Post by Patty David on Nov 28, 2011 16:13:56 GMT -5
How Chat Rooms Work
What to expect – A group chat room is a form of communication that many people are not used to. Because it allows multiple people the freedom of expressing their thoughts simultaneously, it can quickly become a confusing experience for those not accustomed to it. Here are some things to remember and some helpful hints that will help you manage the experience without getting lost.
A different form of communication – A chat room differs from a discussion in the fact that it is an UNSTRUCTURED CONVERSATION. A topic may be provided to give general direction, but the common function of a chat room is to get to know people. It’s a chance for personalities to come out via the written word and thoughts to be presented without worrying about body language or vocal inflection.
Chat rooms can have multiple conversations happening at once and tend to be fast paced due to the amount of people commenting at the same time. Realizing this, there are some etiquette rules to follow to help prevent confusing pile-ups of conversation.
Etiquette:
• Upon entering a chat greet the group as a whole. This lets your presence be known in the conversation. Take a few minutes to scroll through the conversation that has been taking place before you entered the chat room. Our live chat allows you to see the previous 100 entries.
• While the natural tendency is to greet a newcomer back, it is not necessary. This can create multiple redundancies in welcomes and bog down the conversation at hand. Let the moderator welcome the new person on behalf of the group. Show they’re welcome by including the newcomer in the current stream of conversation.
• Chats can be fast paced. Don’t spend too much time concerning yourself with proper punctuation or grammatical correctness. Typos are expected. You won’t be graded on typing accuracy. Resist the tendency to correct your spelling unless it fixes a contextual misunderstanding.
• Direct specific questions/statements to specific people. Using the “@” symbol before the desired recipient’s user name is the preferred method of directing a statement/question. i.e. “@user2011 what were u talking about?” (Notice the lack of punctuation and grammatical use of “U” instead of “you.”)
• Again, due to the fast paced nature of chats, don’t spend too much time creating a lengthy response. Normally a sentence or two is all that’s necessary. If a longer response is required, type a sentence or two and submit it. While it is being read you can begin typing the next sentence or two in your response. Adding ellipses (…) at the end of your last sentence lets the reader know more is coming.
• Contribute! The chat room is not the time to be a spectator. Even if you feel you have nothing to contribute, your comments or questions can add to the flavor of the discussion.
• Remember, the main rule in a chat is to HAVE FUN! Unless a specific goal is expressed or expected, chat rooms exist as a tool to get to know people and connect. And connecting should always be an enjoyable experience. Let loose and crack a joke.
Other helps:
Online chats have their own dialect and language associated with them. Some of these abbreviations are helpful to convey and express ideas or concepts more efficiently than typing them out. Here’s a list of helpful abbreviations:
brb = Be right back |