Chat Room FAQ

All your chat room questions answered.

1. Is it safe to use chat rooms?
2. How can I know if the person I am chatting to is genuine?
3. What are all the strange symbols I keep seeing in chat windows?
4. Help! I've just received a message full of abbreviations and I don't understand what they mean!
5. What should I do if someone sends me an offensive message?
6. How do I talk to someone in private?
7. How do I ignore someone?

1. Is it safe to use chat rooms?

   Yes - as long as you use common sense and use the Internet safely.  Never give out any information that can identify you and don't believe everything you read.

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2. How can I know if the person I am chatting to is genuine?

   As you cannot see the person, this may be very difficult. It's is always better to remain cautious and not give too much away about yourself - after all you wouldn't give your personal details to a stranger you met in the street, so don't give them out to someone you meet online.

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3. What are all the strange symbols I keep seeing in chat windows?

   These are emoticons - a way of representing an emotion or expression in a text message. They can be used to show other users that you were joking :-) that you are sad :-( that you were being sarcastic :-P so that you can clarify the tone of your messages. Check out a emoticon list here ...

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4. Help! I've just received a message full of abbreviations and I don't understand what they mean!

   Chat rooms rely on the use of abbreviations and acronyms to save keystrokes (and time) when typing messages. Although they may seem confusing at first, you'll soon get the hang of them. Some of the most common include: LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back) and NP (no problem). Check out a full chat list here ...

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5. What should I do if someone sends me an offensive message?

   First of all, you should never respond directly to any offensive or abusive message. Place the person on 'ignore', inform Ops (if you are in a moderated chat room) or simply leave the chat room altogether.

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6. How do I talk to someone in private?

   To send a private message to someone in the same chat room as you, simply left click on the nickname of the person you wish to contact (on the member's list), and then click the 'Private' option. A new window will popup for your private conversation. In IRC, type </msg nickname> and then write your message.

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7. How do I ignore someone?

   To block someone from talking to you, simply left click on the nickname you want to ignore (on the member's list), and click the 'Ignore' option. This user will not be able to contact you. In IRC, type </ignore nickname> or </ignore address>.

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