| As a concerned adult who has been involved in | | | | understand from what I saw, why there is now |
| online chat for almost six years, I was | | | | a problem regarding chat rooms for children |
| pleased to see the article regarding the | | | | teenagers. I don't see how closing those |
| closure of privately owned rooms on Yahoo. | | | | rooms down will achieve much unless Yahoo are |
| My concerns for children and teenagers online | | | | going to instigate hosts into each and every |
| have grown over the past years as I have come | | | | room on Yahoo and run the server with strict |
| into contact with people online that I, as a | | | | rules and guidelines. A room without hosts |
| parent, would never have wanted my children | | | | is a room that can be taken over by unsavoury |
| to be around, even just on the Internet.The | | | | people and who will police it?Whilst I am not |
| anonymity of the medium is the biggest cause | | | | an advocate of heavy handed, control freak |
| for concern. This is a whole new world, | | | | hosts, I believe if the owners of chat |
| growing everyday, whereby people can meet and | | | | servers paid people who had qualifications to |
| chat without ever having eye contact, or the | | | | host rooms, on the proviso they follow the |
| advantage of reading body language. I heard | | | | guidelines set down by the server, then |
| recently a figure of 350 million people | | | | things would improve. No one wants to go |
| entering one particular chat server each | | | | online and enter a chat room run by a control |
| month. This is astounding to someone who | | | | freak host, but there is a feeling of safety |
| lives in a country like Australia where there | | | | if there is a host in a room. I personally |
| is such a small population compared to the | | | | believe all owners of chat servers should be |
| big wide world out there. The fact that you | | | | forced to ensure that every chat room in |
| can chat without anyone seeing who you are, | | | | their server is monitored 24x7, or is only |
| also opens a huge window of opportunity for | | | | allowed to be open during the hours there is |
| those that get a 'high' out of manipulating | | | | a host to monitor the room.I now chat on a |
| the minds and emotions of the naive and | | | | new server in Australia and this server has |
| vulnerable of our society. And the naive and | | | | no rules really, just guidelines for safe and |
| vulnerable probably make up a large | | | | decent chat. There are no swear filters like |
| proportion of those online, because of the | | | | there are in the other Australian server, |
| anonymity factor, because of the lack of eye | | | | which is perhaps a mistake as it now opens |
| contact, and the lack of body language. | | | | the door for unsavoury and unnecessary foul |
| These people find it hard to interact in | | | | language and abuse in those chat rooms. |
| their real lives, and yet online, they come | | | | Anyone can open a room and own it, and my |
| out of themselves because no one is there to | | | | friend and I now have four rooms. I have my |
| make fun of them or deride them. All they | | | | own room secretslieschat where I advertise my |
| need do is hit the X up in the corner and | | | | website and my book, two things I couldn't do |
| they can move on from perhaps someone who is | | | | on the other server as it was considered I |
| verbally abusing them in a room, to a safer | | | | was indulging in free advertising, and we |
| room.The problem I have with chat rooms is | | | | have the Peers50, Peers60 and Peers60+. We |
| that in spite of a room being labelled | | | | took those rooms over from the owners of the |
| 'teenage' or a Peers age room, anyone can go | | | | server in an effort to get back some decent |
| into those rooms and do whatever they like in | | | | chat rooms where people will like to chat. |
| private. I advocate everyone naming the nick | | | | It's early days yet with few visitors, but we |
| in public that comes into a room and starts | | | | have opped ourselves in the rooms and plan to |
| to click on other nicks for private | | | | monitor them to try our best to ensure that |
| conversations. And yet, if you do that where | | | | there is fairness and decency in the rooms.I |
| I used to chat, you are warned and often | | | | applaud the efforts of Yahoo. It is good to |
| kicked out of the room, or you are told to | | | | read that people who can make a difference |
| take your problems private. I am strongly in | | | | are now working to do just that. You only |
| favour of networking to weed out the sleazes | | | | have to surf around the Net using a few |
| from chat, and yet again, this is frowned on. | | | | keywords and you will find many websites |
| It doesn't take much nouce to work out that | | | | dedicated to safety online, to weed out the |
| someone who comes into a room only to priv | | | | unsavoury users, to handle issues of abuse, |
| people, comes in with a motive other than | | | | harassment and stalking by using legal |
| pleasant chat with those already in the room. | | | | options. No matter how many people like to |
| These people should be outlawed.The | | | | bury their heads in the sand, those that care |
| Australian server I spent my time with quite | | | | and are aware know the truth. We have to |
| recently changed their rules regarding room | | | | protect the young because those of us, who |
| ownership. They opened the chat scene up so | | | | have been around the Internet for a while, |
| that anyone can now own a room, whereas for | | | | know that there are things happening online |
| the first five years or so I chatted in | | | | that even adults need to be protected from. |
| there, you had to apply to open a room and it | | | | If we don't teach the young the right way to |
| had to be run on Telstra rules. Chat is | | | | act online, the rules for safety for |
| dying on that server since they changed the | | | | themselves and their families, then chat will |
| rules; people have moved out of the main | | | | end up destroying itself as a place for |
| rooms into small isolated rooms and the whole | | | | enjoyment and companionship for the lonely. |
| concept of chat has changed. This is a shame | | | | All of us who chat learn everyday from those |
| as chat can be wonderful for many people who | | | | we come in contact with, and the people |
| don't look below the surface and see what is | | | | online can have important rules of life and |
| beneath that isn't so good. It can be, and | | | | wisdom they can share.In my own small way I |
| is, a lifeline for many and the demise of the | | | | am trying to make a difference too, and will |
| quality of chat is sad. People are wary of | | | | continue to do so. Long live chat.I am an |
| entering a room where only one of two others | | | | Australian writer, living in Sydney. My |
| can be seen as often the impression is there | | | | first book has been released in the USA |
| is something wrong with the room or the two | | | | titled 'Secrets, Lies & Chat' and is the |
| people are having a private meeting. As in | | | | story of my personal experiences from an |
| most things, humans like to be around groups | | | | addiction over a three-year period, to chat |
| where they feel a degree of safety and | | | | online and online dating. I wrote the book |
| belonging.Whilst Yahoo is doing the right | | | | with the hope that others would read it and |
| thing in only having rooms open that they | | | | learn from my mistakes. My passion is |
| monitor, I must say here that I have only | | | | children online, and the very real dangers I |
| ever visited Yahoo a couple of times, and the | | | | know exist on the Internet that they will |
| language and abuse I saw in the rooms I | | | | undoubtedly, at some time, be exposed to. |
| visited, scared me out very quickly. I can | | | | |