Emoticons
The word "emoticon" is a combination of the words "emotion" and "icon." They are shortcuts that add zest to the often flat text of chat or instant messaging. They are used anywhere in sentences - before, after, or within, and can also stand on their own. Here are some of the more common emoticons:
:-) smile
:-)) big smile (double chin)
:-D laughing
;-) wink
:-( frown
:-/ smirk
:-P sticking tongue out
:-x kiss/my lips are sealed
:-0 surprise 8-| confused/concerned
!-( black eye
!-) proud of black eye
#:-0 shocked
%*} inebriated
>>:-<< furious
>:-( annoyed
>:) mischievous
Acroynms
Acronyms abound in chat. Since chatting is so inherently text intensive, it's understandable that chatters would find shortcuts for the most commonly used phrases. Here's a list of common chat acronyms - it's the G-Rated version.
LOL Laughing Out Loud
ROFLOL Rolling On Floor Laughing Out Loud
TTYL Talk To You Later
TTFN Ta Ta For Now
BRB Be Right Back
AFK Away From Keyboard
TY Thank You
TYVM Thank You Very Much
YW You're Welcome
YVW You're Very Welcome
mhm not really an acronym - more of a sound effect
HB Hurry Back
WB Welcome Back
NVM Never Mind
GMTA Great Minds Think Alike
NP No Problem
IMO In My Opinion
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
Chat Avatars
Avatar is one of those words that different sites use in different ways. Some chats allow you to choose from a pre-defined set of icons that are associated with your user name. The icon sits next to your chat name or in your instant messaging windows. Other chats let you use a customizable avatar that actually represents your persona graphically while chatting. Some communities, such as there.com allow you to customize your avatar with different clothing and physical attributes. Others, such as VPchat.com and the Palace, let you create your own avatar. These chat avatars don't necessarily look like people - they might be pictures or illustrations of animals or places or just about anything you can think of. Each chat service has its own specifications for creating custom avatars.
Chat Basics tips
Chat Emoticons
The word "emoticon" is a combination of the words "emotion" and "icon." They are shortcuts that add zest to the often flat text of chat or instant messaging. They are used anywhere in sentences - before, after, or within, and can also stand on their own. Here are some of the more common emoticons:
:-) smile
:-)) big smile (double chin)
:-D laughing
;-) wink
:-( frown
:-/ smirk
:-P sticking tongue out
:-x kiss/my lips are sealed
:-0 surprise
Chat Acronyms
Chat Acronyms
Acronyms abound in chat. Since chatting is so inherently text intensive, it's understandable that chatters would find shortcuts for the most commonly used phrases. Here's a list of common chat acronyms - it's the G-Rated version.
LOL Laughing Out Loud
ROFLOL Rolling On Floor Laughing Out Loud
TTYL Talk To You Later
TTFN Ta Ta For Now
BRB Be Right Back
AFK Away From Keyboard
TY Thank You
TYVM Thank You Very Much
YW You're Welcome
YVW You're Very Welcome
mhm not really an acronym - more of a sound effect
HB Hurry Back
WB Welcome Back
NVM Never Mind
GMTA Great Minds Think Alike
NP No Problem
IMO In My Opinion
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
Chat Etiquette
Chat Etiquette
VPchat is dedicated not just to good chat etiquette or ‘netiquette,’ we are also committed to our customers’ privacy and chat safety.
Online chat has been available for over a decade. As more and more people have access to the Internet, the number of people chatting has grown exponentially. Just like every other type of human interaction, there are rules and etiquette that make the experience easier for everyone. Here are some basic rules of engagement:
If you’re new to a room, don’t start typing whatever comes to your mind. Take a look at what the other chatters are discussing. Add something to the conversations and you won’t be a newcomer for long.
Make sure that your CAPS LOCK key is not on. In a chat room, capital letters “sound” like yelling!
Think twice before you take offense at a comment or conversation. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what someone is trying to say if you can’t see or hear them.
