How to Use Online Chat Rooms
When you enter a chat room by navigating there with your Internet browser, you can chat in real time with other people over the Internet. Websites geared toward specific interests often will create a chat room within the site for visitors to chat with others who have similar interests. Use online chat rooms carefully to ensure safety--this is especially important for youngsters who could fall victim to predators prowling the Internet.
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Instructions
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Click on an icon for online chatting when you see one on a website. Understand that online chat rooms usually are public areas where any conversations will be viewable by anyone who visits the chat.
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Create a user name to access the chat room. Never use your real name as a user name, and try make it gender neutral. Selecting suggestive user names or ones with sexual connotations may attract undesired attention.
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Log into the chat room with your new user name.
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Observe the conversation going on in the chat room when you first enter to get a feel for the atmosphere. If you feel comfortable, greet the group informally by entering a short greeting in the text box and pressing "enter."
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Wait and watch to see how the conversation progresses. If you have something to say or add to the conversation, type it into the text box and press "enter" to post it to the chat room for the other users to see.
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Converse with the other chatters for as long as you like, using a personable and polite tone. Avoid conflict and arguments while chatting, and try to keep the conversation light and enjoyable. When you are ready to finish chatting, enter a goodbye message and leave the chat room by closing the window on your Internet browser.
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Tips & Warnings
Many chat room participants utilize standard texting abbreviations while chatting. If you do not possess a thorough knowledge of these abbreviations, you may have difficulty understanding what other chatters say.
Never divulge personal information in a chat room, including your real name, location, age or email address. Never upload any personal pictures of yourself to a chat room.
Many people in a chat room may not be representing themselves accurately or truthfully. Internet predators often utilize chat rooms to prey on young or naive people.
References
- Photo Credit internet image by peter Hires Images from Fotolia.com
