In children’s chat, as in any other chat, certain rules apply. Basically, you should always and everywhere treat your fellow human beings with respect. Of course, this also applies to the Internet. Therefore, please refrain from using manners that you would not use with your friends in the “real” world.

How To Behave Correctly

If you take the following tips into account, you’ll be doing it right. So try to stick to them as much as possible.

• Always be polite when interacting with other chatters. Treat them as you would like to be treated.
• As a newcomer to a chat room, you should keep a low profile at first. Observe what people are there. First check if you like the people in the room and leave if you don’t like the atmosphere.
• Newcomers should always be met with a friendly tone. If someone doesn’t know their way around yet, maybe you can help them out. Who knows, maybe the newcomer will become a good friend for you.
• You want to talk to someone in particular? Then speak to him directly. Call him by his nickname. So you show who you mean. Otherwise either nobody or everybody feels addressed. That can become quite confusing.
• Bad moods are okay and are part of life. Just like in normal everyday life, you should take it out on other chatters. They are here for fun and therefore don’t want to be snapped at by you. Always remember that when you’re irritated.
• Flirting is commonplace when chatting. Aside from the fact that it’s dangerous to get involved with people on the Internet, here’s what you should keep in mind: Accept it when someone reacts dismissively to flirting attempts. You don’t want to be constantly harassed, do you?
• On the Internet, some things have a different effect than if you were to say them to your counterpart in “real life”. After all, you can’t see what facial expression the person is putting on. And you can’t use the tone of voice of the person you’re talking to as a guide to find out their mood. Therefore, be aware that not everything comes across the way you mean it.
• Not everyone agrees with you! Do not react indignantly if someone does not find something funny that makes you laugh. In the chat the most different people meet each other. Each of them has a different life story, a different kind of humor and therefore reacts differently to certain things.
• In chat, swear words are taboo. This is not only a kind of house rule, but has legal reasons. After all, bullying others is not allowed on the Internet either. Furthermore, racist remarks are strictly forbidden!
• Have you already read our texts about safety on the Internet? If so, you probably know that you should never give out your phone number or address online. Therefore, please refrain from harassing others in this regard. Don’t ask for private phone numbers or addresses. If you get along well with someone, you can exchange e-mail addresses for the time being.
• The readability of chat is only as good as its users allow it to be. Capital letters, smileys and colored fonts can quickly make the chat confusing. Therefore, please use them sparingly. Also special commands like /me are only meant for emphasis and should not be used all the time.
• Nicknames cannot be chosen arbitrarily. They must also comply with the rules of the respective chat. Basically it is not allowed to choose names that offend other chatters. In any case, your nick should not refer to your real name, gender, age or place of residence.
• Do not try to make yourself important if someone does not behave according to the rules. There is no point in getting involved in discussions. Most unfriendly chatters are only there because they would be bored otherwise. They will disappear faster if you simply ignore them. This makes the chat uninteresting for them. In any case, you can contact the operator of the chat or a moderator if the unwanted user disturbs the others or insults them.
• No chat is an anonymous space. The users do not know your name. However, you can still be traced via the so-called IP address. Thus, the chat operator can very well find out who you are and where you live if you break the law with your statements in the chat. A chat is therefore not an anonymous place where you can do whatever you want without being punished.

Worksheet For The Text

Answer the following questions:

1) Write down three rules of chatiquette here that you remembered!

2) Are you anonymous in a chat? Are you allowed to write what you want? Give reasons for your answer!

3) Research assignment: Go on the Internet and search for a children’s chat. Try to find the chatiquette of this chat. Read it carefully and mark the most important parts with a highlighter.

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