Using the chat room.

Hi folks,

I'd like some advice about using the chat room.

I had my first go at it last night, and whilst it was good fun I'm lacking confidence in the protocols and stuff. It felt quite weird, having the direct contact and yet not knowing anything much about the others in the room. I certainly felt more challenged than I have for some time, for a long time. I also felt a compulsion to be jokey, to 'keep up' and that was a bit revealing to me. I felt a bit defenceless.

I'd like to hear what people feel about the chat room. How do you feel when your in there? What is it like for you?

Cheers, Myzen

personally, i love the chat room here. i like the instant contact you can get to the person and is the third best thing to being in person and calling. i will come to chat every day, no matter how i feel. it's always a good place to give or get support b/c everybody here cares a lot. and a lot of the time the people there are there just to talk and have fun, you know? so for me, it's great. you should come chat sometime. it's nothing much to lose confidence over. any questions, just ask someone. anyone here is willing to help you out. there's no problem in asking someone to fill you in.

so have fun. chat more, if you like. we're all here for each other and that's just another extension of it. nice to meet you too, don't think i've seen you. hope this helped.
-me

I'm new to this chat room thing also & my first experience made me feel very strange. It started slow with just a couple of people. Then there were 5, & the conversation just flew. I could barely read a coment, & it was off the display. Let alone the fact that I just couldn't type fast enough to keep up either.

By the time I had typed in something the conversation was long gone. It also seemed that the group in there had their own codes, that I just didn't catch onto.

I wish there was a way to observe first before entering the chat room to practice being quicker. I'm sure it is fun once you get the hang of it. I never felt so imcompetent in my life. I think if I was lucky, I could throw in a message every 5 minutes. It was interesting to observe what was going on however & read the conversation as it flew by.

Hey, maybe I will try it again sometime when there are less people chatting.

Hello again Myzen - met you in there last night. Hope I did not do anything to make you feel uncomfortable.

Am not familiar with this chat room as I am new, but generally they are a bit odd until you get used to them.

It is more than acceptable to sit there quietly until you feel more comfortable with the whole thing. You can always send people a private message if you are finding it tough.

Hope you come back again.

XXXXX

I, too, have been challenged adjusting to chat -- not just here but another group. One-on-one chats with technical advisors for my net provider also helped me.

I also find that I type in contributions too slowly, so the conversations has veered off somewhere else. People generally will come back to my question or comment, unless the conversation is addressing someone's immediate need for comfort, help, etc.

And, yes, I also am aware that I am entering "relationships" that have been going on for a while. I have attended one or two chats where I was uncomfortable, listened a bit, and left bec. it seemed too personal and ongoing. It's really no different than going to a party where one doesn't know people and most of them have known each other for quite a while. One feels a bit left out. Conversations are going on about "remember that time when" or asking questions about things for which the newcomer doesn't have the backstory. The only way to become a member of the group is to listen, hang out for a while, until oneself eventually has become part of that backstory.

I really like the chat, but there is never anybody there when i'm on...that's probably because i'm in the UK and on a different timezone to most of you guys!

But it's good to just sit and read sometimes..sit back and just observe..i do that when it all gets abit too fast!

Hi folks! It is great having you all come into the chat room and join the conversation. Usually I take time in the chat to show new members "around" like do this ^ ^ ^ look up there and.. here's how to change your font colors and all. Sorry I didn't do that and we had 2-3 new in there too!

The "codes" are the same for more all the internet... and you can find them online in many places. I think there are 700 or more OMG! (oh my gosh!)

Here are more that we use alot (and other members will add what I forget... lol (laughing out loud)

rofl rolling on floor laughing
dil daughter in law mil fil etc
ty thank you also tu
tks thanks
wty why, thank you! or wtu
wb welcome back (when someone has been booted, or
comes back to chat after leaving the same chat)

gfy or is it gfu? good for you LOL I had to add this one... I didn't learn... well but the hard way... in some places these are two different meanings! one is the good, the other is go ..yourself.

a good way to check out the chat room is to go into there when it's empty (DOCJOHN leaves the rooms open ALL THE TIME) and play with all the icons and message notes!

Welcome y'all. good to have ya here.

Hi all,
I haven't used the chat here yet, mostly due to time constraints. When I have chatted in other places, though, I find that it's not always just my typing speed. I have dial up, and for those with better internet connections (sob!), they can respond much faster than I can. But I do my best.