If you determine that someone is being awful to you in a chat room, don’t take it too seriously. Chat is supposed to be entertaining, educational, and fun. If a particular room isn’t pleasant, move on because there are plenty more.
There’s a ton of gestures and emoticons out there. Before you introduce your latest find into a room, make sure you try it out in a private room. You can gauge how appropriate or cool it actually is without subjecting everyone you know to it.
Chat Events
Chat Events
VPchat offers its members a wide array of chat events that include trivia contests, truth or dare games, chat point shops, chat paint contests, and even auditorium events.
Chat events are usually small, group activities run by VPchat members. Some of the more popular events include sports, pop culture, and music trivia contests. Chat events can also be more utilitarian in nature. VPchat hosts chat events dedicated to technical support and the creation of web pages. VPchat also has a dedicated group of members that host poetry and psychic chat events. Finally, what list of chat events would be complete without a session of Truth or Dare? The best part about online Truth or Dare games is our members don’t actually end up stripped down to their socks—as far as we know.
Another type of room that VPchat members truly enjoy is the Paint shop. Paint shops are places where chatters exchange and create avatars. These avatars have been found, created from scratch, and most have been enlarged. Some people use specialized software programs to enhance or add text to the images that they use in VPchat. Many Paint shops hold contests where chatters judge who’s presented the best or most interesting avatar. Many Paint shops are extremely welcoming of newcomers. They are often very happy to share the knowledge they have accumulated about making their avatars works of art.
Finally, VPchat offers an auditorium for larger community events. The auditorium is a unique feature of VPchat and can accommodate thousands of chatters at a time. Just like a real auditorium, VPchat’s online version has a stage, seats, and a podium. Chatters park their avatars in a seat and can both communicate with the stage as well as the other members in their aisle. Auditorium events are moderated so that the people on the virtual stage can control the event and make sure everyone can “hear” what is being presented. The most common types of auditorium events are avatar pageants and unveiling the latest features from VPchat.
Chat events are unique feature of VPchat. Many of our members have communicated that chat events are their favorite part of our service.
Chat Safety
Chat Safety
VPchat is 100% dedicated to the prevention on cybercrime and takes special care to educate its members regarding online privacy, chat security, chat safety, parental control, personal information, private rooms, sharing pictures, Terms of Service, and posers.
Chat rooms can feel friendly, anonymous, and very informal. People may speak more freely about their thoughts and feelings in a chat room than they ever would to someone they see everyday. While it is wonderful that people can share so much so easily with all kinds of different people, it is important to remember that not everyone that chats has your best interest in mind. Don’t be fooled by friendly strangers.
The best way to protect your privacy online is to never share you personal information with another chatter. Anything from your last name, to pictures of you home, or your social security number can all too easily be used to locate you. Even if you’re chatting in a room with folks that share your interests, zip code, or age it is still important to keep the exchange of personal information to an absolute minimum.
Another good strategy to protect yourself from cyber crime and identity theft is to limit the pictures you share with other people. While it’s great to be able to send your parents the first pictures of your new baby, you might not want the rest of the world looking at your child. You have to assume that the rest of the world is looking. Further, if you have met your romantic match online, consider carefully what type of image you might like to send them via the Internet. If the relationship sours, would you be embarrassed if the picture you sent to this person found its way onto the Internet? You have to assume that your picture will not be kept private.
A final point of online chat safety is to remember that nothing you say or do is truly private. For example, VPchat offers its members private rooms for conversations and activities that are conducted away from prying eyes. While we are happy to provide this feature and lots of people use and enjoy it, we strongly recommend that people understand that there is nothing truly private on the Internet.
With all this information in mind, please understand that chatting is a really great way to connect with people. VPchat takes our members safety and fun seriously. We want to make sure you have a really terrific chat experience.
Singles Chat tips
Singles Chat
VPchat is a great place to meet for singles chat and online relationship or even a session of romantic chat!
