1. First of all, go through the rules of engagement before you start chatting. Otherwise, you may be thrown out of the community. If it’s your first time, you should check out different chat rooms to have a feel for how the chat room operates. This will help you tremendously. Take your time and visit different chat rooms before you start your own chat.
2. When you start the chat always introduce yourself first. It’s like meeting someone in a real setting. It is important to say hi and let the other person know who you are. Your screen name should be good enough as you should not disclose any personal information about you to someone whom you are meeting for the first time.
3. Never use profanity or offensive language. Always keep your chat clean. Even though you may like to swear, the other person may not like it at all. Who would like to talk to someone who swears a lot? You don’t know the other person very well and if you use offensive language, it is likely that the other person will immediately stop talking to you. If the other person is abusive, you should immediately and that chat. You can also alert the host so that he can take some action about it. You don’t have to confront the abusive users.
4. You need to understand the basic rules of written communication. Do not type something in all caps because that is considered as rude. It is similar to yelling. If you are so noisy and you yell at other people, who will want to chat with you? It’s very irritating to the eye and so you should avoid doing it. Also you should not do all the talking. Remember it’s a dialogue and not a monologue. Communication means it’s a two-way street and so the other person should also get the chance to talk. When you do all the talking, it becomes boring and it may be very difficult for you to find partners to chat with. You can always respond to questions and comments. Try to make the conversation as interesting as it can be so that both of you find it interesting. Try to avoid talking only about you, your virtues and things you have done. You need to remember that listening is also a part of communication.
5. When chatting with another person in the chat, you need to use their screen name. It helps to ensure that the other person knows that you are talking to him or her. Sometimes chats can move very quickly and the other person may not be sure if you are addressing him.
6. Never get too personal. You should never reveal your real name and any type of personal information in a chat room. If you do not know the other person very well, you should never divulges any personal information.
