Dating Chat Rooms - What to do, What to Avoid.

First of all it's important to get off on the right foot with your new online acquaintances - so be nice to everyone. Online dating and chat rooms are a community whereby you earn a reputation, so getting off on the right note is important. Don't be argumentative, be pleasant and polite.

Every online dating site has different rules and conditions of entry so brief yourself before you join. Once you have joined one of the chat rooms, try sitting on the side line for a while and just watch the conversations. It's a good idea to become comfortable with the vibe of the conversation instead of just rushing in.

There is an annoying behavior among chat room pests called scrolling. Scrolling occurs when someone repeats a block of words constantly making the page scroll quickly. This practice is one of the most frowned upon actions someone can do whilst chatting and will probably see you kicked out of the chat rooms all together.

Flaming is another very anti social practice that is often carried out by some members. When someone flames a chat room they would normally attack a certain person or the whole room in general which would include insults and disruptive behaviour designed to upset the tone of the chat session.

Avoid trying to be the main attraction in a chat room. Just be yourself and let the others see you for who you are. It's a good idea to start off making friends and to let any potential romance develop on its own accord. This approach will earn you an online reputation as a genuine person rather than a sex starved love rat which will truly benefit your long term online social prospects.

Most chat room services provide their members with a private chat function. If you do send someone a private chat invitation and they don't reply, chances are you're not being ignored, they are probably busy chatting to someone else or may have other multiple chat invitations from other people. The more you use your chat rooms service the more other singles will become familiar to seeing you, so if someone doesn't respond to a private chat invitation, try again when they are online next - but don't be pushy - know when to move on.

Don't be too quick to trust someone you meet in an online chat room. Some people will stretch the truth in their online dating chat profile in order to portray a certain message or image. People often lie about their age or gender, so don't assume everything you read is 100% true. You need to establish trust by engaging a person in an online chat many times and finding out more about them outside of their profile.

Be aware that every time you type something in a chat room that it has the potential to become a permanent record and that anyone can store that information for their personal means. So never EVER casually type any personal details about you or your family in a public chat room. This refers to anything from phone numbers, addresses, work details, car make and model or family members private details.

Chat rooms are a combination of people who are genuine, sometimes genuine and down right deceptive. Once you are confident you are communicating with a genuine person, be careful not to be lulled into the false sense of security - "instant intimacy" Singles who meet in chat rooms and develop a romantic connection are more susceptible to trusting another person far quicker than a real life introduction. Take the time to know this person properly to make sure they are the same person that is behind their computer screen.

Your personal safety should be your first and foremost priority so if someone you have just met in a chat room is trying to send you something at home or work and is pushing for personal information, we suggest you cease any contact with that person and block them from contacting you again.