If you have spent any time in Chat-Rooms then this will not surprise you. If you have, you probably, assuming that you DO "have a life" won't spend much time there again.
Skype: from http://www.skype.com/(text, FANTASTIC audio, VERY good video, file transfer, whiteboard, profile) ONE big problem with Skype: be warned! Read the fine print; if your computer is not always online, e.g. if you have a "dial-up" connection, Skype will USE YOUR bandwidth and YOU WILL BE CHARGED by your ISP if they use more than your monthly allowance. Clearly, if you have a DSL or cable connection and are online 24/7 then there will be no problem. You can have the video chat running in a few minutes. VERY user-friendly. Now there is a sort of answering machine addition to Skype: http://www.yappernut.com/def/en/.
Eyeball Chat from http://eyeball.com/ (text, audio, video, file transfer, whiteboard, profile)
Firefly from http://www.freshtel.net/firefly (text)
Yahoo from http://messenger.yahoo.com/ (text, audio, video, file transfer, whiteboard, profile, various games)
Windows Messenger from Microsoft from http://www.microsoft.com/ (text, audio, video, file transfer, whiteboard, profile)
Paltalk from http://www.paltalk.com/PalTalkSite/ but I have not tried that one.
ICQ from http://www.icq.com/homepage.html but I do not use that one either.
AIM or "AOL Instant Messenger" from http://canada.aol.com/aim/aim55/about/chat.adp but I don't want ANYthing to do with AOL.
Gizmo from http://www.gizmoproject.com/but I have not tried this one. Chris Pirillo says this about it:
"Gizmo Project v1.1.0.82 [9517k] [Win2k/XP] [FREE] Gizmo Project is a VoIP messenger that allow you to talk with your friends around the world. Like all VoIP applications, the program uses your Internet connection to make calls to other computers with your microphone and PC speakers. The features include free voicemail, call recording, call forwarding, conference calls, and more. In addition to the voice chat, you can also use traditional (text) instant messaging. Gizmo Project comes with a neat feature that allows you to map the location of the caller (usually the address of the ISP) using Google Maps. The program also supports calls to regular land lines, however, these require the purchase of phone credits - Gizmo-to-Gizmo calls are free."
Tryfast from http://www.tryfast.com/ but I have tried it and was NOT impressed; in fact, if I had children at home, I would not allow this one on any computer in my house. NO way! After using it, I went to Eyeball Chat and commented negatively about Tryfast and got several folks telling me that they did not want it either. Not worth the 3.7Mb download.
InSpeak from http://www.inspeak.com/index.php but it is very new and much of the website is not finished. Not clear if this one is free or not.
Google chat for GMail users, from http://www.google.com/talk/ came out in August 2005 but it is still "in BETA" so leaves a lot to be desired.
They are really "Coming out of the woodwork" now. Here are lots more which I have never tried:
Sightspeed is available athttp://www.sightspeed.com/
ExpressTalk comes from http://www.nch.com.au/talk/index.html
TeamTalk comes from http://www.bearware.dk/
PicoPhone comes from http://web.tiscali.it/vitez/picophone.html
Raindance Meeting Edition comes from http://www.raindance.com/rndc/services/rfmOverview.jsp
Sony IVE comes from http://sony.glowpoint.com/
VoIP Buster comes from http://www.voipbuster.com/en/splashvoipin.html
Phonegaim comes from http://www.phonegaim.com/
Jajah comes from http://www.jajah.com/en/index.asp
GloPhone comes from http://www.tglo.com/
Woize is from http://www.woize.com/
Wouldn't it be great if we all used the same one? If I had my choice, I would pick Skype. But not if I had dialup.
For the best communication with friends or family, I like Skype.
I've been watching some of the chatter (text) in Eyeball Chat. It has, like Yahoo, many chat-rooms which you can visit. I rarely make any comments in the rooms but while having lunch or watching TV, I let Eyeball run most of the day on another computer and occasionally take a look at the chatter.
In these "rooms" you will see a lot of acronyms used; to decipher them you can visit: http://www.acronyms.ch/searchResults?searchText=yw
Another place you can find acronyms and more is at http://www.tasgreetings.com/chat.htm
SOME people have a decent "Profile" about themselves in these programs. A "Profile" is a window of information (maybe a picture) about yourself. YOU decide what you want to show/tell the world and what you do NOT want to show/tell. Other people DO appreciate a profile to give them some kind of an idea of who you are, that is, your "asl" or "Age - Sex - Location." Keep in mind though, that a profile can be completely 100% faked. You might be thinking you are chatting with a person of your own age and gender when in fact the opposite might be the case.
IMHO, there are 6 kinds of people who do:
Points to consider:
- Some, unfortunately, just cannot get out and this can provide a means of entertainment.