I'll have to stop in sometime.

gg

oops advice about USING the chat room

When you first come in, everyone that notices your entrance will welcome you... using by saying Hi. Don't worry if we don't see you, just say HI to us first!

Tell us you read or type slowly, that way when we ask a question of everyone, or of you specifically, then (if we remember) we'll know to wait a bit for a reply from you.... and not think you're being too shy...

We like for chat roomers to select an "AVATAR" a pic/icon for next to their screen name (S/N) on the list on the right hand side. You can do this each time, and change it as often as you like... by going up to the MY PROFILE IN the chat room and selecting one... IF you wish to have one enter WITH you, when you find one you like, remember the avatar # it shows when you slide you arrow over it... and then go to MY PROFILE in this main forum area (look on top here) and EDIT your preferences... there's a place to type the number in! Be sure to submit your changes. sigh.

There are also "smilies" and icons you can put into your chat. It's under the smilie icon on the bottom of the chat screen.

You can "emote" to other users... give them a hug, smile at them etc. There are 2 ways to complete this, and it's more fun to go in there and play... Click on the drama masks on the bottom. That brings up on the side a list of emotions...emoticons? ... anyway... once another member is there... you click on their s/n... highlighting them... and then click the emotion you wish to use... and then click on the SIDE drama masks... once you get the habit, like anything else, it's easy.

I know this is a long post... hope it's what you want.
BTW (by the way) I have a problem with both seizures and migraines.. so if you are in Red or Orange font color, I will ask you to change it... they are known to cause the problems... so
don't take offense, OK?

Be sure to come to our chats... oopps Sunday afternoons usually... but DocJohn doesn't always make that one. THE CHAT on Tuesday night at 9pm he does host the chat. It's mainly for psychological and website questions to him... so we try to keep the normal day to day chatting at a minimum.

Also, we found that if we will ALL pause after someone asks DocJohn a question, it's easier for him to "spot" it (he multi tasks hehehehe) and then everyone gets their question answered!

If you TYPE IN ALL CAPS you are considered to be yelling. But sometimes you 'gotta' do it for emphasis or to be heard! lol

Doc John nearly always uses BOLD BLACK font and we can read his answers really well.

What else ya need to know? Just ask someone! We were all new to it at one time or another!

Oh if you want, you can click on the number next to the chat room tab up above here... and it will tell you WHO is in the chat rooms...

Hi gg... I think most of us online are using dial up. If they aren't I sure don't want to know! lol I use dial up... sigh.

It's a great suggestion to go to the chat room when it's empty and just talk to yourself. And maybe someone will drop in. Getting used to just talking with one or two people is the best method I think.

I've been chatting for years, and years, but when the chat room gets crowded, it's still overwhelming. I just sit back and watch. No problem. It's still fun. And sometimes, I confess, I go to another window and surf the internet until the chat slows down!!

It is a great way to get to know people. I do think it's the best when there are just a few people - at least for me. That seems to be when people really can open up and share.

The Tuesday 9pm EST chats (when DocJohn is there) are great to watch, but I would imagine for a newbie - that would be pretty chaotic! I think my head would be spinning. I'd go just to watch and get to know the personalities, and if you feel up to it, meet people too.

Another thing to consider is if you get to know someone through their posts, you can schedule a time to meet them in the chat room. Then you can discuss the issue you have in common.

Great post - I'll bet lots of people have the same questions.

emmy

ytu em! you're right about the chaos at times! That's one of the reasons I like it when ppl use different colors... it's easier to keep track of one conversation over another I might not be in. Also, I like using a different color so that I can keep track of how often I make a comment vs others... so I'm not "part" of the chaos!

Does the avatar that we use on the forums come with us into the chat room? Or is this a different avatar?

No, it's a different one. Go to the My Profile up top and go into the preferences are (I think it's that one... one of the 3 lol) and scroll down till you see a place to put the NUMBER in for the chat room avatar.... it has to be one of those you see in the chat room (you have to have the number FROM the chat room avatar screen though..)

Thanks for shedding some light on the art of chatting. The information will be very useful. I am glad that the speed is a problem for others than just me.

I'm great at chatting between mind & mouth, But am amazed at the delay between mind & hand.

It is great to know the acronyms. I was guessing at the meanings. Most were obvious, but for some, I was way off.

