What is the Dear Prudence column on Slate all about?

Slate’s Dear Prudence column is an advice column conducted via live chat several times per week. The inclusion of a live chat allows other readers to contribute their own advice. After the chat is concluded, an edited transcript is posted on Slate.com.

Dear Prudence was first published in 1997, when it was written by Herbert Stein. From 1998 to 2006, Margo Howard wrote Dear Prudence. Emily Yoffe took over in 2006 and worked on the column until November 2015, when the column was passed on to Mallory Ortberg. Dear Prudence is syndicated to over 200 newspapers, as of 2015. The name of the column is a reference to a song by the Beatles, also entitled "Dear Prudence," which was recorded in 1968.