Chatters Warning: Chatting is extremely addictive and time consuming. It also results in the shock of seeing your telephone bill at the end of the month.
That out off the way we can proceed :-)
There are thousands of chat sites on the Internet, some dedicated to a certain interest group, others that serve as community centres. When I started chatting almost five years ago, finding ones way online was a little less cluttered than it is now.
Today, there are lots of chat sites with an equal number of options. What works for me is, still, a site that gives me a lot of room options, one that's fast and, most importantly, one where I can meet people who're fun to chat with. While most chat sites these days are Java based, some have features like a 3-D environment that require you to download additional software.
First timers should start by wetting their feet in conventional chat rooms, learning the tricks of the trade, and polishing up their gift of the gab. The first thing you will find, when you make your chat room debut, is the plethora of messages scrolling by making it difficult for you to figure out who is saying what to whom.
Your 'Hi' and 'Hello' will be lost almost at once, but don't despair because all chatters experience the same problem. Look out for newcomers like you, who will respond almost immediately to your friendly gesture. It's like your first day in college, newcomers automatically seek each other out.
Chatting can be great fun. You meet goodness knows how many people, and you can start a new hobby of collecting e-mails or comparing buddy lists with your real time friends.
Socialising with your chat friends and meeting up with them is one of those great bonding events where your conversation is so replete with chat room references that outsiders won't be able to decipher a thing.
In a chat room, you are exactly the image you wish to create of yourself -- you can be an extrovert, philosopher, flirt, sombre person, sensitive friend, or quite the opposite of your real life traits. There are, however, lessons to be learned from seasoned chatters. Take your time opening up, because what you read is not what you always get. The person you're chatting with may lie to you about marital status, sex, age, location, and even looks (that's the winner) among other small deceptions. So, Sneha22 from Lokhandwala may actually be Gurdeep46 from Chunnabhatti. Dig?
Falling in love on the net is, at times, a natural progression for most chatters. Suffering from heartbreaks and withdrawal symptoms come just as naturally. I can be a romantic and say it will work out. But, in 99 per cent of all cases, it won't. Distance makes the heart wander and less fonder after a period of time. With all that choice around, you tend to be more fickle online than offline.
While this is a precaution, let me say that I treasure the friends I have made online, some friendships closer than the ones I share in real life. There are no rights and wrongs, and dos or don'ts online. It is a whole new frontier out there, with communities being formed, chatters gathering at a select site and sometimes moving on if they find something better.
As you become a regular chatter, your next step will be to download an Instant Messenger, move to private rooms, check your e-mail at least five times a day and, like I said at the start, get used to the MTNL bills. All in all, still a small price to pay for friendship though, isn't it?
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- Never ever give out personal information to someone you have just met.
- Don't exchange phone numbers in a public room.
- Most chat sites have an 'Ignore User' function or feedback buttons that let you report errant chatters. Use them.
- Don't spam a chat room if you are feeling ignored.
- Don't use ALL-CAPS, because that's the equivalent of screaming in a chat room.
- Try to avoid sending unsolicited private messages.
- A/S/L (age/sex/location) is now a chat cliché. Try thinking up new questions if possible.
- A chat room is a mix of people of every caste, language and religion. Be mindful of other peoples sentiments.
- Change your password regularly.
- Choose a really cool and different nickname, because it's the first impression you make in a room.
Facial features
: or ; are the eyes
- is the nose
) or ( or are lips
Chat Slangs
Chat users use a lot of abbreviations and sign language. Get up to date: (http://www.rediff.com/chat/slang.htm).
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The Rediff Chat
http://www.rediff.com
One place where all Indians on the new have formed a huge community. Btw, they aren't paying me to say this.
Yahoo Chat
http://chat.yahoo.com
A choice of over a thousand chat rooms that can be accessed using Yahoo Messenger.
Technology: Java based chat rooms that allow voice chat.
WBS
www.wbs.net
Another old community that has kept up with rapidly changing technology in communication tools.
Technology: Java based chat rooms that allow voice chat.
Talkcity
http://www.talkcity.com
A very big community with room monitors.
Technology: Java based rooms.
The Park
http://www.the-park.com
This site has free membership and pay features too. Guess they can afford to do so since the chat hub has been around for over five years and keeps adding more features on a regular basis.
Technology: HTML mode with auto scroll, along with lots of tools to personalise your profile and chat messages.
Dream Chat
http://www.dreamchat.com
One-of-a-kind chat system that combines the best of text based and avatar chat systems. With features like Skins Support, Message Filtering with Automatic Actions, Automatic Browser and Resolution Detection, and File and Photo Attachments.
Technology: Java based with facility to have your own face.
3-D World's Chat
http://www.worlds.net/
A great 3-D environment that allows you to create your own avatar from a library of hundreds of images and interact with users in a virtual world.
Technology: Didn't I mention 3-D? Btw you need to download the software.
Audio/Video
Hear Me
http://www.hearme.com
You can enter user created rooms or chat with users in Lobbies. The site also allows you to stream live video images and conduct voice chats with multiple users. Also has a text facility.
Technology: One time download, though they have continuous updates.
Gooey
http://www.gooey.com/
This is a really cool product though it needs to be downloaded. Lets you chat with other surfers who happen to be at a particular site at the same time you are, provided they have Gooey too. Can be used for real-time chatting, instant messaging, file transferring and screening videos and Flash animation in the Gooey Zone.
Technology: Don't ask me. Just download the program.
IRC/MIRC
The Big Daddy of 'em all. But first things first: what is it? Well, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is one of the most popular and most interactive services on the Internet. It is the net's equivalent of CB radio though, unlike the latter, IRC lets people all over the world participate in real-time conversations. Using an IRC client (program) you can exchange text messages interactively with other people all over the world.
Some of the more popular chat clients are MIRC
(http://www.mirc.com/mirc.html), Pirch (http://www.pirchat.com), and Virc (http://www.megalith.co.uk/virc/) for Windows, and Homer or Ircle (http://www.ircle.com/) for Mac's.
The program used doesn't really matter since all of them connect to the same networks. When logged into a chat session, you 'converse' by typing messages that are instantly sent to other chat participants.
IRC is great fun and you'll sure meet lots of interesting people and find nice spots to hang out! However, it's not something you should just jump into without first reading up on. For some documentation (help files, readmes, FAQs etc), try (http://www.mirc.com/faq.html)
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