How Do I Use A Yahoo Chat Room?

People should be careful when using Yahoo! chat rooms. Yahoo! chat rooms are like instant messaging, but with more than one person and usually at least ten in each room. Some of the bigger rooms can have as many as fifty or sixty people at a time. Chat rooms cover many topics such as knitting, astronomy, dating, school, the sky is the limit when it comes to topic based chat rooms. There are also some chat room that are dedicated to voice chat for those who want to hear each other. Chat rooms are social networking chats where so-called "friendly" people try to take advantage of others. On the Internet people often lie about who they are because of the allure and mystique of the online experience. However, by using common sense and following these safety-tips, chatting can be a fun and relaxing experience.

1. Never give at your real name or physical address to a stranger:

If someone insists upon knowing your real name and address, you need to be firm and this individual you will not give them this information. However, you have to right to block a person who refuses to listen. Also, never give out your password because people can use it to hack your account and impersonate you.

2. Only people over eighteen should use Yahoo! chat rooms:.

This may seem unfair to all the teenagers who feel they are old enough to use these chat rooms, but this is taking a big risk. Many predators lurk in these rooms and younger children may be tricked into communicating with these individuals. If you do not believe me, visit the site perverted-justice.com and you can read about numerous cases of where adults have preyed upon minors online. Parents need to protect their children and make sure they are not chatting on yahoo if they are under eighteen. Also, Yahoo!'s chat room user agreement now states that all chat room participants must be over the age of 18. There are other options for children under the age of 18, such as creating a Facebook account. On Facebook, young people can connect with friends and make new friends in a safer environment. Of course parents still need to supervise their childrens' use of the computer.

3. Never use your real name when creating screenames.

Think of a fun and creative name that will help to protect your identity online. If someone insists on asking your real name, simply block them and do not worry about it. You should never worry about offending someone because you do not tell them your real name online. Your safety is more important than anything else. Here are some ideas you can use to help you think of a creative screename:

• Favorite Food
• Favorite Vacation Destination
• Pet's Name
• Favorite Hobby
• Favorite Band
• Favorite Song
• Favorite Sport
• Favorite Movie
• Favorite Color
• Favorite Perfume

There are many creative ways to come up with a safe screename that does not reveal your true name online. This may seem like being overly cautious, but just remember you can always tell someone your name later when you feel you know them better. It is better to use real names over email and not in chatrooms where everyone can see the conversation.

4. People under 18 should never email or instant message with people they meet in chat rooms.

First off, this would only happen if you lie to Yahoo! about your age, so DO Not lie about your age. This may seem very unfair, but I only say this to protect the safety of children. After watching a Dateline special about Internet predators I have learned their are some very dangerous people online. Hence, only people over the age of 18 should email or IM people they meet in chat room. I only suggest this to protect the safety of children.

5. Adults should pick a screename and email that they only use with people they meet in chat rooms.

Adults who meet others in chatrooms should pick a screename specifically for this purpose. This way abusive emails or IM's cannot be sent to your regular email address. Also, it will make it easier for you to record and keep track of everything that a person says, which may be useful if you need to report them to Yahoo! for abuse.

6. Make sure to have fun!

Remember to follow this safety tips and simply do not chat with people that make you feel uncomfortable. Even though using chat rooms can be dangerous if you are not careful, if you follow the above safety tips your experience can be fun and rewarding.