Chat

A "Chat" area, or "chatroom," is a space where multiple Internet users can engage in written discussion in real time. The term "chatting" is generally reserved for communication systems included on a web site, as opposed to the term "instant messaging," which refers to dedicated conversation systems which operate on the Internet, independent of the Web. In addition to being an everyday word, "CHAT" is also meant to be an acronym for "Conversational Hypertext Access Technology".

Unlike a bulletin board, chatting takes place in real time, and its messages are not saved permanently, which means that only those present can read the conversations (though some chatrooms are able to record conversations). The purpose of a chatroom is not the same as that of a bulletin board: A chatroom is better for real-time communication between a small group of individuals and is closer to private communication, while a discussion forum lets a large number of individuals carry out a conversation without necessarily being present at the same time.

Most of the time, a chatroom is shown as a window divided into several sections:

• The discussion area containing the dialogue between various chatters ;
• The entry field, where the user can type a message to be sent to its recipient(s);
• The list of chatters present, which lets users see all people present in the discussion channel. Most of the time, you can click on a user's name to communicate privately with him or her.

Avatars

An "avatar" is an image which symbolises a user. It is a virtual character meant to give a visual representation of yourself. An avatar can be a figure that looks like you, or a completely imaginary one!