With the increasing popularity of Internet message boards, chatrooms and instant messages (IM), a new form of predator called a cyberbully has emerged. A cyberbully takes advantage of these new forms of communication to harass and intimidate other users. This may be an extension of offline bullying activities, or the cyberbully may target a specific online participant. The cyberbully phenomenon is not limited to the school-age crowd, either. Adults have been known to become targets of a cyberbully's online tactics as well.

To handle a cyberbully effectively, it helps to understand the underlying method behind the online madness. Why does someone become a cyberbully? There are a number of different reasons, but primarily it's an attempt to gain power over others. By posting a derogatory message or sending an insulting IM, some cyberbullies hope to establish a pecking order, with themselves at the top. Other cyberbullies may hope to retaliate against someone who caused them offline trouble at school, or a collection of cyberbullies may entertain themselves by defaming or mocking more vulnerable classmates.

If you find yourself the target of a cyberbully, one of the first lines of defense is to block the sender and keep a record of all harassing communications. Never accept an IM from a sender you do not recognize. A cyberbully may use any response against you later. Choose a generic, gender-neutral online nickname whenever possible, to prevent an offline bully from discovering your identity and escalating to a cyberbully. Run periodic online searches of your name to check for any defamatory websites.

A cyberbully thrives on the attention he or she receives from the victim, so it pays to remain silent. Incidents of cyberbullying should not remain secret for long – tell a parent or teacher about the messages you've received and any real-life names you can attach to the sender(s). Quite often, the online actions of a cyberbully mirror offline events during the school day. An unfriendly encounter with "Mean Girls" at lunchtime may lead to the formation of a hateful website or the sending of altered photographs to the victim through email that evening. All of these incidents should be noted for possible legal action by the sender's Internet service provider (ISP).

Direct confrontation with a cyberbully, whether online or offline, is not recommended. By ignoring a cyberbully's messages and online taunts, the victim takes away much of his or her steam. The cyberbully will either move on to another victim or escalate the attack until it becomes quite evident that action must be taken by the chatroom or message board moderators. Until the messages specifically mention criminal acts or credible threats of violence, the cyberbully is often protected by the First Amendment. Chatroom and message board moderators can choose to delete inflammatory messages or ban troublemakers, but a savvy cyberbully can usually maneuver around such actions.

Sometimes, the best way to handle a cyberbully is to limit your online activities and communications. Use the telephone for casual conversations with friends, rather than a public chatroom or instant messenger service. Be prepared to change your online accounts and nicknames to thwart future attacks from a cyberbully. Avoid posting dramatic good-bye messages in public chatrooms or message boards following a cyberbully's attack. This will only send the cyberbully a message that his or her methods of intimidation were successful.

Parents should take any reports of cyberbullying as seriously as the traditional "bully in the alley" incidents. Children have been known to become severely depressed or even suicidal after encountering a vicious cyberbully. Derogatory websites created by anonymous classmates should be reported to the domain's host immediately. There is a very good chance that the images and language used on such websites are in violation of the hosting company's Terms of Service (TOS), which gives the company every right to remove the offensive website. Swift and decisive action against a cyberbully by a responsible adult can literally save a child's life.