Chatting etiquettes

ASK any Internet user what his/her favourite online past time is and the most likely answer will be ‘chatting’. Whether using mIRC or instant messengers, almost anyone who is using Internet for the first time gets addicted to chatting. There are those who chat randomly to just about anyone who is willing to chat with them, while others prefer to chat only with a close knit network of friends and relatives. But whichever type of chatting is done, very few people know the rules or etiquettes of chatting.

When it comes to young, novice users, they are most likely to divulge private information and believe everything that they are told from the opposite end. The more ‘expert’ users who are a little too accustomed to the Internet and its ways ignore the “Busy” and “Away” status of those who are online and keep on bombarding them with messages. It’s no wonder that when I went online to search, chatting etiquettes were mostly penned down keeping a younger audience in mind. But, with all due respect, even the elder and the elderly should go through them. If nothing, at least we the average people will benefit immensely if proper etiquette is practised with us.

The website to begin is http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/text/index.htm. If you feel the information here is below you, you can easily make sure that you use this information to the advantage of those children around you, who are using the Internet. There are some easy guidelines for safe chatting plus case studies of children to serve as moral stories. There is a separate section for parents and educators, where leaflets are available for download. These discuss the use of software to regulate Internet use for children and safe chatting.

Then move onto Chat Room Etiquettes at http://www.kidsfreesouls.com/chatetiquettes.htm. It comprises of pretty much similar etiquettes that have been mentioned in the above website. But these are more detailed guidelines that look at the more minute and intricate aspects of chatting. For instance, some of the things discussed here include the proper salutations to use when beginning to chat with anyone, maintaining proper behaviour in the chat rooms, respecting the moderators if you are on a public forum, choosing a sensible private username and refraining from giving out personal and contact information. These guidelines also encourage you to report abuse and host your own chat events with your list of contacts.

The ICNA website has also given some helpful tips at http://www.icna.org/Guide/chatrules.html. Among other things, it has a dire warning against setting up meetings with online friends and furthermore, guides on the appropriate use of smileys. It also offers guidance on proper conduct when someone is persistently rude. Reporting the incident to the moderator if you are in a chat room or forum, completely ignoring the person, and logging out of that room/conversation are some of the potential actions which are discussed here.

A website which is completely dedicated to chatting can be accessed at http://www.chatmag.com. Where you can search over a hundred chat rooms here, you can also find out some information on the etiquettes of chatting. Some of the issues discussed here include role playing, disruptive behaviour, and the use of abbreviations. According to Chat Mag, role playing is just fine but posing as someone you’re not is quite another thing which is very unacceptable. This website also has some useful guidance if you’re new to chatting.

Did you know that being courteous on the forums can actually be good for your business? Yep, if you’re in a business related chat room or web chat then it would be better to go through http://www.n-etiquette.com/forum.htm first. Refraining from hyper linking to other forums in your messages, replying on the forum rather than privately, specifically mentioning the person if you’re replying to anyone in particular, and making an appropriate use of emoticons, smileys and avatars. Following these guidelines carefully will go a long way in finding you people with whom you can engage in business networking.

Six rules of proper chat room etiquette have been spelled out at http://ks.essortment.com/chatroometique_rhln.htm. Probably the most important is not to fall to the level of the troublemakers in the chat rooms by using the same kind of offensive language and unsuitable remarks that they are using. Other reminders include a warning against typing in all capitals since this gives an impression that you are yelling. I don’t know why but even though this fact is universally known to all Internet users, there are some who still insist on typing in all capital letters for no reason. Here, I may also mention that it is also very irritating to use a mixture and small and upper-case letters. ‘tHerE iS nOtHiNg mOrE aNnOyiNg!’ Also, another precaution that this website mentions is not to ask anyone’s gender as ‘male/female’ or inquire about a person’s age since this is considered highly rude and inappropriate. So all those of you who begin chatting with ‘a/s/l,’ you have been warned.

Find another eight rules of chat etiquette at http://training.scifict.com/guidelines/chatiquette.html. Among a recap of the rules which you have read above, this one has some new reminders as well. The foremost point is respecting people and their point of views — I’ll add here that respecting people’s statuses on messengers also comes in this category. Respecting that the other person may not want to chat with you is also important — so don’t keep on bugging someone who’s either busy or not interested. Addressing the person to whom you’re talking, being cautious with your personal information and properly dealing with offensive chatters are all different points discussed in detail.

Similar points are discussed in a tutorial on http://www.clickbasics.com/tutorial/lesson/81. This one gives you a dire warning against advertising on public forums or chat rooms. Now I know you may think it’s very easy to post an advertising message on different communities, and it may even be an effective technique. But it is extremely irritating to see advertisements splashed among thought provoking conversation threads. Another precaution this tutorial will ask you to maintain is to stick to the topic. Many a time it happens that a conversation begins with one topic and ends up going completely off track. So make sure you don’t divert from the main theme of the conversation thread.

So there you have it. A number of websites are there to help you out so you can never plead ignore about proper ‘chat-iquette’. Remember a few precautions when chatting will go a long way in making your web experience more interesting. Otherwise, just be ready to face annoyed chatters and irritated moderators.