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Everything You Need To Know About Internet Chat

Chances are you`ve only recently got onto the internet, have heard about chatting on the net, and want to know more. You may have heard horror stories about stalkers, perverts, and hackers... or are simply lost on where to start. Fear not, for that is what this page is all about. Giving you the best start possible.
This page will give you all the basic information you need, and links to pages with all the best chat software and resources.

Different Types Of Chat On The Net

There are many different ways to chat on the net, these being the most popular.

Web Based Chat

This may be the most popular form of chat, simply because it`s the easiest. You don`t need any technical skill or knowledge.. just go to a site with a built in chatroom, and start chatting. Not all web based rooms are the same though... many have special features, such as automatic language translation, or graphical avatars to represent the chatters. You can find a small collection of web based chatrooms here .

Webcam Chat

This allows you to chat with people from all over the world, face to face. This can be a very enjoyable experience, not to mention reassuring... as you know exactly who it is you`re speaking to. It`s not uncommon for chatters in purely text based rooms to pretend they`re someone other than themself, such as of a different age, or sex. When you use a webcam, they can`t do that.
There are two main ways of chatting using a webcam.

Webcam Chat Software.
You can find an extensive list of info and links to webcam chat software here .

Webcam Chatrooms and Communities.
Benway has a very friendly webcam chatroom on this site. It`s a great place to start out, as it`s not too busy, and Benway doesn`t allow any form of intimidation or abuse in the room. Click here to visit the room.
Webcam communities are sites where you`ll find a very large number of people chatting in many different types of room. The content can vary from friendly, to extremely `adult`.
This site contains pages listing Webcam Communities and Adult Webcam Communities .

Would you like to be PAID to use your webcam?

CLICK HERE for details.

Instant Messengers and Voice Chat

Instant messengers have become extremely popular over the past few years, as they allow you to keep a list of friends, and show you when these people come online. You can then speak to them in realtime, instead of having the wait involved with email. The software involved is usually fairly small, easy to download and install, and is pretty much always free. Yahoo, AOL, and MSN all provide very popular messanger programs, each featuring voice chat, which allows you to actually talk to people as if you were on the phone, instead of having to type. All you need is a microphone attached to your computer, and a pair of headphones or speakers.
ICQ is also a useful piece of software to have, as pretty much everyone has this, so you shouldn`t have too much trouble finding your friends on it. Also, it has some very good search features, for finding people you know, or people with similar interests or in specific locations.
For a list of info and links to the very best messenger and audio chat software, click here .

Internet Relay Chat or IRC

This is possibly the biggest chat system available on the net, with hundreds of thousands of different chatrooms on many different networks, covering every subject imaginable.
Having said that, it`s not the easiest system to understand and get into, and there are many pitfalls that the beginner may fall into.
Click here for a list of the most popular irc software.
All of these programs have instructions on installing, and using the software, and it really does pay to read these instructions, as there are many features on this type of chat system that simply aren`t found on any other system.

The feature with possibly the greatest impact on irc is the concept of the operator. You`ll recognise them by the @ in front of their name in the chatters list. An operator is usually the room owner, or someone designated by the owner, who has a great deal of control over the room. He/she can kick people out or ban them from the room for breaking the rooms rules, set topics of conversation, alter room modes so that certain people can`t speak, alter the status of chatters in the room, and a whole host of other things. The behaviour and attitude of operators in different rooms can vary dramatically, some being very friendly and helpful, while others may be utterly belligerant, and kick people out for no reason other than because they feel like it. Its pays to pay attention when you join a room, and try to get a feel for what the place is like before diving in head first. Also, you`d be advised to read the sections below on etiquette and security, further down the page, as these are extremely important when using irc. It can be a very elitist form of chat, and getting it wrong can cause you all kinds of trouble.

Bots are another feature of irc that can catch out both the newcomer, and sometimes even the experienced chatter.
A bot is a program running either on a server, or a chatters computer. They`re used to keep control of the channel, to assign operator status to the apropriate people, to greet people on entering the room, to keep the room open when there are no chatters about, to name but a few of their purposes.
The thing about bots is, when you enter a room, there`s no way of knowing if they`re a real person or not. They have names, like regular chatters, and some are even programmed to speak. (Benway actually has a bot that can be extremely abusive, which has caused some very amusing situations, not to mention got him banned from several chatrooms)

Security While Chatting

There are two main security aspects to consider while chatting on the net, one being a matter of common sense, and the other being rather more technical.

Common Sense

Perhaps the aspect of internet chat that worries most people, espacially parents, is the risk of stalkers and perverts. It`s a sad fact that they are out there, though in not nearly the numbers you`d be given to believe by the media. However, with just a little thought, its possible to be reasonably safe and secure.

