Chat

Chat has become one of the most popular online features. Chat is real-time text-based communication between two or more users. Chats are conducted using online services such as America Online, bulletin board services, and Web sites. Chatting can also be conducted by using audio or [Page 126]audio and video, but requires much greater bandwidth and the appropriate software. Most discussions about chat refer to the text-based realtime communication. Chatting is an effective and efficient way to instantly communicate with other online users.

Chat rooms are places on the Internet where chatting occurs. Chat rooms are designed for interactive messaging and most do not require special software to use. Corporations and organizations use chat rooms for a number of reasons. First, chat rooms can be used to provide convenient real-time customer service. Web sites such as http://Godiva.comallow users to instantly talk to customer service representatives. Although the company's responses follow a standard protocol, responses are tailored to the users' questions or requests. Some companies, such as http://Westlaw.com, also provide users with a transcript of the real-time dialogue between the customer service representative and the user. However, companies using chat for customer service purposes must provide their representatives with adequate training. Real-time customer service representatives who fail to adequately address customers' questions or inappropriately respond to online users could result in a public relations disaster.

Second, chat rooms can be used to conduct meetings or interviews. For example, companies can host online real-time press conferences with the media. These chat rooms can be open to the public or private. By hosting interviews or press conferences online, communication practitioners have greater control over the content of the discussion because they can write and edit responses before posting them to the chat room. Another advantage of chat rooms is the low connection cost when compared to traditional phone lines—especially when conducting interviews or conferences with international participants.

Chat rooms usually require individuals who want to participate in the discussion to register by choosing a username that will be displayed on other users' computers when they join the discussion. Some chat rooms also require users to create a password before joining a discussion. Although corporate and organizational Web sites may have only one chat room (for example, customer service), some Web sites host multiple chat rooms based on subject or interest. For example, Yahoo!, the search directory and engine, lists hundreds of different chat rooms for users to participate in.

Starting in the late 1990s, communication practitioners began to monitor chat rooms for misinformation or negative comments about their organizations. One of the ways communication practitioners monitor chat rooms is by lurking. Lurking is entering a chat room, reading the posted messages, but not participating in the discussion. Services such as PR Newswire, or software such as ContentWatch. com, allow communication practitioners to monitor discussions in chat rooms. By monitoring relevant chat rooms, communication practitioners can keep a pulse on what online users say about their organization, products, and services and possibly prevent crises.

In using chat, communication practitioners must be aware of the expected etiquette protocol—called “netiquette” on the Internet. Although netiquette is largely based on the Golden Rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you—different chat rooms assume different rules. In addition, these netiquette rules often change. Thus, communication practitioners are advised to learn about the appropriate netiquette for each chat room before engaging in real-time messaging with users. Communication practitioners who post unrelated content in chat rooms are considered spammers, which can lead to considerable backlash by online users.

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