• Leave as politely as you arrived.
• Don't bother to correct typographical errors.
• Flirting is fine when you are with an appropriate group. Outright sexual comments and/or are NOT proper unless you are in a room designed for such.
• As in real life, some people can be rude or offensive. Ignoring their rudeness helps. Remember that anger online is a waste of energy.
• Most chatters are nice. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask and expect their replies.
• It is very helpful to address your comments to the specific recipient if there is one. For example: "ladyblue, where are you located at?"
• It's perfectly alright to shorten somebody's nickname when you're "talking" to them.
• Ignore all those stories about "masquerading" as someone else online. Just be yourself! Experienced chatters can almost always sense "fakes".
• Plain text may not express the tone of the comment, which is why we use abbreviations, acronyms and emoticons (symbols that indicate various facial expressions) to clarify how we say things
• When chatting with known participants it is not uncommon to greet each other with a *kotc* (kiss on the cheek) or a *hugs* or a *extending hand*. This is like shaking hands, patting each other on the back, or smiling in the real world.
• If you do not know any of the participants in the discussion, introduce yourself briefly.
• If you do not want to participate in the ongoing discussion but want your presence known, state that you are lurking. This is polite, especially if you plan to chat once the topic shifts.
• When you are ready to leave the chat room state that you are leaving and then stay around and respond to final messages.

Learn from the experts! Here are the common no-no's in the "chat" world. Be careful of these things, or you might get kicked out!

• Scrolling (a rapid entry of lines, with or without text)
• Offensive, racist, harassing behavior including personal attacks (flames) and/or threats.
• Typing in all CAPITAL LETTERS. This is considered "yelling" and rude.
• Polling is asking people to respond to a question with a series of numbers or letters.
• Not respecting the rules of the chatroom. If it's a G rated room, keep it clean. If it's a chatroom with a specific topic (i.e. "Windows2000"), stay with the topic.
• Rudeness. Play nice, and remember that one of the chatters may be your next door neighbor!
• Whining that no one will "talk" to you.
• Posing as another chatter. Duplication of common nicknames occur but the deliberate act of being an imposter is considered almost a violation of privacy. Don't do it.