If you're totally new to Chat, it may be an idea to have a read-through of the Chat rules (same to the ones you agree to when first joining) so that you know exactly what you can do :) The intial Chat screen will tell you how to move from room to room.
Okay, I'm in a room but everyone knows everyone else! I don't know what to say!
If you look closely at some of the messages sent in Chat, people are just generally talking about something that happened during their day or something random. Don't be nervous about starting a conversation of your own by just bringing up a topic - people will catch on and start chatting to you :) You may also want to check out the
Chat Members Introduce Themselves thread so you'll recognize some faces when you first come in. Another good thing to do would be to say your name (if you don't mind using your first name in Chat) and say a little bit about yourself as well.
A good thing to remember if you're joining Chat for the first time is about text speak. Abbreviations like "Lol" and "Brb" are coolies but tlking lyk dis is aint kwl n not allwd in chat rlly. Try to avoid using text speak if you can as this will help a lot when you first enter Chat too :)
What do I do if I need to talk seriously or need support, though?
The
Chat Information thread will tell you what is mainly allowed to be talked about in each room. If you are in a General-only room, just ask if someone can move to a Serious room with you or if you can PM them.
If you're in a Serious or Mixed-conversation room, then it's coolies to just ask something like "Can I get some support, please?" or "Is it okay to whisper someone?" and someone will reply.
How do I "whisper" somebody?
To the right of your Chat screen, you'll see a looooong list of usernames with their avatars. Right-click on the name of the person you want and select "Whisper", then send your message. When you've got a reply, click on
their username in your reply, and the conversation carries on. If you want to talk in your "own" room, just select "Private Chat" and a seperate Chat tab for you and the other user should open up.
Who are the lil green dudes in that list?
The lil green dudes are our very own
Chat moderators! They are around to look after you and make sure everything in Chat is going as it should. If you have any questions about the Chat rules, you can ask them too.
What do I do if there isn't one of them in the list and I need to report something?
If you come across anything said in Chat that you feel breaks the rules in some way or you think the Chat mods should look at, there are a few things you can do. First,
save a chat log of the incident - this link will take you to a thread where you can find out how to log chat and then what part to send to the mods.
If there are any Chat mods online (they will appear in green on the "Who's Online Right Now bit at the bottom of the Forum homepage) it's best to PM the copypaste straight to them. If there aren't any lil green people on the list, send the log to
chatmods@recoveryourlife.com where it will be picked up by the next available modcake :)
Nice one. What else can I do in Chat?
Just above the box at the bottom where you type your message is a row of options like changing your font/colour or adding a smiley to your message. If you type "/me" or just ":" at the front of your message, it will come up in italics on the chat screen, like an action. For example - "/me waves to everyone". Try it! You can also set yourself to "away" by clicking
once on the box saying "I am available" next to the text box. However, don't click this too many times as it sends an alert to the main Chat screen each time it's clicked :) The great thing about Chat is that you can get support at real-time speed, kinda like Live Help but with lots of people! The more you come in, the more people will notice you around and you'll soon feel more at home.
Okay, one last question - why is there a drunk tomato smiley?
It's a pig *nods* and why
wouldn't we need one? =D
Hope this helps out a bit with anyone coming into Chat for the first time. Look forward to chatting to you soon!
Chelsea x
Heaven doesnt want me and hells afraid ill take over
) when you see like someone sayign what they're doing or feeling *as if in stars in the forum* it comes up save_myself makes an example randomly for people to understand what I mean
