Internet Chat Tips – Staying Safe & Following The Rules Of Etiquette

The internet can be a great place to meet people, chat, network, swap knowledge, learn and a host of other things. But when interacting with people on the net, you should follow a few rules to keep yourself safe and keep from aggravating other people. Here are four general rules to get you started – many forums also have specific rules you should read.

Rule #1 – be careful with your contact info

When you're on the internet, you generally want to keep a level of anonymity, because you don't really know who you might be talking with or that might view your information. For example, you should be very, very careful about giving out your phone number or address to anyone you meet. Use email, IM, chat, blogs, etc, to communicate.

Rule #2 – follow the rules for promoting your product or service

If you have a product or service you want to promote, you should follow several rules for doing so. First of all, don't post advertisements in forums, other people's blogs, etc. Most forums do allow you to have a signature or profile with a link to your website. That is the polite way to promote. Also, it's generally acceptable to post a link to your website in response to a post requesting a service or product like yours.

Rule #3 – No adult material

You should not post links or otherwise distribute adult material in forums, chat groups, etc, for several reasons. First of all, it's probably against the rules. Secondly, if you send it to a minor, it's illegal and you could get in big troubles. Thirdly, it's not appreciated! Don't do it!

Rule #4 – The golden rule

Just like in non-virtual life, the golden rule goes a long way. Be kind and considerate in your dealings with others, and always treat them how you like to be treated. Don't bash people, be obnoxious, etc.

So...follow the rules, be kind, and have fun!

How to Feel Comfortable Joining in Online Discussions

There are literally hundreds of thousands of discussion groups online in which people partake every day. Everything from religion to politics to support groups are available on the Internet and you can join any of them. Most discussion groups require you to register, as this helps reduce the number of people who are only looking to start arguments (and there are plenty of them). Some even require authorization from a site administrator and may ask several questions about your intentions in the group. However, many people do register and never actually join in, spending their time lurking until giving up altogether. Feeling comfortable can be difficult, even when you're hiding behind a computer monitor.

Many new members of discussion forums find that the community seems very tight-knit and unwelcoming. Many people have been going to the same discussion forums for several years and have developed close bonds with other members. Some have even become close friends outside of the forum. This can be very intimidating for new members since there are often inside jokes and references to personal details. Joining new discussion groups can be just as stressful as trying to join a new circle of friends.

Making a good first impression is vital when you first join a discussion group. Many members may feel territorial about their online community and feel like they are being intruded upon when new members join. Spend some time looking around and getting a feel for the general atmosphere. If there is a welcome section, make sure your first post is a quick introduction of yourself. You don't need to divulge any personal information, just say hello and perhaps a few short lines on why you have joined.

Also try and avoid joining in on too many controversial topics right away. People may see you as being too aggressive and avoid your posts. Stick to lighter topics and try to stay away from appearing too opinionated. Once you have some posts under your belt other members will stop thinking of you as a newbie and you can be as open as you like.

Many new members of discussion forums leave after posting a few times, feeling that no one cares if they post or not. Give it some time and understand that some of the other members have known each other for years. Be patient and continue posting, and before you know it you'll feel like part of the gang.

Have questions ? - join forums !!

Search engines are the keys to the vast

knowledgebase distributed over the web. Agreed. At the same time it is also true that search engines do not provide you the direct answer to your query. What you get is a list of documents the search engine thought relevant to your search query. You need to browse through these documents in the hope of getting the answer. Though search engines are getting sharper at finding the relevant documents - it is still a long way when they will fully comprehend the meaning of your query and you still do not get a direct answer!

It is here that the forums provide an alternative. Previously known as bulletin boards or message boards, forums are the best thing a net newbie can come across. You can find all the information you need by joining and querying in forums. Most of the big and reputed forums are moderated by experienced people .As a forum user you benefit from the accumulated knowledge of these learned persons.

You can expect a wide range of viewpoints and beliefs found for a certain query or issue. This gives you a better understanding of that particular issue.

You can always rely on getting some helpful soul at some forum to guide you to find answer to your query. At the minimum you will get reference to resources which contain answer to your queries. So you don’t have to change your keyword combination, try different phrases or different search engines to get what you are looking for. All you need to do in a forum is to express explicitly what you are looking for.

Archived forum topics sometimes provide the best way to find an answer to very obscure questions, such as how to fix a particular software problem, a loan problem, a financial problem … the list is endless!

There are thousands of forums catering to differenttopics and areas of discussion. Find out which one covers your query topic, join the forum and post your question and wait for a flood of replies!!