Chatting Online

Hi William,

It was quite an experience. Some rooms had so much traffic you needed to be a speed-reader to follow any semblance of a conversation. I did however, manage to find some decent rooms, but I really had to search through a lot of junk.

I certainly agree with you that HP for the most part is very genuine.  I'm still fairly new to HP but have found, as you mention, very helpful 'strangers'.  So refreshing!

Thanks for taking time to stop in and for your nice comments,

Trish

Hi G-Ma,

It's nice to find a decent chatroom. Just prior to my creating my own room, I had found a chatroom that had basically the same people coming in all the time, most of whom were quite nice. I did actually meet a fella from that experience. He was just a lot of fun and seemed to be the 'glue' so to speak that held the room together. Every now and then we still say hi.

Glad you found something you enjoy, thanks so much for your comments,

Trish

Hi Just_Rodney,

What a nice story!  I too have heard of success stories about people meeting through a chatroom.  I fully understand what you mean about the dire warnings.  I've heard them too.  I took heed and made sure to meet the person in a public place, give a description of what I was wearing to my family/friends, etc.  Back then, my counter-argument to the nay-sayers was that you could just as easily meet a pervert or whacko in a bar or anywhere. They are just as much a stranger to you as someone in a chatroom.

My hubby died in 86, and somewhere in the early 90s I got my first computer.  Once I figured out how to navigate, I eventually ended up in the chatrooms.  I did agree to meet a total of four people over a period of years.  Two of them I dated, one of them was just a friend, and one guy I went to meet I totally blew off.  I pretended I didn't even see him LOL,,,he was NOT what he proclaimed to be, 'tall, dark and handsome', he was actually scary looking.  I put the pedal to the metal and took off to my son's house I was so creeped out LOL,,,

I am still friends with one I dated and we do go out once in a great while.

So, congratulations on your marriage, and I wish you many happy years together,

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your story,

Trish 

Hi Ananta65,

I agree. I only mentioned a few things, but I know there are many other traits/characteristics that attract people to each other. Respect and some common interests are very much key. Some others might include someone who is romantic, how someone views marriage/kids, educational background, religious beliefs,,the list goes on.

Thanks so much for stopping by and your comments,

Trish

Hi Ananta,

LOL, yes, again I agree with you.  It certainly has to do with your mood and frame of mind at the time.  Also, like you, I would hope there would be respect involved.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it,

Trish

Zsuzsy,

Well, certainly, HP and chatrooms have totally different agendas, If you WERE to venture into a chatroom, you at least KNOW what you have here, so judging would be a very natural thing to do. Actually, it would be a plus, because you would then be able to search for a chatroom that had meaningful input. They really are out there, it's just a matter of finding it.

Thanks for the compliment and stopping by,

Trish

Hi SweetiePie,

You have a very valid point regarding specific chatrooms.  Naming a room, in my opinion, is key in trying to attract the kinds of people you would like to interact with.  Similar interests, etc.  Just as you mention, a lot of folks probably would not drop into a sewing or craft room, certainly not people who are looking for their next date LOL,,,

I too, much prefer HP.  Everyone I've spoken with here have been nothing but kind, caring people.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Trish

Hi Just_Rodney,

You are very welcome. I look forward to you visiting my future hubs :)

Trish

Hi VioletSun,

Thank you, and you're very welcome.  I definitely agree about 'pretenses'.  One of the guys I met was a pathological liar, something it took me a long time to figure out.  Not that I'm stupid lol, but he was very convincing.

Meeting someone from a chatroom isn't always a nightmare, as you discovered, there are nice people out there, you just have to find them :)

Thanks for posting this request and your comments,

Trish

Hi Sally,

LOL, I like your analogy of the fleamarket, as you well know, I can soooo relate LOL,,I have brought home some 'questionable items',,,things that I didn't quite know what it was or why it appealed to me, or what I would do with it once I got it home but home it came. And, like the pathological liar, some of those items found their way back out the door LOL,,

Thanks for stopping by and the hugs :)

Patty

Hi Robie2,

You are so right. When in a chatroom, you have nothing to go on but conversation. Interaction is not based on age/gender/race simply because you can only go by what you are told. I wonder how many people have formed friendships without seeing who they were talking to, and have come to find out that the someone they found they liked, would have never happened if they had met in person first, due to prejudices about age/race/gender, etc.

Glad you enjoyed the hub, thank so much for stopping by,

Trish

Hi Ananta,

It is very easy for someone to present a false self.  And, in some cases, those people don't even realize they are doing it, they believe their own lies. While some people are very good at keeping up a false pretense, there are others who are very good at picking up on pretenses.  I believe it's called 'instinct', 'intuition' and sometimes 'gut feelings'. Some people choose to go with that, while others choose to either not see, or ignore the signs. 

In my case, I tend to trust too easily.  Sometimes it is easy to spot the false person, other times not so much.  It's only through time and interaction that you can then form an opinion. In time, usually, the 'real' self eventually shows.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Trish

Annemaeve,

Thank you so much!! Glad you enjoyed it. It's great to see you back!!!! Hope you stay :)

love you too!

Patty

Hi Spryte! 

Oh my! Sounds mysterious LOL,,,,,I can't wait to hear!

Thanks for stopping by,

Trish

Hi summer10,

You're absolutely right. I was so addicted to chatrooms when I first got my computer,,,,it took me several years to lose the addiction.

The lonliness I feel is because so many people choose to sit behind the computer, and even though they may join the chatrooms, they are still isolating themselves from living. It's easy to talk to people in chatrooms but it's a far cry from going outside and interacting with people in person. So, even though chatters may defend their 'socializing', they know, in their heart of hearts, that when they sign off, they are still alone.