- The technology changes constantly and this is one way to learn about it.
- This is hopeless; virtually never can a discussion be held except in "Private chats" outside the rooms.
- This is MOST dangerous. It has worked but the risk is enormous. People have been robbed and killed by chatters.
- Just one more way to "Get your message out there."
- These morons spoil the rooms for all the decent folks. There should be ways to stop them.
Why do "mature adult" individuals make themselves out to be absolute idiots in public? Do they think that their bad language, worse manners and terrible spelling/grammar will be taken as "funny" by everyone? Do they simply assume that none of this could ever be held against them? Any and all of the chat that they type can be saved by anyone else and sent by email to other people. IT HAPPENS! Do they not realize that their (typed) comments may well be under discussion at the very same time in "Private Messages" with others laughing at them?
UNFORTUNATELY, a lot of perverts come with the most crude comments imaginable. Not only that, but they try to send you PMs or "Private Messages." My suggestion is to "DECLINE" all requests for "Video Chat" or "Text Chat" unless you know who is calling you.
ALL of the chat-rooms are frequented by perverts; there is no difference; no matter the age group, the location or the language, all of them are bothered by these "sickos." For this reason alone it is best to avoid chat-rooms completely. It is impossible to have any kind of discussion; it just does not work. I've seen people try and I've tried. Those who have a brain and a sense of decency are in the minority.
One more tip; a lot of people in these rooms are pathological liars. They change their "NickName" or "nic" and come in with a new name pretending to be somebody different. LOTS of trickery and cheating going on. BE CAREFUL! On TV recently I saw a documentary about a gentleman who met a lady in a chatroom. They finally met and got together. She cleaned him out, financially and then was busy poisoning him. Fortunately his son got suspicious and lowered the boom. She is in the big house now; turns out she allegedly murdered two previous husbands the same way. And she looked like such a sweet, dear lady.
In the Chat-Rooms people use a "nic" or a "nick-name." Be careful here too! The "nic" you see and recognize might not be the person who you think it is. Once I saw TWO identical names in a Chat-Room; NO difference. I did not think that was possible so I copied and pasted both of them into Notepad. THEN it was possible to see that they were NOT the same. One of them had taken the other's name/nic and changed a couple of letters which looked the same but were not. For example, "will" and "wiII" can look identical depending on the font being used.
And hey, DO NOT take any of the chatter seriously!! And remember, anything you type or anything you show with your camera CAN come back to haunt you. SOME people in these chatrooms will have a "PM" with you and SAVE the entire text. Everything you typed is then "Written in Stone." And if you are "camming" with somebody so they can see you, they CAN TAKE YOUR PICTURE!! USE YOUR COMMON SENSE!
You really do not know WHO you are chatting with; it could be your business associate, your wife, your mother, your son/daughter.... you can not be sure so be CAREFUL.
AND there are the "bots." These are computers programs which "pretend" to be people visiting the chat-rooms and use that means to advertise the pornography they are peddling.
About all these VoIP tools are good for, IMHO, is to have "private chats" with friends or family.
There are several programs that help you control your children in their chat activities. I have not tried any of these but here are the FREE ones I've heard about:
http://www.zemericks.com/products/chatcontroller/index.aspChat Controller gives parents the power they need to take control of their children's instant messaging.
http://www.ecommsec.com/product_info.php?products_id=28&osCsid=54q2iornnn99i9rfk1jv4hodp3One day I glanced at the chatter in a chat-room and noted a pervert trying to lure "girls ages 8 to 13" into lewd sex acts with him online and via cam to cam. When you see this sort of abuse, you should, of course report it. I will list here the websites you can go to for that purpose:
http://www.cybertip.ca/en/cybertip/report_form/The police advises me:
Hi Ken
If you happen to come across child pornography you can send the direct link to us at childexploitation@ext.torontopolice.on.ca
If someone is in a chatroom depending on where they live they can contact cybertip.ca and fill out a report online.
Kimberley Moir Criminal Intelligence Analyst Child Exploitation Section Toronto Police Service
No doubt you will want/need a webcam and a decent headset with microphone attached. This is not as easy as you might think.
If I may, I suggest that whatever head-set you buy, make sure you can take it back for a refund if you are not 100% happy with it. I've gone through more of these things than I can count.
Here are some of the more "interesting" (?) comments, taken completely out of context: (Keep in mind that I have NOT listed here any of the "vulgar and obscene" comments)
billdur_38: I am only here to brush up on my bad language
Rhawn: Blessed be who sits on a hot seat .. they'll soon rise again !
