Communication Studies - Internet Skills - Chat Rooms

What is Chat?

Chat is a form of electronic communication which allows you to hold "conversations" with other online users. It differs from e-mail, newsgroup, or discussion list traffic in that your discussion with others occurs in "real-time." At any time, or at a specific time for a particular topic, you and others log into a chat room and proceed to converse on a designated topic. These discussions are text-based, with participants typing in questions and responses to one another.

There are different ways to access chat rooms. One way, called the IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, requires that you load special software that enables you to connect to and access chat areas. One such program is called mIRC. For more information about using IRC, downloading and installing mIRC, please visit The mIRC Homepage . (NOTE: Many public computer labs, such as those found in libraries or on college campuses do not permit chatting.)

You may also enter and participate in chat rooms through Web services. Many web search engines and directory services such as Yahoo! and Excite contain chat areas. Some of these services may require that you download and install additional software. Be sure to read the Help or FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sections before you begin to participate.

Specific chat services include Talk City , a site which groups its chat areas into broad "communities" and also provides bulletin board access; and the Google Directory for chat , which list categories of chat and links to popular chat sites.

Be aware that on many sites there is no indication of the quality of the chat room you enter. You may find very interesting conversations or you may find that some chat rooms are largely a waste of your time.

Participating in a Chat Room

Before entering into a chat area, you will be required to register. You may be asked to supply certain information about yourself and to pick a user id and password. How this information is used will depend upon the service sponsoring the chat area. Be sure that you read any information supplied by the service that explains how the information you submit will be used. A good example of this may found in the Privacy Policy endorsed by Yahoo! .

After you are registered, you may enter a chat area. The features of each chat environment may be unique to each web service that provides it. Again, reading the Help or FAQ information will get you started. As with e-mail, there is recommended "netiquette" for participating in chat conversations. Please see "Chat Etiquette: The Do's and Don'ts of Online Conversation" . It will describe how to choose a chat area, common abbreviations used, elements of courtesy, and protecting yourself. Specific services will also provide their own policies for interacting online. Please see Talk City's Standards for an example.

Chat areas can be open for discussion on practically any topic at any time, with participants coming in and leaving at random. They may also be scheduled for a specific time. These can be focused discussions about a particular topic or they can take the form of an interview or a question and answer session with a celebrity, author, or otherwise notable person. The scheduled chats tend to stay more focused on the topic.

Common Sense Precautions

It is a good rule of thumb not to share personal information about yourself when you are online. Several years ago there was a cartoon about the Internet in a New Yorker magazine that addressed this idea. Visually, you saw two dogs conversing, one sitting on the floor, the other sitting behind a computer. The caption read, "On the Internet, no one knows you are a dog." The idea is that anyone can portray themselves as anything. Remember how your parents would caution you about taking candy from strangers? Well, the same rule applies here. Your best tactic is to simply be cautious and exercise good sense. Keep in mind that you are in a public online space, and anyone could be "listening." Don't be offensive or share information that you wouldn't share with thousands of your closest "friends."

Additional Resources

AIM Acronym Dictionary . Retreived May 17, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.aim.com/acronyms.adp

Lists dozens of abbreviations used in chat.

Carabello, David and Lo, Joseph. (2000, June 1). The IRC Prelude . Retrieved September 11, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/new2irc.html

Describes basic information about IRC, how to use it, etiquette, and protecting yourself.

Chatter's Jargon Dictionary. http://allnurses.com/forums/f98/chatter-s-jargon-dictionary-37982.html

A list of chat abbreviations and their meanings.

Mundell, W. (1998, January 13). Chat Etiquette: The Do's and Don'ts of Online Conversation . Retrieved September 11, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Breakers/5257/Chatet.htm

An informal primer that describes the etiquette of chat rooms and how to protect yourself while using one.