Keep Grinding

How to Stay Sane While Wired

General

  1. Encrypt as many confidential files as possible.
  2. Regularly copy important files to another storage device.
  3. Download programs only from the developers' websites and your distribution's official repositories.
  4. Use uBlock Origin and Reader Mode. Information processing is much easier with them.
  5. Practice basic operational security by separating your real and online identities.
  6. Don't lie unless you need to for safety. Online communities will learn the truth eventually.
  7. Try to self-host as often as possible. E-mail servers should be left to the professionals, however.
  8. No matter how often a creator begs, do not donate to them unless you can confirm they will use your money responsibly.
  9. Go outside if the weather is okay! Disconnection keeps you away from most trolling and misconceptions.
  10. If someone stalks and threatens you, contact law enforcement before reaching for the knives. If they refuse to or are prevented from helping you, RUN!

Specific Sites

  1. If you get an error when you attempt to access a page, look for it on the WayBack Machine or archive.today.
  2. Don't state any more than is needed. Every post risks irritating someone that might be a mod.
  3. Try to remove yourself from people search services.
  4. Some lolcow-centric forums have posters that suffer from poor reading comprehension. You are encouraged to look at the evidence provided and come to your own conclusions.
  5. Take IMdb's average ratings with a pinch of salt because The Amazing Digital Circus is rated higher than 1000 Ways to Die, Smiling Friends over the R. Kelly docos, and Titanic over goddamn Flash Gordon!
  6. Access YouTube through Invidious, and disable Related Videos as frequently as possible.
  7. If you want to download something from a peer-to-peer network, be prepared to upload it back. A VPS can seed faster than a home connection.

Limitations

  1. Turn off your router when your devices aren't downloading anything.
  2. Block problematic domains with a firewall such as Pi-hole.
  3. If you pay for internet access, call your ISP and downgrade to a lower bandwidth or cancel entirely. Go to a restaurant or library for big files.
  4. If something might get you in deep trouble, don't upload it.
  5. Avoid everything that treats others horribly, even moderators.
  6. Do not play games that require an internet connection.
  7. Use fail2ban to discourage skids from breaking into your server(s).
  8. Toxicity and drama-centric sites go hand in hand, so tread carefully. While the internet has plenty of dangerous parts, the biggest threats are likely closer than you might have thought.

See also