Times have changed in the world of chat, and if you’ve missed the enormous leaps that mankind has made in the infinite pursuit of leaner, more effective communication then you must have been living under a proverbial rock for the past 20 years.
However, if that is the case and you have decided to catch up to how it’s done these days, we would be happy to walk you through it like a parent ushers a child across the street while the ‘walk’ sign glows green. Pay attention, as there will be a test at the end.
There is a plethora of different chat services on the market today, all of which serve a very similar purpose and boast a common raft of features but vary in subtle ways.
Preference is usually reserved for popularity, and users are attracted to the app which the majority of their friends subscribe to. In most chat apps, you will be presented with a list of your contacts that can usually be added on the strength of their e-mail address or screen name.
Friends who are online will often be moved to the top of the list and highlighted by a green light, though you can contact others who aren’t currently on line and they will receive the message later. When you click on the desired contact a text box will appear; writing in that box and pressing enter will send the message, and most services will tell you if they have read it and when they are typing their reply. Below the text box there will usually be options to send smiley face icons, pictures from your PC or device, videos or other files. And that’s all you need to know to get chatting online! Just remember to be responsible and if someone asks about your credit card details then it’s time to DELETE!