In the modern era the communication infrastructure has grown at a rapid pace. The last twenty years have changed the face of how the world connects, something which could not be done in the last twenty centuries. Now anyone can reach anybody else around the world at the press of a button. The internet and its platforms have penetrated deep villages and remote towns of the world to make the world a smaller place. Wi-fi and wireless technologies have lent more teeth to the surging demand for convenience and the mobile phone simply brought all the technology into the palm of your hand.
The internet provides people all over the world the opportunity to interact and mingle with each other through emails and messages as well as through modules such as chat rooms and social networking sites. The first online chat service was developed by Alexander Trevor in1980 and was known as CompuServe CB simulator. Since then the whole medium has gradually evolved from being a mere text based instant message service to its delightful graphical forms, voice conferencing, webcam based video interaction and the video game platforms.
The effect of chat in modern day era has made the internet and the web a more pleasantly quick place to interact with anyone all over the world. It has given businesses the opportunity of connecting fast and enhancing their productivity. In short it has made the world wide web able and dynamic, real time and life like thereby enhancing the utility and ability of the web world. The facility of enabling multiple users sharing common interests to come together and interact with each other has infused life of versatility in the mass media concept whose boundaries are not limited by the distance factor.
In the world of online chat rooms the users have the choice of staying incognito, choose usernames at will and chat with unknown people making the whole web world a virtual world and indulging in something which may not have been possible in the real world. Internet chat rooms also widen the circle of friends and increase the possibility of meeting new and compatible people from all over the world.
Chat rooms also allow you the freedom of staying low or completely disappearing from the online world without a trace with no explanations needed which makes the online place a attractive one for many such services to thrive.
While many web surfers also tend to visit internet chat rooms seeking to have a good time or to find someone of the opposite sex for casual flirting without having any strings attached, such attitudes have also seen a rise in popularity of online dating site and other evils such as cybersex. While such activities have dented the reputation of chat rooms it would be unfair to say that chat rooms are used only for these purposes and in fact such activities could be only a part of the whole arena of chat rooms
So what do you exactly mean by chat rooms?
Chat rooms are generally online zones created by many internet portals to help people from various backgrounds to connect with each other and is provided as a enhancing feature of the website wherein users visit the website to chat with their friends, relatives and even strangers. The mobile and internet are the major tools which assist this online feature of chat rooms. Currently millions of chat rooms are available on the internet
Generally, chat rooms refer to an open discussion zone, where people of various backgrounds come together to interact amongst themselves.It is a quality enriching feature of a website which draws more visitors. Several unique technologies assist these features including mobiles and the Internet. There are numerous of such rooms available today. However it depends on the type of technology used by these websites who offer these services.
While the text based chat rooms are the most common and widely used by most websites the video rooms are another facility of the chat rooms where you can see the person through the web camera and chat with him either through voice or typed text.
Chat forums on popular websites allow a large pool of people to link with them and the people who wish to join need to fill a form and generate a username and password which is required to log into the chat room. Different topics are often open for chatting and one can choose his or her topic to enable a chat with anyone. Apart from romance and adult dating chat rooms, many people like to visit chat rooms for discussion modules to enrich their knowledge through the help of others on various hobbies like art, music, creative writing, professional advice etc.
However most chat rooms have a set of rules and regulations which need to be adhered to if one has to chat in those rooms. Some have language barriers set so that the person knows the limits and any misbehavior in the chat rooms is often met with the expulsion of the member in what is known as “being kicked out” of the chat room. With the mobile phone one can also download settings of chat applications from the internet which should help you to chat with any person from around the world. The more common chat rooms have been traditionally known to be msn chat and yahoo chat and Google
When it comes to Christians, there are specific chat rooms for the Christian community to interact and mingle with each other. The Christian chat rooms for singles provide an opportunity to Christian singles to connect with like minded singles from around the world and the chat room provides an instant avenue to get in touch with the Christian faithful from around the globe.
Free Christian chat rooms are known to be one of the foremost Christian chat ministries on the internet and Christians have been known to utilize these free Christian chat rooms to spread the word of God to other fellow Christians throughout the world. In this you have a genuine attempt from Christians to offer a quality chat through the internet to help many people to tide over their lonely times and helping them to stay strong in their faith and not succumb to the pressures of modern society. These Christian chat rooms for free services help to unite Christians from all over the world through the medium of online fellowship sharing thoughts, prayers , bible stories, moral opinions and politics of the day.