It is good to know something about the other people that you are chatting with. With time, I'm sure that will grow with reading more posts & getting to know the members that way.

I'm not giving up yet

btw bytheway
ty
tyvm thank you very much
brb be right back
T therapist
dx'd diagnosed
np no problem
g2g got to go

I still have a hard time with the chat room at times. I tend to feel like I am missing things and by the time I finish typing the conversation has changed. I feel like this happens especially when the room tends to get crowded.
Chat rooms can be hard. Lots of people talking and having their own conversations. I notice that I have to feel really social to be a good support in chat.
You are not alone

Jessica

Im also new to the chat thing and do find it overwelming at times becouse like alot of you I dont type fast enough or know what to say, mostly becouse its a new envirment and new people basicly like starting school in a new place. everything and everyone are new to me. so I just jump in and let things go naturaly and the fear of being new the envirment gos away then you will find new friends that turn out to be alot like us, sometimes we work ourselves up on the smallest things that other people just shine on so make the currage and go in and remember were all human and thats the good of it becouse I found that everyone is in good nature in the chat room. Good luck and have fun as I will (once I learn to type faster)

hmmm maybe we all need to organize a slow speed chat time? it would take some coordination as to when most of you want to and could come online... but it's a thought?

We are also pretty close to having/needing more hosted chats, with one topic and no personal chatting...

the chat room is really just getting going... this year. So we're doing great from where it was, say, when I first joined! We had 21 in the room Tuesday night.

Welcome!

Hi,Myzen

Chat can be stressful as can this whole site to those new here. When I first started meeting people around the site I quickly got overwhelmed by too much stimulation on top of my already high stress personal situation (Thanks-Wants2fly for pointing that out to me). Several people have noticed that they get a bit stressed out goofy, I sure have. 'Stress Goofiness' can show up in posts or chat and be a bit odd, chaotic, and confusing, even contentious. I thought, "who are these kooky, people", but then soon found myself being at least as goofy in chat, and posts, nervously trying to entertain perhaps. I'm still learning/making mistakes. Oh well, I could use a little fun to lighten the mood. Still it's always nice to hear those voices of caring, helpful logic, and reason, that aren't in that kind of mood. I suspect that the idea is to build a diverse and caring community while still actually helping people grow.

Down

Ps.-Tuesday night's chat in the context of the last two questions of the week (Politics, and Personal Guiding Principles, with the rules temporarily suspended), got wild as it sometimes does. I'm sure I made mistakes. Hopefully it felt more stress relieving than painful to everyone. I hope no one was felt hurt.

If someone had a problem, it usually surfaces rather quickly LOL

If someone does have a problem in chat, please remember to save the chat (icon at bottom) so you can refer to it, and also send it to DocJohn if it's needed... I mean, it will be easier this way...

IMHO in my humble opinion
IMO in my opinion

Myzen, I could use some help also. Every time I get into the chat room, my screen freezes and I have to reboot. Last night it froze the moment I clicked on "chat"........lol

Anyone else having that problem?

Adieu

There is a technical support forum way down at the bottom of the index. I've found some useful discussion there.

Psychcentral has so many new members, I thought I'd bring this thread along for information.

Please also read the rules about not flaming, harassing etc others here.


Let's have good conversations, and some fun too!

My suggestion to those who find themselves overwhelmed in a large chat: how about suggesting IN that chat, that you will be going to a different room...and maybe a few members who would also like to chat but are too shy, or such, can also enjoy a chat! Just a thought....

I can certainly understand how it feels to be overwhelmed in a chat room. I don't handle crowds of any type very well at all. Most of the time I find myself staring at the screen desperately trying to think of something useful to say. I'm pretty bad at small talk. I generally can't think of anything unless someone says something to me. Aside from here, most of the time, when I go to a chatroom, my goal is to find someone I can talk to in private. But that's not likely to happen unless I have been talking in the room so ppl know I'm not some sort of creep and I usually get so frustrated at not having anything to contribute I don't stay long. I have had more success here, but still tend to clam up unless there's someone actually speaking directly to me or talking generally about something I can speak to. The imprortant thing to keep in mind is that the folks here are the least judgemental I have come across and that there's nothing wrong with just hanging back and getting the feel for the place before you say anything other than, "Hi."

Anyway, my point is, if you just want to go in the room but don't feel like talking, don't sweat it. Just make yourself comfortable. Just my 70 % of 2/100ths of an american $