Best Chat Room Etiquette Tips

Proper chat room etiquette makes a huge difference. When you communicate verbally with someone, they are able to read your body language, your tone, and other non-verbal communication. In a chat room, there are only words. So, proper chat room manners make all the difference. 

It is important to know how to act in a chat room. Doing things the wrong way, even if unintentional, can make people think you mean something different than you intended. Experts say that 70% of all communication is non-verbal. So, in a chat room setting, you are working with a lot less than you realize. 

Don't attack people in the chat rooms. You are going to come across people with differing opinions. They are going to say things that might offend you. Be the better person and use conversation that is polite and complimentary. It is really hard for people to be rude to you if you are spending time being polite. 

There is another important rule for chat rooms. In fact, the rule applies to anything online (email, websites, chat rooms, etc). Do not type everything in all capital letters. In the virtual world, people equate all capital letters as yelling. So, even if you are saying something nice, if it is in all caps, people will take it the wrong way. 

It is important to read what you have typed prior to sending it. You may want to ask yourself if the other person could take this another way. This will help avoid offending people. 

Another good chat room etiquette tip is to keep profanity and sexual terms out of the conversation. Many people use chat rooms as a way of meeting people. As I am sure you know, some of those people are kids pretending to be something that they are not. Nothing positive ever comes from using profane language. 

Try to avoid topics that are socially taboo. This would include things like religion, politics, sex, or anything along those lines. If you are in a religious or political chat room, obviously the rules are different for that. Use common sense though and you should turn out just fine. 

Even in a chat room, use the golden rule. Do, or say, unto others what you would have done, or said, to you. It will keep your chat room experiences more positive and uplifting.

I hope these best practices for chat room etiquette will keep your conversations effective, fun, and rewarding.