Juanchicio: ANY GIRL WITH CAM WANNA CHAT WITH A SPANISH GUY? CALL ME
billdur_38: Are ALL Americans like this ? I am new here .
juniemoon: damn...they sure talk funny there in oz..don't they patty?
maccross1950: Magale Im a guy ok? and no i dont want to see yr dick
elb1x: hell he is proud of it no matter how small it may be
Rhawn: 'pmsl' = 'pissin my self off laffin' ..
stivemunir: mai proplem no spek englsh varegud
Starman04: My friends say I am good looking
chouette1: i want to meet for marriage !
chouette1: REALY!!!!!!!
chouette1: SERIOSE!!!!!!!
cottoncandy_1: rocket I told you to eat shit and die..go do it
birdseye22: deep, i am so ugly, when i was born, the midwife slapped my mother
patty53ca: who the hell in their right mind would advertise a tiny dick
katieh: well, as exciting as this all is.............I've got to go do the dishes
SWEETHONEY65: same old shit
Cha_La_Key_Rose64683: <<hands lace (__)>
Lace_Levies: oh ty Rose
Lace_Levies: i needed that
poc_pop: took a shower, shaved, brush my teeth, gettin ready for another nite alone. lol
apa212: the only trouble with firday is its to close to monday
gab55: id give up working but i like to stick people with needles too much
katieh: just us folks with no life are here lol
katieh: I wish I could sleep late..........I suffer from middle-aged bladder lol
Cha_La_Key_Rose64683: i am like a mushroom...kept in the dark an fed bull-hit
Cnoble: cant cut the mustard still want to lick the jar lol
Cnoble: in my mind I'm a stud
PastorKnees: in my mind i'm a 2 x 4
SanDiego_Man: I wake up a stud but its down hill from there :(
Methaz: yeah old people find it hard to type
Methaz: they outta breath after half a sentence
Methaz: or there fingers hurt
Methaz: old bones ya know
Cnoble: since I had my hemroids fixed I'm perfect
snowie323: mike go stick your head up your ass and have a good fart
snoNunWithAHabit: lol Blind. I'm asking him for a meaningless relationshit
wie323: as the giraffe one said the high balls are on me lol
CanadianGoose_2: he pissed in my beer
katieh: << been in here over 20 mins, and still don't have a clue about who's talking about what, or why
Paul_in_Wales: Noooooooo but you can love me and be married to another
CanadianGoose_2: i jsut darank a bottle of blinds hawgs piss
nighteagle55: treat people with respest and it works well don't be like these other idoits
nighteagle55: my God I'm glad I got better morals than these idiots
nighteagle55: do these people stay on the porn channel all day and come here during breaks?
nighteagle55: what part of read my damn profile before you try to pm me don't these idiots understand
cat_nap: do you wang wellies willie?
starrwoode: how can arabs be so dumb
starrwoode: why would anyone be from riyadh
hanbare5: you mean to say some of the women that come in here are bitches???
hanbare5: don't get your knickers in a twist
hanbare5: shall i send naked pics of you to everyone?
imyours2004: omg this room is crazy
designgirl987: yeah... about makes me sick thinking a 12 year old would be on here
robuck3uk: sex is the german number after funf
Bob59tx: wow,,,,yu found a woman who can chat for only a second?
SanDiego_Man: never raise hand to spoiled child...leaves groin exposed
PrunedDame_ish: New game for those over 50: Hide and Go Pee. lol
adele1: i once cammed someone very respectably dressed ......until he got up to answer the phone
SanDiego_Man: I dont drink I dont smoke I dont tell dirty jokes I dont know how long I been dead
billdur_38: I'm rolling a fag ........he is fighting back
halfpint_gal_2004: I came into this world with a guarantee................that one day I would be leaving it
birdseye223: i am so old, i knew michael jackson when he was black
hanbare5: brb gotta go shake hands with the unemployed (take a leak)
gab55: <-- would call 911 but i have no eleven on my phone
siboxx: am going to cook my dinner now and force myself to eat the disgusting result - bye all tc xx
siboxx: ind some people are silent and are thought stupid - you speak and remove all doubt
uncleremus123uk: my keyboard screws up after the 3rd drink
Druid_Girl: devon, I have decided that I like you. mostly because you dont seem to like me
bashful99: well room -- looks like I may be victim of yet another frustrated lonely lady who is making things up
Druid_Girl: besides, I have a little list called "dicks I have seen unwittingly" lol
slowdancingman12: when irish eyes are smilin she up to something lol
johnthedog: Are women allowed on the internet?
Down_Under_Thunda: does anybody realise that a banana has 5 sides?
Blindsided54: it must be the desperate hour here........
justgrace73: sorry your leaving..mom was about to start the lapdances
This, from the Arabic-speaking room:
WwoWowW: ?????????????????????????????????
alzaaaaaaaaaagb: ??????
obviously, my chat software cannot interpret the Arabic fonts used.