Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Find a chat program
• Method 2 of 3: Stick to netiquette
• Method 3 of 3: Stay safe

The internet has created a completely new form of communication: online chat. Chatting lets you talk in real time with your friends, family and strangers, and the number of people using online chats is huge. There are several ways you can connect with other people to chat, and this mainly depends on the type of chat you want to use. Whether you want to talk to your grandmother or meet random people, chatting requires a certain responsibility.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Find a chat program

1. Decide who you want to chat with. If you just want to chat with friends and family, then you have different needs than if you want to chat with a group of people or with strangers. Which chat platform you choose depends on the people you want to talk to.
2. Use a direct chat service to talk to friends and family. If you want to chat one-on-one or in a group with your friends and family on a regular basis, use a program or service that makes it easy for you to get in touch with them. Chances are that everyone you know uses at least one of the chat programs and services below:
   • Facebook - Facebook is a social network that has also grown into a popular chat service. This is a great chat program that most of your friends and family members probably have access to. You can chat on your computer via the website or use the Facebook Messenger app to chat on the go.
   • Skype - Skype is one of the most popular chat programs in the world and has millions of users. It is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and almost all mobile devices. Skype has recently taken over MSN Messenger. You can use Skype for video chats and text chats, and you can create group chats.
   • Mobile chat apps. If you spend most of your time with your smartphone, you probably want to use it to chat. There are a number of popular programs available for mobile devices to send messages and chat with. These include Snapchat, Kik and WhatsApp. You can create an account for this for free.
3. Use browser chats to talk to strangers. There are a ton of chat service websites, and many of them are for connecting strangers through one-on-one chats. Many of these websites also allow you to video chat with strangers.
   • Chatroulette and Omegle are two of the most popular services. You cannot choose who to chat with. If you have a webcam, you can use it to video chat on these sites.
   • There are also many sites with anonymous chat rooms. Tinychat, Spinchat and many other websites have anonymous chat rooms based on different interests.
   • You can also chat via Discord.
4. Use a special chat client to connect with different communities. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is one of the oldest forms of online chat and has thousands of communities for almost any topic you can think of. IRC can seem a bit overwhelming to new users, but is a powerful chat protocol that allows you to connect to numerous servers and even exchange files with other users.
   • The most popular IRC client is mIRC. You can also use a chat program like Trillian or Pidgin to connect your computer to IRC servers.

Method 2 of 3: Stick to netiquette

1. Know the importance of netiquette. Netiquette pertains to how you communicate with other anonymous users on the internet. Because you can communicate anonymously with others on the internet, there are many people who take advantage of this and do not behave properly. The first rule of netiquette is to just be polite. Without the netiquette, the internet will quickly turn into a toxic community full of trolls and people attacking each other personally.
2. Treat the person you're chatting with like a real person. Remember that the person on the other end of your chat is real and what you say can have a significant impact on someone. Before sending a message, think about how you would phrase something if you were talking to someone in real life.
3. Greet people when chatting. It is normal practice and a sign of courtesy to say "Hello" when you enter a chat room or chat with another person. This is especially important in chat rooms, as not everyone will notice when new people enter the chat room. Greetings help break the ice and make people accept you a little more quickly.
4. Do not spam the chat. When chatting is meant by "spamming" the constant sending of messages to the chat room. Avoid sending multiple messages in quick succession, and don't give short, quick replies every few seconds. Please take a moment to formulate your answer, and everyone in the chat room will thank you for it.
5. Use capital letters in the normal way. When chatting, WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED AS YELLING, and people will mock you and get angry if you do this. You will likely be ignored or kicked out of the chat room. Only use capital letters if your for real want to emphasize certain words and parts of sentences.
6. Treat others with the respect you expect. This actually applies to everything in life, but is the only way you can expect to have a good conversation on the internet. If you don't treat others with the respect you expect to receive, you will be ignored.
7. Learn to use the correct abbreviations. There are a lot of different internet jargon and abbreviations that are used in different ways depending on the person and the community in question. Communities are gradually developing their own "dialect", and using this dialect is one way of belonging. By using abbreviations and internet jargon in the wrong way, you can be seen as an outsider in a certain community.
8. Adjust your grammar to the situation. When you chat with your boss, you will likely use a different grammar than when you chat with your best friend. Consider the recipient when typing your answers.

Method 3 of 3: Stay safe

1. Protect your identity. Treat your personal information confidentially when you chat with people. Don't use your real name as a username unless you trust the other person or the community. Protect information that allows others to find out who you are:
   • Bank details
   • BSN
   • Age, place of residence, school or employer
   • Anything that can be associated with you (such as an email address with your real name in it)
   • When you chat with your webcam on, make sure nothing is visible that will allow the other person to find out who you are. You will be amazed at how easily people can see things like an address on an envelope or a photo from your time in high school.
2. Know how to avoid trolls. Trolls are people who say things on purpose to provoke people. They often viciously attack others personally. Trolls can make chatting difficult and trick you into giving away personal information that you really shouldn't give away. Find out how to spot trolls and don't fall for their tricks. The best way to deal with a troll is to ignore it. By responding to the troll, he will only continue what he is doing.
3. Only meet people you know from the Internet in person if you feel completely comfortable with them. From time to time, people may ask you to meet in person. Only agree to this if you feel comfortable meeting a stranger. Only meet in safe, public places.
   • Make sure to tell a friend or family member when and where you meet the person.
4. Pretend that everything you do and say on the internet is saved. Treat every conversation as if it could be brought out later and used against you in the most obnoxious way possible.
   • Most chat services store a copy of your chat log and IP address in case they are later requested by the authorities to provide this copy. Keep this in mind when you engage in illegal activities via a chat program.