Online chatting is a way to meet people whose interests are similar to yours -- and good exercise for your fingers. It's instant gratification and companionship, because there's no waiting for a reply, like in email. And you can chat with any number of people who happen to be in the same chat "room," without revealing your address and identity.
Role-playing is rampant on the electronic chat line which can also be viewed as the world's largest lonely-hearts club. There's a lot of cross- sexual role-playing and you can wear a mask and pretend to be anyone. But like any role-playing, it always reveals part of yourself and it is amazing how you can get to know someone extremely well without even meeting him or her.
On the web, most chat rooms use software that requires little technical know-how, which you can download for free quickly at the chat site. It is also expected that IRC will undoubtedly evolve over the next year or two with advancing technology... There are already various new software applications such as IRIS Phone, Internet Phone for Windows95 http://www.vocaltec.com InterPhone http://www.interphone.com and VoxPhone (http://www.voxware.com which permit one-on-one long distance telephone-like conversations on the Internet. There are also new applications like ViRC, a "totally new object-based scriptable 32-bit IRC client with real-time voice and video chat for Windows 95 and NT." And for those who like their graphics along with the text, Microsoft Comic Chat for Windows 95 and Virtual Places allow you to chat on IRC with a graphical interface. Apart from the immediate advantage for telephony, the chat facility has implications for for not only training and education but also as a business tool.
While chat is infamous as a way for the sex-starved to play out fantasies, it has also become a key part of information sourcing but also even of doing business on the Web. Even more valuable is chat's ability to give users a sense of community.
Each user has a nickname (handle) and converses with other users either directly or on a channel ( also known chat room). IRC users are identified by nicknames of their own choice. Nicknames may be at most 9 characters long. The nickname is set via preferences or the NICK command in your IRC client. If you choose a nickname already in use, you have to set a different nickname. Some users have registered their nicknames with the NickServ database. If you get a message from NickServ that your nickname is in use, you will have to choose another.
The rest:
MOO and IRC: what's the big difference to the language learner?
MOO RESEARCH ARCHIVE
Alphabetical listing of Educational Virtual Reality Sites
Communication Strategies: some suggestions
Miscommunication in text-based virtual reality
MOO Teaching
EduMOOs and Chat
What Can You DO in the MOO?An Overview and Collection of MOO Lesson Plans
Using Public Literacies
Presence in Text-Based Networked Virtual
Environments or "MUDS"
LANGUAGE MOOs and MUDs
InforMOOtion especially for teachers
This application is now adopted by commercial language instruction organizations to facilitate real-time language instruction. For example, EF Education, one of the world's leading providers of foreign language instruction, has licensed special audio servers and has built a Java environment to allow large groups to participate, with the claim of providing conversational language courses over the Internet at a lower cost and higher level of productivity than traditional language schools can offer. Another institution which makes use of Netmeeting is NetLearn Languages, a completely Internet-based language school (http://www.nll.co.uk/)
Whether you're an impassioned conversationalist or simply like to chat once in awhile, Microsoft Chat provides you with two options to converse: Text mode-meaning only text displays. Comic mode-meaning your conversation displays inside a comic strip showing a visual representation of conversations based on comic strip conventions. As with a standard chat program, you enter a Chat Room on an Internet server and conduct real-time conversations with other people. But with Microsoft Chat, you can also pick a cartoon character to represent you, and your conversation appears as word balloons inside the frames of a comic strip. One-click access to tools and resources, plus easy execution of common tasks, are part of what makes Microsoft Chat today's top way to chat on the Web. Microsoft Chat is the interactive online chatting program that lets you choose how you want to communicate. Completely integrated with Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Chat can be used like any text chat client on an IRC channel. However, Microsoft Chat offers something other chat programs don't-comic mode. Select comic mode, choose a favorite character such as an alien and see your online conversation come alive as a comic strip unfolds delivering animation at it's best. Or choose text mode when you want to chat with lots of people and keep the pace of the conversation moving.
Microsoft Chat converts your keywords into visible character actions. Type in hello and your character waves. Type in the acronym LOL (short for laughing out loud) and he laughs. Type in the emoticon :-) and elicit a smile from your character. You can even send a sound file.
ICQ does the searching for you, alerting you in real time when friends & colleagues sign on. You can chat, send messages and files, play games or use it as the perfect business tool to find and contact associates in realtime through the internet.
For language learning there is a listing of chat sites at On-Line Chat Information and Chat Sites
A word of caution... as in any free enterprise, there is a good deal of abuse of the resources of the IRC. There is indeed a great deal of sextalk, sleaze and garbage on the IRC, and one should exercise caution in allowing children to access the IRC without supervision. But, as an adult, you are free to visit only the channels you choose, and there is also a great deal of positive communication going on. Internet Relay Chat is a great way to talk to people from all over the world about anything at all. There are many help related and tech support channels where you can get immediate assistance with perplexing questions computer related or otherwise on the spot and in easy to read typewritten form! You'll be amazed at how willing many people are to share information and tips about the Internet.
It is also worth noting that, chatting can be addictive. A recent survey did reveal some alarming findings, where people turned into Internet addicts. Many people were drawn into visiting particular chat rooms spending so much time and concentration. On-line habits can be disruptive where normal life may come to a standstill if one is not careful. Do visit the web page below "Top 10 signs you may be addicted to IRC" to check yourself from becoming addicted. http://www.rotfl.com/irc-addict/