Would you like to converse with other people from the comfort of your desktop? With online chat you can communicate in real time with people all around the world. In most cases, you don't need any special software, just your web browser. (For the best results, however, we recommend that you use at least version 4.0 or later releases of Netscape Navigator. Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox 1.0 or 2.0.)

For many years, subscribers to America Online and other commercial online services were able to participate in chat sessions. Now it's possible to join chats offered by hundreds of websites as well. Actually, the word "chat" may be somewhat misleading, because you are not really talking to anyone, just typing and reading text messages that participants write. Once you enter a chat room, which is really just a web page that runs special software, you can choose to just read the exchanges, known as lurking, or you can join in by posting your own messages.

Many chat rooms focus the conversation on specific topics, such as health, politics, football and so on. That way people with similar interests can find one another. Sometimes chat sessions lead to truly stimulating exchanges, but they are just as likely to be a waste of time. You should also be aware that some chat rooms are adult in nature. Exchanges can be sexually oriented, so parents take note. None of this should stop you from trying this electronic interaction. It can be a lot of fun and the price is certainly right--generally it's free--so there's little to lose.