Online Chat Rooms

From dating

Using online chat rooms to meet someone is something you should consider adding to your online dating strategy. Unlike singles chat rooms, an online chat room will legitimately have all kinds of people in it. Some of them may be married or not looking for a date—so keep this in mind when talking to a new person. Above all, just have fun chatting with strangers. Don't pressure yourself to find a date. Enjoy being exposed to people from all walks of life, learning what makes them tick and appreciating your differences. With online chat rooms—it's all about the journey rather than the destination.

LoveToKnow Dating Tips
Remember to Unplug Sometimes
Once you get going with online chat rooms, it can be difficult to stop using them. Don’t neglect your friends and family no matter how much fun you are having. Flesh and blood people are the most important people in your life. Maintain your relationships with them and chat with your online friends when you have time.

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How Chat Fits into a Dating Strategy

Ironically, the best way to use online chat rooms to find a date is by not looking for a date. That's right—don't look. Instead, treat it as the online equivalent of going to where good people are. You go to church, the grocery store or the gym for reasons other than dating. Yet when you are there, you certainly keep open the possibility of meeting someone. This is how a chat room works as well. Start chatting to have fun and make friends. If you happen to find love…that's great! But don't worry if it doesn't happen immediately—or ever.

This strategy is particularly good if you are frustrated with the traditional online dating scene. It will give you a break but still keep you in the marketplace, so to speak.

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Locate an Online Chat Room

Rather than doing a Google search for online chat rooms, look up something that interests you. Some examples are:

TV shows
Sports
Movies
Hobbies
Celebrities
Books/Authors

What you are looking for is a community of people who share one of your interests; places where you will enjoy the subject matter and have something to add to the discussion. In particular, look for a place where both men and women hang out. If you start chatting at a scrapbooking or pro wrestling place…you'll make some friends but probably never meet someone of the opposite sex.

When doing a search, look for these kinds of websites, as they are more likely to also have a chat room:

Fan websites
Message boards
Official websites

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How to Get Started

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Observe for a little while. You may have just entered in the middle of a conversation. Figure out what the topic is before you start typing.
Introduce yourself—or respond if someone welcomes you to the chat room.
Type quickly, but don't totally forget about grammar. You want to appear intelligent.
Use emoticons to avoid confusion, such as when you are being playfully sarcastic.

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How Chat Becomes Dating

Let's say you have joined a chat room about your favorite TV show. Every week there will be discussions about the previous show and the one upcoming. People will talk about the theories they have and which part of the love triangle they are rooting for. Take part in these discussions and have fun.

Eventually, chat will turn from the TV show to other things in life. And when it does—now you are part of the community. And this community may include someone whose writing you really enjoyed. Let's hope he or she is single!

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Communicating Beyond the Chat Room

Once you have been involved in the chat room long enough, asking for someone's e-mail address or instant message ID will not be intrusive to them. You're all friends now, and friends share this kind of information. However, don't ask for a phone number or address. If he or she is interested, wait for them to offer this type of personal, offline information.

Start communicating outside of the chat room, so the two of you can share more personal information. Talk about life, your job, or whatever else you want. If feelings develop, then eventually let the other person know how feel and take it from there.

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Conclusion

Using online chat rooms may take longer to find someone and require more work, but you may find a quality person who you never would've met on a dating website.

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