Thanks again for stopping by,

Trish

Hi knsims,

Good question! I'm sure some people out there respond to that kind of thing. At the very least, people who say those things cut right to the chase lol. I'd even go so far as to say girls come out with some outrageous things also, thinking they are humorous, or cute. It is beyond me what type of person those folks are trying to attract by dishing out cheesy pick-up lines. I suppose it's just for the attention, saying to the room at large, hey, notice me! I think they just don't realize the 'types' they'll attract by behaving that way. But, the world is a funny place, and for whatever reason, what doesn't work for one, will work for the other, and I suppose I could go one step further, and say that people who behave that way are genuinely nice people. This hub was simply my interpretation of how I perceived things.

Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting,

Trish

Hi Feline,

You are so right. It is so easy to hide behind a computer and spout things you think people want to hear. I find it is very easy for people to get fooled, especially if you're one who tends to trust what people tell you. The liar I was involved with told the same lies over and over, so for me it was a 'truth' of sorts. Had I bothered to question those lies, I might have been a lot better off. The good news is I did finally find the real truth.

Interacting with those kinds of people tends to make one cynical, which, I can be at times. I much prefer being myself and believing for the most part that people are who they say they are. Really, I think the only answer to who is genuine and who is not is through a test of time.

One day, when you're bored, drop into a chatroom. You'll get to see what really goes on in there, and sad to say, a lot of them are just crap. There really are good ones out there, you just have to find them.

Thanks so much for commenting and stopping by.

Pam, Pam, Pam,,,,,you're a riot!  I'm guessing you've noticed by now, the majority of my writing is from memories.  I'm not into other kinds of writing such as religion, politics, etc.  It's not to say I don't read those, I do, and sometimes leave comments, but, for me, my writing has to come from the heart.

I could share some 'juicy' stories with you about chatrooms!  I spent many years in them, when I finally settled on a room that had mostly decent folks in it.  I met one guy there, and eventually drove myself to Buffalo, NY to meet him.  I have family up there, so it wasn't a wasted trip.  When I think back, I can't believe I took that ride by myself.  It took me about 12 hours, as I live in Jersey.  Thankfully, this guy and I had been talking for well over a year, and he was just as nice in person.  Fun stuff!

Thanks again for stopping by and commenting.  Funny, you always trigger smiles over here :)

Hi Pam

Aren't you a sweetie!  Thank you so much for your kind words.  I'm just glad I found my niche.

It looks like I need to publish some more recipes.  I've been making that stew ever since I got married, compliments of my mom :)   I don't often cook anymore like I used to, for various reasons, the most recent being, for the past four years I was working two jobs.  It left me with pretty much zero time.  That did change, however, so now I work a normal 40 hour week.  I love one pot meals.  You get plenty to eat with little fuss.  My hubby's favorite meal was stuffed cabbage.  Now that is time consuming!  Maybe I'll throw that recipe out here.

As to the chatroom, I once created my own.  I met a guy in there more than 8 years ago that I talk to to this day.  So, yes, there are nice people out there, it's just a matter of finding them.  I certainly met my share of jerks too lol, but it was all fun.  I made a girlfriend from Florida, and her and I spend many, many hours on here sharing long talks and many laughs.

Thanks again Pam for stopping by and sharing your thoughts :)

thanks for stopping by

Hi Britney,

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.  Glad you enjoyed it.

KCC,

I bet you and I could spend hours discussing our online experiences :)

I still remember the day my son started bugging me to get a computer.  I wanted no part of it.  He, at the time, belonged to AOL, so he sat me down and showed me what it was all about, the chatrooms, etc.  As I watched, I said what?  I couldn't do that, it's too crazy.

Uh huh.  Here I am over 10 yrs later, loving it.  As I may have mentioned, I no longer frequent chatrooms, but the experiences I had there I wouldn't trade for anything.  Met a lot of folks, some weird, some not so weird.

I agree that this is a great way of communicating, and while it is definitely a positive thing that the media has seen to it to warn people of its dangers, there's still a lot of good that comes from it.  You're an example, meeting your hubby here.  Sometimes though, I think the press about it is a case of overkill, and I wonder how many people take what's being said seriously, and how many ignore it, only for their experience to end tragically.

Plenty of pros and cons to online dating, certainly.

Hi shibashake,

You're absolutely right.  This community, as well as the game communities I find to be much more mentally stimulating.  I do not regret, however, the time I spent in chatrooms because if nothing else, they were a lot of fun.  It just wasn't the place to get the gray matter in high gear.  It seems that the chatrooms have nothing more to offer than the latest gossip or how and when to hook up.

I'm guessing that my tastes have changed with the passing of time.  I'm not suggesting that my days of having fun are over, because certainly, there is fun to be had here as well as in the game rooms.  I just figure it's important to expand my thinking and learning skills.

Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting.

hi A.M.!

In the past year, out of sheer boredom, I went into a few, but very soon left. Nothing has changed, it's still pretty much the same ole, same ole. I suppose if I were to find a room I was even remotely interested in, and stayed put day after day that I could probably meet some nice people. But do I want to meet someone in person? No, not anymore. I'll take my chances out here in the real world :)

Yes, it is nice that he and I are still friends. He too has abandoned the chatroom scene. He's also decided that he doesn't even want to spend as much time on here as he once did, so our conversations have dwindled to about once a week, which is fine. We will always be friends.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

Princess,

I'm not sure you'll find it in a chatroom. Not to say you shouldn't try them out, but there are many frogs to go through before you find your prince :)

Thank you, asc.

Hi amanda,

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to HP. Enjoy!