Before You Chat
When you participate in online chats, you will need to adhere to particular rules and etiquette guidelines. It is important to learn chat etiquette, especially if you want to make your chat experience more enjoyable.
Entering a chat room
When you first enter a chat room, it is a good idea to say "Hello" to everybody. Take a while to observe how people interact in the chat room, before you take part in the conversation.
In a Chat
Be careful of what you say in a chat. Because others can not hear your voice or see your face, it is possible that your comments can be misconstrued. Use "emoticons" and other chat expressions wherever possible. If someone is annoying you, you can "Ignore" them. Every chat and instant messager has an "Ignore" feature. If you don't know how to Ignore someone, read the chat's help feature.
Chat and Dating
Meeting other singles via online dating can be a lot of fun. You should make sure that you are familiar with how to chat. Chatting on the Internet can happen in chat rooms, or via instant messenger programs. When you chat online, you will need to use a "handle" or "nickname" to identify yourself. You may also be asked to provide other details such as age, location, and interests. Providing this extra information is optional.
Many people use chat rooms as a way to meet members of the opposite sex and flirt. It can be difficult to stay away from these people in chatrooms. It is generally safer to find a chat room with a purpose or topic. Chat rooms with the word "chat" in their titles, like "teenchat," "chatmongers," or "nicechat," usually involve quite a bit of flirting or sexual talk. Another signal that this type of chatting is going on is when you see people asking "m/f?" in a chat-they are asking you what gender you are. Once you admit to people in these types of chat rooms that you are female, you may start receiving private messages that are sexually explicit or harassing. Chats with a purpose, such as chats about hobbies or computer games, are going to be a lot less harassing than a chat without a topic.
Safety Tips
Never say anything in a chat room that you would not say in public. Never give out personal information, like your name, home address, school address, where you'll be that afternoon, your telephone number, your personal email address (give them a public address), or any other information that could help someone figure out your actual identity (or anyone else's). See our article on Chat Room Security
Leave a chat immediately if someone makes you uncomfortable, starts asking you too many personal questions, is sexually explicit, or starts to harass you. Ignore invitations to chat privately with people you do not know.
On IRC you can start your own chat room, or channel. You can even create a private channel that no one can see, so that you and your friends can chat in a private, harassment-free channel. You can create a password for your channel as well. This means that you can create a chat room for you and your friends, and kick anyone out who joins in and acts in an offensive way.
Choose your handle wisely. If you choose a female-sounding handle, like "Cindy64," you may be the target of unwanted behavior such as insults, sexual propositions, or even stalking. If you choose a gender-neutral name, like "csx22," or "raver," it is likely that most people will assume you are male, depending on the chat room you are in. On the downside, this can make females feel like they are hiding their true identity as females.
Never Meet in Person
Never arrange to meet someone in person who you have met online without taking certain safety steps. It may be tempting to get together with friends you have made online: you may feel that your online friends really know and understand you. However, meeting someone in person who you have met online is the biggest threat to your safety. Remember, people you meet online may not be who they say they are. If you feel that it is appropriate to meet someone in person never go to the meeting by yourself, and arrange to meet in a public place that you are familiar with. Alternatively, you can arrange to meet the person in a group of your own friends.
Basic Chat room Safety:
Do not reveal information about yourself, your friends or family.
Chat in only in chat rooms run by a reputable company or organization that monitors activity.
Chat rooms are sometimes organized around topics, so avoid topics that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Do not respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable or frightened.
Do not arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you meet in a chat room without informing a parent or other adult first.
Remember that some people are not always who they seem to be in a chat room.
Be very careful about people who offer easy solutions to difficult problems or make offers that are "too good to be true".
Be suspicious of anyone who tries to turn you against your parents, teachers, or friends. They may have a hidden agenda. See our article on Child Safety in Chat
Avoid harassment (it applies especially for women and girls) by choosing a gender-neutral nickname - like your initials or a word - to use in a chat room so that no one can tell whether you're male or female.
