RootsChatterBox

RootsChatterBox is a Chat-Room where you can conduct a Roots-Chat instantly with a number of other people at the same time. It can be very useful if you've only got a quick easy to answer question, or perhaps if you just want to natter. It's sometimes difficult to work out what's going on in RootsChatterBox at first, and it can be confusing seeing others peoples messages on the screen - but after a while you will get the hang of it!

Note: To use the RootsChatterBox you must have JavaScript activated on your computer

To enter RootsChatterBox click on the "chat" button in the forum menu. Forum Navigations Buttons - Chatroom
You should now be in the RootsChatterBox !! Have fun !!

Very important: The Chatroom is part of the RootsChat Forum, and you are also expected to abide by the Terms of Use and the RootsChat Copyright Policy here.

In particular: "You agree, through your use of this RootsChat forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a living person's privacy, or otherwise contrary to law." From the Terms of Use

Anything that is not allowed on the forum boards
is also not allowed in the chatroom.

The Chatroom is open to all RootsChatters. Provided all chatters abide by the Terms of Use there are no 'rules' about the subject matter. Some members use the Chatroom for family history research, some members use it to "chat about this and that", most members use it for both purposes.

Please remember that the Terms of Use also limits advertising to one particular RootsChat board, the For Sale / Wanted / Events board. Do not use the chatroom to advertise websites.


We have often been asked if we can publish a set of rules in the Chatroom for the benefit of all users, especially newcomers.
The chatroom software is a proprietry "add-on": we cannot change it.
This means it is not possible to add a "Welcome" screen or a "Terms of Use" screen.

Nor is it possible to "sticky" anything in the Chatroom itself, so instead, we have gathered some of the results of the various discussions into the Help-Pages and the chatroom topic on the forum.

As some members rarely read these items, and only log-on to RootsChat in order to visit the Chatroom, we ask all regular Chatroom members to inform new users about the help available and to pass on these links:

Help Page:
http://www.rootschat.com/help/rootschatter.php
RootsChat Topic: Using the RootsChat Chatroom :
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,309726.0.html


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Some do's and don'ts for the Chatroom ...

Here are a few tips and guide-lines. As usual, in such cases, most of this is ...

[smiley] just normal politeness, good manners and common sense [smiley]

Every one is very friendly, so don't be put off if every one starts saying "Hello & where ya from " just take your time and type what you want when you are ready. We are pretty patient lot and we were all new once in there.

The chat room can seem fast when you are new, so take your time, and converse with one person only for a start, and then slowly begin to converse with a few.

Now and again you will meet someone whose questions may be a bit penetrating, but as in any other community, don't "give away" too much until you know the people a bit better.

Usually you can pick up the tone of a converstion fairly well, when you know the people involved but one problem about chat-rooms is that there is often no way to read the intonation of what a person is actually meaning to say. Some try to convey the intonation by using smileys or chatroom abbreviations, e.g. LOL or lol = "Lots Of Laughs".

[smiley] If in doubt, ask ! [smiley]


I think it can best be summed up:

[smiley] stay friendly, polite and helpful .... and tolerant of typos ! [smiley]

the rest is trimmings [grin]

Capitals
As in most internet chatrooms and forums, writing in capitals is considered to be shouting.
(see also: Topic: >>----- Guidelines for Postings / Netiquette -----<< ) You will be told soon enough, if you've accidently locked the shift key [smiley]

Colours
The standard background colour in the chatroom is blue.
You can choose which colour you want your text to appear in, but some of the colours clash with the blue background. (click on small panel between 'option' and 'save')

In particular, a red text on blue backround can "flicker" and give rise to headaches.
If you choose an "unfortunate" colour, the other userd will quickly tell you ...

But here's another tip:
I find it easiest to read with a black background. Here is one way of doing this:
- click options
- click on the drop-down menu on the left and select Indigo Metallic
- unselect "show background

There are probably other methods too, but play around with the options till you find the combination that suits you ...

- remember, this is your health we're talking about !!

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Some possible technical problems ...

"Macroed", "booted", The Revolving Door Syndrome
Please be aware, that you will sometimes be "thrown out" of the chatroom.
This is purely a technical problem.

If it's any consolation: this is not solely a RootsChat problem. It happens in other chat rooms as well. Chat rooms are happening in "real time" and are therefore very "resource hungry". If a reaction doesn't come within a certain time - anywhere along the (computer) chain - one of the computers involved might "say": I'm not getting a reaction - and will "timeout", thus cancelling the program.

  • It could be a bottleneck (high traffic load) at one of the many servers between your computer and the RootsChat computer,
  • it could be that your computer has a lot of other stuff running and can't always cope,
  • it could be that your computer is a bit older and simply can't react fast enough, thus causing a timeout.
  • it could be that the phone lines are being affected by weather conditions (don't laugh, I'm being serious. It does happen !)
  • it could be ..... well, we just don't know :(

This is often referred to in the chatroom as being "macroed" or being "booted" !

If it happens to you, just log back in again, and carry on [smiley]

Some days it can be particularly bad ... then it's called RDS - Revolving Door Syndrome [grin]

The Big BOOT
Once a day, usually in the early hours of the (U.K.) morning, everyone gets thrown out the chatroom. The regular users call this the "big BOOT".

This is probably caused by some some automated maintenance tasks that kick in around this time.

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Chatroom Moderation / Complaints from the Chatroom

We do not moderate the Chatroom on a daily basis, and there is no specific "Chatroom Moderator" but all moderators (with chatroom access) can be asked to help out. You can recognise moderators in the chatroom by the (M) in front of their names.

Nor are there any "Chatroom Bosses", neither officially appointed, nor self-appointed. So if any (non-moderator) says "I'm the boss here", ignore them [smiley]


The Chatroom messages are automatically logged. These logs can be read by the administrators and moderators of RootsChat.

Please be aware that these logs also include all
Private Messages from within the Chatroom.

Your decision to use the chatroom may be influenced by this fact. If this is a problem for you then you may decide not to use the chatroom, or, we recommend this advice, from a member:

"I don't post anything here, pm or otherwise,
that I wouldn't be comfortable with the mods reading!"

Normally nobody reads these logs, unless we receive complaints and need to act on them,
but, due to increasing complaints from users of the Chatroom about the standards of behaviour in the Chatroom, in particular

language, flaming, bullying and sexual harassment -

the moderators will be be reading the Chatroom logs more often (spot-checks).

Bullying (in schools at least) is defined as:
The repeated intimidation of others by the real or threatened infliction of [..] verbal, written, electronically transmitted, or emotional abuse
Flaming is defined as:
... a hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. (Wikipedia: Flaming )

If you feel you are being bullied or flamed please contact a moderator.

In the event that a complaint is made to the moderators, they will examine the chatroom logs to determine if the complaint is justified and to act upon same. This action may be a request to members to modify their behaviour, or it may be an immediate ban, either temporary or permanent, depending on circumstances.

After a temporary ban has expired, if a further situation arises where this member is the cause of complaints, then a second ban will be permanent.

Complaints probably apply only to a very small minority of
Chatroom users but we cannot tolerate that they spoil it for the rest of us.



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