Chat rooms are areas within a web site where "live" conversation may be conducted. Everyone can see what everyone else in the chat room writes. On popular sites, there are almost always people in a chat room. On other sites, the chat room is only occupied during certain, predetermined hours.
In chat rooms, people may
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communicate instantaneously with family, friends, teachers, community leaders, etc. |
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share ideas and/or concerns with people with similar interests, especially if the chat room is designed specifically for kids and is monitored closely by adults |
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set up certain times when discussions are going to be held. Sometimes celebrities or experts on a topic. |
However, since conversation in chat rooms is informal and anonymous,
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people may not be who they seem |
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improper language may be used, even in "moderated" chat rooms |
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topics may come up in casual conversation that make a participant feel uncomfortable |
Never give out personal information in a chat room. Do not
use your real name; choose a "screen" name that is not revealing of
your identity in any way, even your gender. Avoid situations that make you feel
uncomfortable. Even in a topic-oriented chat room (games for teens, e.g.),
conversation may stray uncomfortably far away from the topic.
Go to your first chat room by clicking on the picture below: 