Many people have come to rely on online chatting to meet and get to know potential love interests. When chatting, people can relax in the comfort of their own homes and get to know someone outside of a bar or a party where it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Many chatters are first intrigued or attracted by what a person has to say as opposed to how someone might look. Initially, it’s the inside that counts.
VPchat has brought together hopeless romantics and those in search of companionship throughout in the U.S., Canada, England, Australia, and many other countries around the world. VPchat even offers rooms dedicated to romance, weddings, and all kinds of lifestyles. So, what you have to decide is what chat room is right for you. Have fun with it! Romance is a journey. It is an exploration of who you are and what makes you happy. We all deserve to be loved, respected, and cherished.
Family Chat tips
Family Chat
VPchat offers Family Chat to its members that are interested in lively, clean conversation in a monitored chat environment.
Family Chat is an area of VPchat where good natured, clean, family friendly fun is the rule of the land. VPchat uses guides to monitor family chat to make sure the chat environment truly is free of some of the racier language and behavior that is absolutely a-ok on the Adult side of the VPchat universe.
Family Chat tips
Family Chat
VPchat offers Family Chat to its members that are interested in lively, clean conversation in a monitored chat environment.
Family Chat is an area of VPchat where good natured, clean, family friendly fun is the rule of the land. VPchat uses guides to monitor family chat to make sure the chat environment truly is free of some of the racier language and behavior that is absolutely a-ok on the Adult side of the VPchat universe.
Instant Messaging tips
Instant Messaging
VPchat offers its members an instant messenger program or IM that operates much like the other major players in this space such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Trillian.
Any student of evolution knows that many species have come and gone in Earth’s history. Dinosaurs, giant armadillos, and saber tooth tigers have all disappeared or adapted. Technology follows a similar path. Phone booths, telegraph machines, and event snail mail all seem just a little bit antiquated.
Instant messaging is the most recent Tyrannosaurus Rex on the electronic swamp. Billions of people all over the world use instant messaging to communicate with family, friends, co-workers, and companies. Now people can open a little screen on their computer’s desktop and participate in an exchange of ideas and information immediately.
The most common instant messengers can be found across the Internet:
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
AIM allows people to send messages, pictures, MP3s, and video to their contacts instantly. AIM also empowers users to share files, engage in live video clip conversation and personalize the actual look and feel of the software.
ICQ Instant Messenger
ICQ Instant Messenger was the pioneer in instant messenger technology. Created in Israel in 1996, ICQ was the first to allow users to sent text messages, files, and links. ICQ’s popularity grew by leaps and bounds. It is estimated that 300 million people downloaded the software in 2004 alone. Finally, ICQ is actually a clever play on the words, “I seek you.”
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
IRC is a little bit different than other instant messaging systems. While users can still communicate one-on-one, IRC is used by larger groups of people with a particular interest. IRC has notably been used as a communication tool during the first Iraq War and by many Muscovites as the Soviet Union began to fall.
MSN Messenger
MSN Messenger is a favorite among home users with Hotmail accounts. It’s compatible with both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. There is a business oriented version of the software that requires that users or companies pay for the service. However, if you are simply using the program at home, the download and use of this product is free.
Yahoo Instant Messenger
If you Yahoo, you’ll know about their instant messaging system. Yahoo users can be notified any time they’re online that they have instant messages and regular email.
Trillian Instant Messenger
The next great development in instant messenger technology is to allow users of different types of clients (AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, IRC, MSN) to talk to each to her. With one simple download Trillian users have access to all the most popular instant messenger clients and users without having to change the way they use the technology.
Voice Chat tips
Voice Chat
Who needs telephones? Not you! VPchat’s voice chat feature is a great way to stay in touch with other VPchat members using the latest Internet communication technology. If you have a microphone for your computer, you can use VPchat to talk with anyone else using VPchat that also has voice capability.
Right click on the avatar of the person you’d like to speak with.
Select Call
When the other person accepts the call, you’ll be able to chat, just like a phone, using your microphone (we recommend you use a headset).
Look, Mom! Free long distance!