvious).

How fast to go is a matter of intutition and personal taste. With some people here I've gotten personal within a few days of meeting them, but it still took months of talking, discussing, scening and playing around with Liz before i submitted to her (and she didn't urge me on, it grew of itself). Some Doms tend to say you have to submit real fast and without hesitation, but that's often a sign of uncertainty and a wish to grab a subbie. Keep your self-respect as a sub: you are no less worthy or valid because you don't have a Dom for the moment.

Good luck and hope to see you grow in submission,

louise