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A Guide: Chatting on the Internet
by Ian Rochat (ianr@rnrtech.com)
Some good guidelines to follow when chatting (Netiquette)
There are a few simple things to remember when you are talking to people online.
1. DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS.
Many people who are new to the internet or typing to others will type in ALL CAPS. Some may like how it looks better,
others may think it is easier to read, while others just don't want to bother with case. Whatever your reason may be
DO NOT DO IT. It will only annoy others who are chatting with you, and other people will take offense to what you are
saying. This is because to YELL something or state something with IMPORTANCE you would type it in all caps. So it is
advised and is proper Netiquette not to type in all uppercase.
2. Try to use punctuation.
Some people choose to use no punctuation when they are typing. This can make it difficult to read what somebody
is typing. Even if you don't know proper punctuation, though that may be nice to learn, at least try to use a comma
when there is a pause in what you are saying and a period when you are done with a sentence or with a thought.
3. Do not spam a chat room.
You will occassionally run across somebody who spams a chat room. These are people who are trying to get others
attention by using a program or script to enter many lines of text in a very short period of time into a chat
room. This should not be done. It disrupts chat for everybody and is a bannable offense in most (if not all) chat rooms.
TIP:
If you are chatting in a live chat (where every letter you type is shown as you type it instead of when you
hit ENTER or RETURN), then you should signify the end of your typing by hitting ENTER (or RETURN) twice.
This will leave a blank space after your typing and they will know you are through talking.
This will allow for chatting with MUCH less interruption in the middle of a sentence or thought.
Chat networks and software
Some of the various networks out there for chatting are:
AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) - You will need to download AIM software for this.
ICQ (I Seek You) - You will need to download ICQ software for this.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - You will need to download mIRC or some other IRC software for this.
The language: Chat lingo and acronyms
When you are talking to people on the internet you may see strange characters or acronyms that you don't understand.
Below is a list of some common acronyms and symbols used while chatting:
| :) | | Smiley face |
| ;) | | Winking smiley face |
| :( | | Sad face |
| :p | | Face with tongue sticking out |
| :-) | | Smiley face |
| <G> | | Grin |
| AFK | | Away From Keyboard |
| BRB | | Be Right Back |
| CYA | | See ya |
| IIRC | | If I Recall Correctly |
| IMHO | | In My Humble Opinion |
| IMO | | In My Opinion |
| LMAO | | Laughing My Ass Off |
| LOL | | Laugh Out Loud |
| ROFL | | Roll On Floor Laughing |
| RTFM | | Read The Fucking Manual |
| TTYL | | Talk To You Later |
| TY | | Thank You |
| U | | You |
| WTF | | What The Fuck |
| WTH | | What The Hell |
For other chatting acronyms more commonly used while playing games online, see A Guide: Games on the Internet.
TIP:
Some people type phonetically with some words, so when reading what somebody else is typing, if you don't understand
a word that somebody just typed then try reading how it sounds. Some of these phonetics may be how a word sounds
when they say it and not necessarily how the word itself sounds -- keep in my people's speach patterns when trying to figure out a word.
Some examples include: "RU there?" (are you there?), "gr8 job" (great job), "hugz" (hugs), "wassup" (what's up).
Chat sites on the web
Here are some places you can go to chat:
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