Yesterday I received this PM from someone who has given me permission to post it, but asked for her ID to be withheld.

I have replied to her, and given her my thoughts on the matter, but I think it is an important question which warrants its own thread here, to have the benefit of other people's thoughts and to be here for people who are not confident enough to ask.

i am new. I am female, and i think i'm a sub, but i dont know very much about the lifestyle and want to try being an online sub. Do you have any advice for me? I am in a vanilla relationship and it is serious... I will not leave him for anyone or anything... but I am curious about the lifestyle. He and I have talked about it but I am exploring on my own at the moment. How do I make sure that I am safe? How do I make sure that it stays online (can he track my IP address? is this unsafe?) and that I remain as safe as possible. For now, I do not feel comfortable with using a webcam or sending photos...I just want to perhaps exchange emails and use messenger to chat... but I am anxious about embarking on this not knowing how to be 100% safe.
cariad