Valuable Tips: How To Chat Safely In Online Chat Rooms

10 Top Tips; Plus, Important and Helpful Information When Using On-Line Or MSN Chat Rooms & Social Networking Sites.

Using chat rooms can be a very fun and entertaining past time, including social network sites. You can meet many nice and genuine people from all corners of the world but you need to have your wits about you and be on your guard. Here's a list of 10 top tips to keep you one step ahead when in chat rooms and some other Important Information.

1. Never arrange to meet a stranger in person you have been in contact with on line no matter how long you've been chatting to them for unless accompanied by an adult or a gang of friends!. If the person disagrees with this arrangement or wants to meet you alone stay well clear or if you have to meet, make sure it's in a safe place which is not too busy but not too quiet and where YOU feel safe.

2. When you sign into a chat room always use a nickname and use different nicknames with each chat room you use as an extra precaution. Your friendly chatter could turn into a virtual stalker!

3. If other chatters ask to meet in a private chat room always be on your guard. If they don't want to type messages in the main chat room then they have something they don't want others to see them typing.

4. Never give your personal information while chatting on-line. This includes your real name, home phone or cell/mobile phone number, Email address, passwords, or even what school you go to! If they ask, let them know you want to get to know them better before giving personal details. They should respect your decision to be cautious about your privacy.

5. Be careful when someone your chatting to wants to send you a file. This is best to avoid as they could be sending you an file/application that can view your web-cam without your permission or hack into your machine and obtain your personal details or just crash your PC with a virus. Also, if your used to sending and receiving images, don't assume the picture that is sent to you is, of the person that sent it!

6. Most chat room has the facility in the (Preferences/Settings) section to save all your chat history. Make sure you activate this at the settings within the program. Infact, while you're there, go through all the tabs individually and 'check' and 'uncheck' the boxes to suit your needs.

7. If someone is sending you strange, rude, or obscene messages you can block and report them to the chat room moderators. Most chat rooms have a simple and quick-click way to report this abuse.

8. If you feel uncomfortable chatting to someone or there sending you weird messages or requests you have the option to block them, but beware these people can easily obtain another I.D (user name) and will try to continue there conversations with you in another name. Tell-tale signs could be similar text phrases, or spelling.

9 Almost every chat-room has it's own way you can expressing your feelings.. Here's a few examples :) Happy Face :( Sad Face ;) Winking :-) Happy with nose :-D Big smile. :) little smile :-O Shocked :-P Stick Tongue out, ;) winking. There are also many abbreviations to make typing easier which are, ttyl, talk to you later. brb, be right back.. lol, laugh out loud. gtg, got to go, jk, just kidding. There are so many more, but don't worry if you don't know at first and don't be afraid to ask. you will soon pick them up.

10 Remember, when someone describes them self as a funny person, remember, there's funny as in humorous! and there is funny as in very weird! ALWAYS BE ON YOUR GUARD! Trust NO-ONE.

Don't EVER assume the person or people you have been messaging/chatting to are who they say they are! Anyone on the Internet can say anything they want and will tell you anything. Also, if you have been chatting to someone via your web cam, they may NOT be the person you are actually chatting to! The tricks they use are to point their own camera at their monitor, which is pointed to someone else's cam in that, or another, chat program or room. Or, it's a recorded video of someone else. They are very clever and will type at the same time as that person on video. Ask them to do something on camera to confirm they are genuine, such as wave, or hold 4 fingers up. It's amazing how many tricksters are out there, including heterosexual guys pretending to be lesbians in order to fool the woman into exposing themselves. Gay men pretending to be female to fool the heterosexual guys to do the same. And, vice versa. The list goes on. If I can be fooled then so can you!


When your having a webcam chat with a stranger, be careful what you do! You actions may be being recorded with 'screen capture software'. The video or photo can then be uploaded without your knowledge to the many websites that specially cater for that kind of material. It's not just people exposing themselves, which is captured and uploaded online, it could be you dancing or singing, or you may have just fallen over. You can be a victim from not just the strangers online but from the people who are very close to you. They do it for fun, revenge or other personal reasons. They don't even have to have any software installed on their PC to record you, they could use their mobile or a video recorder. Don't do anything you would not want your family and friends to see and don't ever let anyone take pictures or record you doing anything you are not comfortable with. If your partner really loves you, they would respect your wishes not to film or photograph you exposed and beware of hidden recording devices/mobile phone!. Be Safe!: ALWAYS:)