Christian chat rooms therefore provide Christians a window to engage themselves in a chat conversation with fellow Christian communities from all over the world. Fellowship between Christians in chat rooms occurs when two or more Christians enjoy the sharing of thoughts and ideas and find companionship and natural joy to be around like minded Christian people. Christian chat rooms give you the freedom to choose who you associate with.
Having seen its tremendous potential and reach Christian chat online has evolved to be a normal healthy way to meet and connect with fellow Christians in your search for bonding, friendships or a romantic relationship.
Guideline for Christians in Christian chat rooms
Many Christian sites offer you the option of being a guest on their platforms and you can first experience the feel of the discussions without signing up and plunge in it once you are confident of the chat etiquette that is being consciously followed in Christian chat rooms for adults .Most of the Christian chat rooms on the internet will have an exhaustive guide to the rules of the chat and it is extremely important to read these rules well. By learning these rules you can also identify and refrain from chatting with people who flout these rules. Be relaxed and understand that there are many reputed sites offering these chat services and are serious about the benefit accrued to Christians by using their chat services.
It should be your endeavour to ensure that the chat room is a pleasant place to be in and any blasphemous chat or any non-Christian discussions with any one should be voluntarily avoided.
Also do not get lured by people who misuse the chat rooms to campaign for charities , orphanages or for children from poor African or asian countries as the antecedents of these advertisers cannot be verified by the chat rooms.
Remember that there are specific Christian chatrooms for adults and Christian chat rooms for singles besides Christian chat rooms for teens. You should always chat in your specific area and it si the most healthy atmosphere for everyone. Unless you are yourself between 13-19 years of age, you should not chat in Christian chat rooms for teens. Chat amongst your own Christian group or age.
The most important thing to note is that you should conduct yourself in a very holistic manner while in a chat room. While humour and banter may be fine you should yourself ensure that your thoughts and words are not displeasing to God. Chat in text or voice to real people in real time and involve the Lord in all your endeavors and you will notice that the genuine and clean desires of your heart will be answered. Do not forget to share prayers and favourite verses from the Bible which could give you an insight into finding out others values and how they match up with yours.Christian chat rooms for singles have blessed many fellow Christians success in romance and love.
Inspiring others through your Christian discussion
Christian chat rooms are a naturally great medium to introduce yourself to prospective fellow single Christians without making your single status too obvious. There could not be a better way to get to know someone before launching on a date or before offering more personal details about yourself.
Your Christian faith being the cornerstone, when planning a life with another Christian single, Christian chat rooms for singles gives you the chance to learn about the other persons beliefs and provides you with the understanding about whether your values would be harmonious for a lifelong relationship such as marriage. Since the internet has become a widely accepted introduction tool amongst Christians, the search formats or friends through the Christian chat rooms for singles allows you the luxury of simply avoiding or eliminating people with whom you do not share any christian ideals or thoughts.
While making new friendships you can also encourage and inspire others through meaningful Christian conversations and also receive support for yourself in your down moments. You will obviously find yourself in a more comfortable zone to discuss issues such as politics, moral subjects, worldly subjects, social threats and any other common fears that many christians have amongst themselves.
Precautions in Christian chat rooms
While there are benefits galore in Christian chat rooms one needs to also exercise restraint and precautionary measures to avoid unnecessary situations for yourself and your near and dear ones.
It is important to ensure that your little children do not get introduced to the online chat world as there is never a way to tell which people they can accidentally interact with in the virtual web world. While you must protect your kids the same holds true for Christian adults as well. Do not succumb to unnecessary pressures and do not get lured by gifts and other coercive methods of anyone on the chat rooms. Also do not give away too much information to quickly and do not hesitate to close a chat session if you feel threatened by any bad or profane language or in appropriate chat.
It is important that you enjoy your chatting and focus on meeting some good fellow Christians .There is a wholesome but often lonely community of Christians awaiting friendship, support, communication and in many cases love and romance. So while going to Church is imperative, there are also other means to espouse fellowship amongst Christians and one of them is definitely Christian chat rooms where you can offer the same warmth, level of faith and sharing of prayer. Such outreach can help in the growing of faith and enriching the love of God amongst fellow Christians.
