Chat room etiquette is important to maintain respectful communication in online chat rooms. Each chat room has its own rules and codes of conduct, which should be read before entering. It is important to keep conversations short, use appropriate language, and avoid disruptive behavior. Anonymity is encouraged, but personal information should not be shared. Harassment should be reported to chat admins. When leaving a chat room, it is polite to say goodbye. Using all capital letters is no longer considered shouting.
The Internet has created entirely new ethical dilemmas about how we relate to each other. A typical example of this is the new chat room etiquette, which helps us determine how we should talk to people in a chat room environment. Unlike a private conversation with a single person over the Internet, chat room means that many people will read our conversation. It’s like talking loudly in a busy restaurant.
Each chat room has its own chat room label, as do social gaming sites like Scrabble sites. Usually the chat room has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, which can help familiarize you with specific chat room etiquette for an individual site or “room.”
Before accessing and chatting, read the FAQ carefully to be sure you are not violating the codes of the particular chat room you wish to enter. Also, the first time you enter a chat room, spend some time reading other people’s chat. This is likely to inform one or more about the chat room etiquette observed by the room users.
One of the goals of chat room etiquette is to keep conversations short and to the point. Longer comments and questions are usually better addressed in emails. Chatters often use abbreviations to not take up too much space when posting a comment. Such lists of common abbreviations are widely available online.
Some writers on chat room etiquette suggest walking into a room and stating your name, gender, age, and perhaps state of origin (or country). There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that this information should not be provided, particularly for chatterboxes under the age of 18. Indeed, when entering a supposedly “safe” chat room, it is very important that younger children know that there will be some presence of people who will try to exploit their youth, and obtain information about them.
To preserve anonymity, chat room etiquette suggests choosing a handle or name, not your own. Pick something chat-related, perhaps. Avoid obscene or disgusting names. You will not make friends by entering a Christian chat with a name that refers to various parts of the body.
Guests who want to vent their hostility or deliberately disrupt a chat will visit some chat rooms. It is never within chat room etiquette to behave this way. Instead of paying attention to those who misbehave, it’s best to ignore those claims. Think of them as pitiful deluded people talking to themselves in a crowded street and walking quickly across!
If a person continues to make harassing statements, most chat rooms will allow comments to be blocked. If this option is not available in your room, emailing the chat admin can help permanently remove a shaker from a chat.
Chat room etiquette requires keeping conversations on topic, particularly if the room is themed. If one is in a chat room discussing Italian food, don’t introduce a question about a poodle. More loosely connected themes can allow for more freedom in the chat. For example, a single mom’s group might cover a variety of topics related to being a single mom. Again the FAQ helps to know which topics are best undertaken.
When you’re ready to leave the chat room, chat room etiquette suggests saying a general hello to the group, just as you do when leaving a party. Something along the lines of “I have to go to bed ‘night everybody!” it’s perfect.
A clarification on chat room etiquette is needed. Using all capital letters used to be considered the Internet equivalent of shouting. This is no longer the case. Someone who uses capitals may be disabled or may just be a novice. Don’t scold newbies. After all, a capital letter or two could hardly be considered highly offensive, especially if the person’s language is clean and appropriate.
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