How to Use Chat Etiquette Online

Chatting online has become a way of life. It seems like just yesterday that you had to pick up the telephone or write a letter if you wanted to communicate with someone. Now your friends, family and co-workers are a mere instant message away. Chatting either online in chat rooms or using instant message portals has become as common place as email. Read on to learn how to join the conversation.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet access
• Download ability

1. Create a screen name that is not offensive. Remember that when initiating conversation with people, you'll want to use a screen name that describes you or your personality. Make sure it's not offensive to others when you attempt to initiate conversation.

2. 

   Follow the normal protocol that you would in initiating conversation in the real world and just say, hello, good morning or good afternoon. Wait for the other person to respond. It's also a good practice to ask if they're busy or if they can talk when you initiate online conversation. Unlike in the real world, you can't see if the person is occupied or may be engaged in conversation. Being polite and asking if they are able to chat is good etiquette.

3. If someone is busy, let them know that they can initiate chat with you when they're ready and don't continue to keep asking them if they can chat. Not only is that annoying, it's also rude. Give people the same courtesy that you would in any other situation.

4. Don't yell. Don't type in all caps. It's considered shouting in the online chat world.

5. Check your spelling and grammar so that you can make sure you're understood, but feel free to use typical chat shorthand, abbreviations and slang as long as the other person understands what you mean. Some of the more popular abbreviations include, LOL (Laugh Out Loud), BRB (Be Right Back), IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), ROFL (Rolling on the Floor Laughing) and TTYL (Talk To You Later).

6. 

   If someone's status is set to busy or away, don't continue to pester them to chat. Sometimes in instant messenger, a person may do this because they are working on something else or can't chat at that moment. Respect that. Wait until their status is set to available before you message them.

7. Say goodbye before you log out or finish a conversation with someone. One thing a lot of people do is abruptly end conversation without saying goodbye. Proper etiquette would be to say goodbye or talk to you later before you end the conversation. Afford someone the same courtesy as you would in a face to face conversation or telephone conversation.

[susyq10]

on 3/10/2009 Is it okay to write "good night" at the end of a chat? What if the person doesn't do the same? Does that mean anything?