Internet Chat

Heard it through the grapevine . . .

Perhaps one of the more popular means (or at least most talked about) of communication over the Internet is Internet chat. We've read about it in the Boston Globe. We've seen it on the Monday night movie. We've been warned about it on the evening news. Most people cringe at the sound of the two words, but as long as we understand Internet Chat and keep things in perspective, it can be quite helpful, and entertaining.

What's the buzz?

Above is a blanket definition of generic Internet chat. It incorporates several aspects of the Internet that we've already discussed: it has the immediate delivery of email, the topical of group organization of email communities, and the ease of simple worldwide communication of the entire Internet.

Standard Internet Chat allows users to login to some sort of chat service (AIM, ICQ, IRC, Yahoo! Chat, etc.) and communicate line-for-line with text only. It's called real time because your typed dialogue appears (almost) instantly to the others you are chatting with. Email is close to instant, but chat is definitely instant.

In the past couple of years, competing chat services have been adding colors and flavors to chat like formatting text, colors, voice/sounds, identifiably icons, and announcement services to tell you when people you know are online.

What can chat possibly be used for?

Similar to many of my other lessons, this lesson will have a bulletted list with just some of the possibilities for the usefulness of Internet Chat:

• Academia: collaborate with instructors and classmates in a virtual office hour

• Family/friends: communicate with others over long distances

• While at work: communicate with others quietly and privately if in open environment

• For tech support: some software and hardware companies have 24 hour chat support, where you can chat with a real person for answers to specific questions

• Common interests: discuss issues and interests with others through typing

• Meet new people: make friends around the world without the long distance charges

• Guest Speakers: Experience celebrity chat. Many famous people like Buzz Aldrin, Michael Jackson, President Clinton (see internet article) and Ronnie James Dio have responded to questions in a sponsored chat forum.

• Games: Chat has been incorporated into some online gaming.

• Scheduled special interest: Organizations may schedule chat times through a variety of chat services to discuss issues and interesting news
  

Chat, talk, chat rooms, buddy lists . . .

Although it has been around for years, chat is still in its early stages of development. Along with other services we have used, it engaging in the maturation process at the helm of several competing chat services. Each of these services believes they are superior, and defines their own jargon. I will try to summarize as much of the jargon that I can, so you can make your own choices on which chat provider(s) to use.

chat, chat rooms
A whole bunch of people all chatting away at the same time. Chat rooms usually have anywhere from two to fifty participants at a time who probably don't know each other. Chat rooms can be on specified topics, or just general chat. This can get chaotic, but some think it is fun. Participate or sit back and observe. To the right is a screenshot of Yahoo! Chat, a chat room that opens into your own web browser.

talk, 1 on 1 chat
Talk is like chat, but it occurs between two people who probably know each other previously.

chat forums, chat with celebs, moderated chat . . .
This flavor of chat is usually organized and fielded by a moderator because of the large volume of people who tend to be involved. A moderator will usually receive the high-volume onslaught of questions for the celebrity, and allow the celebrity to answer questions one at a time without being overwhelmed.

username, screen name, handle, alias, ID, etc. . .
This is unique name for you to use when you chat. This will usually be your sole identifier in a chat room. You usually select your username when you register with a chat service. It may or may not be the same as your email username.

password, registration, etc. . .
Most chat providers require download of special software or registration with their service. See the Intro to the Internet lesson "If it's free, it's for me" for an explanation on why membership and contact information is important for them. Your password doesn't have to be the same as your email password (most won't have security requirements as strict as Hotmail). Most chat services are free.

buddy lists, friends list, etc. . .
Depending on the chat provider you use, you may have the option of making a buddy list or friends list. Here, you list the usernames of people you know. You will be alerted if they are online and ready to chat if you are online and ready to chat. This is a good facilitator of talk and 1 on 1 chat.

Chat providers

Yahoo! Chat
http://chat.yahoo.com/
Use the same username for Yahoo! Chat, Yahoo! Mail, My Yahoo! Start Page, and Yahoo!/Geocities free websites. No extra software needed for download if you have a java-enhanced browser.

AOL Instant Messenger
http://www.aim.com/
Chat with people you know with or without pay AOL with free downloadable software and AIM account. This service is widely used, and is easy to understand.

ICQ
http://web.icq.com/
For the more advanced chatter, this service has lots of perks, bells and whistles. Must download free software to use.

Internet Relay Chat
http://www.mirc.com/
The birthplace of chat, a worldwide service which started it all. It is slightly difficult to use, and confusing to begin with, but a great history lesson for the seasoned chatter. Do a net search for IRC, there's thousands of pages about it.