Internet chat rooms are 'rooms' in cyberspace where visitors from anywhere in the world may gather to exchange messages through typed or audio communications. Most online chat sites are topic based, meaning that each room is dedicated to the discussion of a certain subject by people of similar interests. The communications within these virtual gatherings are typically sprinkled with acronyms that mean very little to those who do not participate in virtual chats. To veteran chatters, however, acronyms save time, effort in typing so many words and is a web language all its own. New users can get lost in the prolific use of acronyms when he or she first enters a chat site. Newcomers should be prepared with a note pad and pen as well as maintaining a low profile until the 'language' of chatting is understood. This is generally the best policy for newbies..."TM" (trust me).
Chats are designed to host many people at once and a user can watch a conversation take place on the computer screen in front of them without even entering in at all. The more expert chatters are easily detected through their extensive use of chatter language, their ease of maneuvering through conversational settings and their understanding of general chatroom policies. The most obvious characteristic, however, that denotes a seasoned user is the initialed verbiage that flows from their keyboards. "All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them." (Proverbs 8:8) When something strikes them funny, they are "ROTFL" (rolling on the floor laughing) or when they feel incredulous about something, the reply may be "YGBK" (you gotta be kidding). There are dozens of common acronyms used in typical online chat sites that make some people feel out of place at the start.
A good way to handle the 'education' gap for newcomers is to check out several sources online that offer listings of the various acronyms with their full meanings. Prospective chatters should then print off a listing of the most common words or phrases and read them over to become familiar with them before entering an Internet chat room. For the first few times in a chatroom, it is usually wise for a newcomer to get to know how the other visitors communicate. Users who visit several different Internet chat rooms will find that each one has its own interactive dynamic and some sites may use the special language more commonly than others. Younger users who are late teens or twenties usually make liberal use of an acronym every few words, perhaps because they have become so adept at cell phone text messaging and instant messaging techniques.
Chatrooms that appeal to senior adults or other users may not make as much use of acronyms to communicate with because they prefer to use 'real English' when interacting with each other. There is actually a concern among professional linguists and language specialists regarding the deterioration of detailed communication that may result from over usage of short, symbolic acronyms to express thoughts and feelings. This method of communication within online chat sites has developed simply because it is less difficult to type a few symbolic letters than to type in complete words and sentences in a rapidly interacting chatroom. So, those who enter chats should be prepared to communicate quickly, succinctly and pointedly or they should be quiet for awhile and "CIO" (check it out) first.
There are many chats available throughout the Internet and just about any particular topic can be found discussed somewhere in a virtual room. When searching for interesting Internet chat rooms, the best places to look are in directories or through search engines. The online world is such a big place that there is no specific listing in one location of all the available online chat sites. Some directories offer a good choice of various listings for chatting that make finding the right one relatively easy. Online surfers may also enter a word or phrase that specifies the topic they are looking for in one of the many search engines that may yield the best matches. After finding an interesting possibility, a user should check out the service's privacy policies, account requirements and user guidelines. While most chat rooms have generally the same policies and requirements, some do vary according to the stated purpose of the chatroom. Many chatrooms allow only those over 18 years of age to enter and may strictly impose user chat etiquette that is stipulated by that particular service.
Some sites also provide moderators that keep the virtual experience moving in the right direction by helping people's comments to stay on point and within user guidelines. Other online chat sites do not provide moderators within their services. Generally, chatrooms function much better when there are moderators involved to referee or help direct communication among chatters. New users can look forward to a fun and interesting experience in many types of chatrooms by doing a little homework about a service before logging in to an account. He or she can also enjoy a better interaction by brushing up on a little 'chat language' to give them a head start with communication techniques suited for Internet chat rooms. B4N! (bye for now)
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