I would rather be a little paranoid and be safe.

The church tax in German (approx. 1.5%) is some form of titing and is deducted (tax deduction is compulsory) only from those who are members of the Catholic and the Protestant churches. Freelancers also pay this upon filing the annual income tax returns. If you want to be exempted from this tax, you have the option to apply to “leave” the church officially.

As far as blogging goes, to me, as a 34 year-old man who’s slowly becoming more private with age, it’s probably best to leave the gushy personal stuff for your private journals. Prince Charles bore worldwide embarrassment when a British tabloid leaked tidbits of his diary where he was fairly unflattering toward Hong Kong officials. Think of what it would’ve been like if he’d posted it for the world to see. I understand there may be a cathartic value to bearing your soul in a blog, but I think it’s better to find a close friend instead; once the info’s out, it’s out for good. Actor Christopher Lee, whose best friend and fellow actor Peter Cushing died in 1995, once told reporters that there are friendships, such as the one he had with Cushing, where the person has become so close to you that you are only able to share the deepest parts of your heart with them. Once that person dies, there goes the bearer of your thoughts.

This is going to sound rude but your post also demonstrates a typical Midwestern disconnect from the world many of us live in every day. Identity theft is rampant and causes billions of dollars in financial damage for which ALL OF US end up paying. The recent pillaging of Monster.com should be a very real wake-up call. If there are people willing to commit large amounts of time to stealing what to us seems to be useless information, you can be certain that it is *not useless to them*.

Standing Quixotic on principle only sustains the image of romantic idealism until reality knocks you off your horse.

You seem to take a lot of pride in the impression your place of residence makes on potential clients, but you certainly aren’t concerned about giving the impression of a business-owner who doesn’t care enough about things to protect his risk. My clients trust me to protect their information, too. If I don’t value my own, how can they expect me to value theirs? I would imagine that many of us are online 24/7 with some form of broadband connection. Do you know how easy it is for a mid-level hacker with only so much as an email address to gain entry into your system, even with firewalls up? Every piece of information an Internet fiend has increases their chances of getting inside and having their way with your personal and business files. Does your insurance cover you if someone steals a manuscript off your system and publishes it under their name, before your client can get it to their agent?

Just some things to think about you go out whistling past the graveyard.

As for working with Europeans and Latin Americans, it is very refreshing IMHO. Personal details are not considered a threat of any kind. Why that is, I cannot say. But there is something genteel about it that I enjoy very much.

I refuse to be paranoid about these issues. If someone wants to steal my credit rating, that only means I get a new one to mess up. I use Saint Paul as a kind of brand name, deliberately evoking images of Midwestern honesty and hard work (that are largely untrue in my case). The assumption I get from people in other places is that I am only one degree removed from Garrison Keillor (which, incidentally, I am, but whatever).

My home is also a big part of my identity, since I restored it carefully to its antebellum majesty. So I have to use my address more than I might be comfortable with. But if people have “Saint Paul”, they can find that from the phone book.

The rest will be hard to find. I might get a stalker one day the way I act. In that case, I intend to use violence to protect myself by any means necessary. I’ve seen enough people with bullet holes in them to not be particularly queasy about it. Is this ideal? No. But I’ll deal with it when I have to.

>Out of curiosity – could you explain how your regligion has an influence on your taxes in Germany. To us Americans, that sounds down right bizzare and discriminitory.

They gave it back.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share with my fellow writers a great website that gives a heads up on scams and scammers. I think that it is an asset for everyone, and I am adding it to my favorites list!

http://writertowriterwarnings.blogspot.com/

TGIF, gang!

I always wonder if employers think I’m a more established freelance writer because I use a FEIN rather than a SSN. The latest job I scored (on Craigslist, surprisingly enough, since so many of those posts are low to no pay) had me dealing directly with their lawyers and accounting department for the money, so my writing contact didn’t have a chance to be impressed with my FEIN

Everything ended after a while. Fortunately, it was a very brief (though scary) experience. NOw I know better though.

Out of curiosity – could you explain how your regligion has an influence on your taxes in Germany. To us Americans, that sounds down right bizzare and discriminitory.

Like Deb, I don’t include names or other identifying details in my blog posts (with the exception of Michael’s name). I also don’t blog about vacations until after I come back — I don’t want a smart stalker knowing I’ll be gone!

Although my contact information is not on the resume that I have online, it is on the professional resume I sent out in response to job ads. Online, the only way to contact me is through a contact form, because I don’t want spam any more than I want stalkers!

That said, be smart and be on the defense. Check your credit history at least once a year to make sure there aren’t any weird transactions. Shred your mail. Above all, if you feel like you are being stalked or harassed, contact the police and don’t stop bugging them until your concerns are addressed. One of the writers on a board where I am a member just got word that a stalk ex shot and killed her cousin. He also shot her two children in the head and both are still in the hospital. Always, always, always be on the defense. The world is a scary place sometimes, no matter how safe you try to be.