I agree with Eldad that you should be careful to use only a secure email account. You should also ensure you are using one that you do not use for any non-bl purpose. I also agree you should be careful about what kind of personal info you reveal. But I disagree with him about the need to wait until you trust someone before you move to instant messengers. If you create an instant messaging account using your secure email address and you dont use a nick on it that you use anywhere else, then there is nothing about an instant messenger that makes it any less secure than an email.

Blackstone_BL@fastmail.fm