The following are the most used character abbreviations or numbered codes forthe chatting domain
| Beginning with the numbers: | |
| 121 | - One-to-one |
| 143 | - I love you |
| 2G2BT | - Too good to be true |
| 2MI | - Too much information |
| 2NTE | - Tonight |
| 4 | - for |
| 9 | - Parent is watching |
| Other special characters used in chatting |
|
| ? | - I have a question/ I don’t understand what you mean |
| ?4U | - I have a question for you |
| ;S | - Gentle warning, like “Hmm? what did you say?” |
| ^^ | - Means read line or message above |
| ^5 | - high five |
| <3 | - Means sideways heart (love, friendship) |
| <33 | - Means heart or love (more 3s is a bigger heart) |
| <s> | - smile |
| <w> | - wink |
| *g* | - giggles |
| @-/- | - a rose |
 |
- smile |
| <:-| | - curious |
| :~) | - cute |
| :-} | - embarrassed |
| :,-( or ;’-( | - to cry |
| >:-( | - angry |
| :-O | - shouting, or shocked |
| ;-P | - sticking tongue out |
 |
- sad |
| Shorter Forms / Acronyms |
|
| A3 | - Anytime, anywhere, anyplace |
| AA | - As above |
| AAP | - Always a pleasure |
| ACK | - Acknowledge |
| ACPT | - Accept |
| AND | - any day now |
| AFK | - Away from keyboard |
| AH | - At home |
| ASAP | - As Soon As Possible |
| ASL | - Age/Sex/Location |
| AT | - At your terminal |
| B | - Back |
| B2W | - Back to work |
| B4 | - before |
| BBL | - be back later |
| BF | - boyfriend or best friend |
| BFN | - bye for now |
| BTW | - by the way |
| BDAY | - Birthday |
| BOL | - Best of luck |
| BRB | - Be right back |
| CAM | - Camera |
| CM | - Call me |
| CSL | - Can’t stop laughing |
| CU | - See you |
| DH | - Dear |
| D/L | - Download |
| DM | - Direct message |
| DUR | - Do you remember? |
| E1 | - Everyone |
| EMA | - E-mail address |
| EZ | - Easy |
| F2F | - Face to face |
| FW | - Forward |
| G | - Grin, Giggle |
| GN | - Good night |
| HF | - Have fun |
| HRU | - How are you? |
| I2 | - I too (me too) |
| IB | - I’m back |
| IC | - I see |
| IK | - I know |
| ILY | - I love you |
| IM | - Instant message |
| IMS | - I am sorry |
| JW | - Just wondering |
| JK | - Just Kidding |
| KB | - Keyboard |
| L2G | - Like to go? |
| LOL | - Laughing out loud |
| LOTI | - Laughing on the inside |
| LVM | - Left voice mail |
| N1 | - Nice one |
| NE1 | - Anyone |
| NT | - Nice try |
| NVM | - Never mind |
| NVR | - Never |
| OOH | - Out of here |
| PCM | - Please call me |
| PIC | - Picture |
| PLS or PLZ | - Please |
| PM | - Private Message |
| POS | - Parent over shoulder |
| PZA | - Pizza |
| RU | - Are you? |
| RX | - Regards |
| S2S | - Sorry to say |
| SC | - Stay cool |
| SH^ | - Shut up |
| SIT | - Stay in touch |
| SOS | - Meaning help |
| SS | - So sorry |
| STW | - Search the Web |
| SUP | - What’s up? |
| SYS | - See you soon |
| THX | - Thanks |
| TY | - Thank you |
| U | - You |
| UL | - Upload |
| UNA | - Use no acronyms |
| UR | - Your / you’re |
| VIP | - Very important person |
| VRY | - Very |
| W@ | - What? |
| W3 | - WWW |
| WAS | - Wait a second |
| W/B | - Write back |
| WB | - Welcome back |
| WC | - Welcome, Who cares |
| WKD | - Weekend |
| WU | - What’s up? |
| WUF | - Where are you from? |
| XD | - really hard laugh |
| XLNT | - Excellent |
| Y? | - Why? |
| YR | - Yeah right |
| YW | - You’re welcome |
| Z | - Zero |
| ZUP | - What’s up? |