Chat room

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For the 2002 film, see Chat Room (film). For the 2010 film, see Chatroom (film). For the 2006 novel,
see Chat Room (novel).

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The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous
conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any
technology ranging from real-time online chat and online interaction with strangers (e.g., online
forums) to fully immersive graphical social environments.
The primary use of a chat room is to share information via text with a group of other users. Generally
speaking, the ability to converse with multiple people in the same conversation differentiates chat
rooms from instant messaging programs, which are more typically designed for one-to-one
communication. The users in a particular chat room are generally connected via a shared interest or
other similar connection, and chat rooms exist catering for a wide range of subjects. New technology
has enabled the use of file sharing and webcam to be included in some programs. This would be
considered a chat room.

Contents
[hide]

1History
2Graphical multi-user environments
o 2.1Games
3Rules of behaviour
4See also
5References
6External links

History[edit]
The first online chat system was called Talkomatic, created by Doug Brown and David R. Woolley in
1973 on the PLATO System at the University of Illinois. It offered several channels, each of which
could accommodate up to five people, with messages appearing on all users' screens character-by-
character as they were typed. Talkomatic was very popular among PLATO users into the mid-1980s.
In 2014 Brown and Woolley released a web-based version of Talkomatic.
The first[1] dedicated online chat service that was widely available to the public was the
CompuServe CB Simulator in 1980,[2] created by CompuServe executive Alexander "Sandy" Trevor
in Columbus, Ohio.

Graphical multi-user environments[edit]

Visual chat rooms add graphics to the chat experience, in either 2D or 3D (employing virtual
reality technology). These are characterized by using a graphic representation of the user,
an avatar (virtualing elements such as games (in particular massively multiplayer online games) and
educational material most often developed by individual site owners, who in general are simply more
advanced users of the systems. The most popular environments, such as The Palace, also allow
users to create or build their own spaces. Some of the most popular 3D chat experiences
are IMVU and Second Life (though they extend far beyond just chat). Many such implementations
generate profit by selling virtual goods to users at a high margin. [citation needed]

Some online chat rooms also incorporate audio and video communications, so that users may
actually see and hear each other.
Games[edit]
Games are also often played in chat rooms. These are typically implemented by an external process
such as an IRC bot joining the room to conduct the game. Trivia question & answer games are most
prevalent. A historic example is Hunt the Wumpus.[3] Chatroom-based implementations of the party
game Mafia also exist.[citation needed] A similar but more complex style of text-based gaming are MUDs, in
which players interact within a textual, interactive fictionlike environment.

Rules of behaviour[edit]
See also: Netiquette
Chat rooms, particularly those intended for children, usually have rules that they require users to
follow. The rules are generally posted before entry, either on a web page or an MOTD-type banner
in the case of IRC and other text-based chat systems. Rules usually do not allow users to use
offensive/rude language, or to promote hate, violence, and other negative issues. Many also disallow
impersonating another user. Chat rooms often do not allow advertising or "flooding", which is
continually filling the screen with repetitive text. Typing with caps lock on is usually considered
shouting (suggesting anger) and is discouraged. Offenders of these rules can be "kicked"
(temporarily ejected from the room, but allowed back in) or banned completely either on a temporary
or permanent basis.
Sometimes chat room venues are moderated either by limiting who is allowed to speak (not
common), by having comments be approved by moderators (often presented as asking questions of
a guest or celebrity), or by having moderation volunteers patrol the venue watching for disruptive or
otherwise undesirable behavior. Yet, most commonly used chat rooms are not moderated and users
may chat freely with the other occupants of the room.

See also[edit]
List of chat websites
Internet Relay Chat
Online chat

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ "CompuServe Innovator Resigns After 25 Years", The
Columbus Dispatch, 11 May 1996, p. 2F
2. Jump up^ "Wired and Inspired", The Columbus Dispatch (Business
page), by Mike Pramik, 12 November 2000
3. Jump up^ "INTERESTING IDEA !". alt.irc. 28 July 1991. Retrieved 6
March 2015.
 External links[edit]
Look up chat room in
Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.

The Psychology of CyberspaceE-book exploring the

psychological aspects of online environments by Dr. John Suler,
Rider University
Woolley, David R. (January 1994). "PLATO: The Emergence of
Online Community". Matrix News. Retrieved March 16, 2012.

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