Return HomeThere is a lot of talk on the Internet and the various on line services. Much of the talk is done via message boards or newsgroups. This form of communication does not occur in "real time". Chatting refers to communications which take place in real time. If we were to "chat", I would type a message which you would see immediately and could respond. Chatting is a very popular feature on America On Line and elsewhere in Cyberspace.
Internet Relay Chat - IRC - is the Internet equivelent of an AOL chat room. You connect to a site on the Internet which allows you to communicate with other chat participants. To use IRC you must install a program to allow you to participate. You also must install a Winsock.dll file, which is also required to make most other software - such as browsers and newsreaders - work.
Quarterdeck's Global Chat is software that provides access to IRC using your web browser. Quarterdeck also publishes an IRC Schedule of special and regular chats. The software is free. A detailed FAQ on IRC can be found at http://www.kei.com/irc.html. I have very little experience with IRC, so I'll leave answering the difficult questions to this FAQ. Hopefully that's enough.
New technologies are being employed all the time. POW-WOW is a program that lets you chat and share files with seven other people. The Globe lets you participate in several chat rooms right over the web. Microsoft now includes NetMeeting (which provides real time video phone and conferencing) with its Internet Browser. And there is VocalTech's Internet Phone which lets you make long distance phone calls over the Internet.
My familiarity with OnLine services is limited to America OnLine, though I am sure that Prodigy and Compuserve have similar features. My first venture into a chat room was a surreal - out of body - experience. I find it confusing, but lots of people love it so I guess there is something to it.
On AOL there are "chat rooms" on a wide variety of topics. Most chat rooms are accessed through the People Connection (keyword People). You can also setup private chats and invite your friends. Many of the Content Providers sponsor live chats on special topics. Check sites you are interested in regularly. You can also find out schedules in the newspaper. These chats work a little differently. There is someone "on stage" and you sit in a row. You can chat with others in your row or ask questions of the guest. You can't talk to people in other rows. Content Providers often sponsor regular chats as well.
(If you are going to venture into a chat area, you might want to consider setting up a new identity and not use your normal logon name. AOL lets you setup five different screen names.)
Because chatting involves a lot of typing. There are a number of short cuts which have evolved. Many of these are also used in newsgroups and e-mail. There are several common (and many not so common) abbreviations such as IHMO (in my humble opinion) and ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing). Special symbols, called smiles or emoticons, convey emotions or tone of voice. Some common emoticons include <g> (grin) and :-{} (Blowing a Kiss). For a more complete list of Internet Jargon, see the Chatter's Jargon Dictionary which also includes a guide on Chatiquette.