The most important thing to remember is never give out your full name or address. You may think it`s reasonably safe to tell someone your surname, but honestly, unless you know them really well, and can be utterly certain they can be trusted, don`t do it.
If a person knows the rough area you live in, and your full name, you can be found. Benway knows this for a fact, because he`s done it, and is no expert by any means. Giving out any kind of personal information is always a bad idea, and even something as simple as giving your email address to a stranger can cause problems. Stay alert and think about what you`re doing.
If you find someone you feel you can trust, and actually want to meet them, never meet them alone, or at the very least, always meet them in a public place. Meeting them at your home, or taking them there straight away is just asking for trouble.

Technical Security

You`ve heard of hackers, you may not have heard of nukers and flooders. All are a real risk while using internet chat, especially irc.

Hackers
These are people who can get inside your computer and read your files.
You may say "So what? I have nothing important they`d want to see." This is a mistake. If they were to get your login names, passwords, email addressbook, iqc and other password, they can cause complete havoc. Also, they can delete files, or even format the whole drive.
Nukers
Not as dangerous as hackers, but extremely annoying.
A nuker can target your machine with programs that may cause your whole system to crash. This could cause serious damage if you happened to be writing to your hard drive at the time.
Flooders
These are a similar form of attack as nukes, though not as damaging. At worst, they may knock you off of the chat system you`re using, or even the net itself, and can be extremely annoying.

Protect Yourself

Against hackers and nukers, you could install a simple port blocker to give yourself some basic protection. However, a far better choice would be to install a personal firewall. There are many different ones available, some being quite expensive and complex, while there are simpler ones available that provide reasonable protection against the casual hacker or nuker - Zone Alarm and Sygate Personal Firewall offer some good basic protection for free. Bear in mind though, while this kind of software will keep out some hackers and most nukers, a persistant and skilled hacker will always be able to get into your system, no matter how good your security. If you think someone`s trying to get into your computer, the best deffence is to disconnect from the net immediately.

Deffence against flooders is a different matter, and a firewall doesn`t do the job, as they don`t actually need to get into your system. Most irc software has an ammount of flood protection built in, though it`s rarely configured, so read the instructions, and make use of it. Also, there are a great number of scripts available on the net to supplement the built in protection.

Etiquette, Manners and How To Behave In Chatrooms

It`s a sad fact that for all the millions of people who chat on the net every day, a great many of them simply don`t know how to bahave. Along with these people, there are an equal number of people who will tear the ignorant and inexperienced to pieces, for not adhering to some set of unwritten rules, labeling them as lamers.
Chat on the net can be an extremely elitist passtime, especially on irc, so how are you supposed to know what you should or shouldn`t do and say? The truth is, what`s considered acceptable conduct varies from room to room, and while you may fit in fine in one room, you may be seen as a lamer in other rooms, and fair game for abuse.

Here are two separate pages Benway has created as guidlines for people coming to his webcam chatroom.
Etiquette , which explains the basics of acceptable behaviour in chatrooms, and
How To Avoid Being Seen As A Lamer which kind of speaks for itself.
While these guidlines are for Benway`s room, they pretty much cover what`s acceptable in most chatrooms you`re likely to come across.
It might all sound like common sense to you when you read it, but you`d be surprised how many people seem to lose any kind of sense at all, when they join a room. Follow these guidelines, and you`ll get on just fine.

Strange Language and Abbreviations

You`re likely to come across quite a few strange abbreviations, and other quirks in the language used in many chatrooms, which at first may make no sense whatsoever.
Here are the most common one`s you`re likely to encounter.

Abbreviations

a/s/l : This means age, sex, and location. A lot of people don`t actually like being asked this, as it`s very lazy, and quite rude.
lol : Laughs out loud.
rofl : Rolls on floor laughing.
lmao : Laughing my ass off.
wb : Welcome back.
ty : Thank you.
yw : You`re welcome
Re : Re-Greet. Kind of like welcome back.
imho : In my humble opinion.

Smileys

Newcomers to chat get very confused when they first see these, but just tip your head sideways to the left, and you`ll get the picture. They do actually prove very useful in text chat, as with no body launguage or tone of voice to go by, they help people express certain emotions when chatting.

:-) or :) = Smiling
;-) or ;) = Winking
:-( or :( = Unhappy
:~( = Crying
>:-( = Angry
}:-X = Very Angry
:-P or :P = Pokes Out Tongue
:-P~ or :P~ = Drooling
:-O = Shocked
There are numerous variations on these, but you should at least have the basic idea now.

Benway