A chat room is represented by a window with a large area in the middle for viewing the conversation taking place.

When you first arrive, you'll see an announcement telling you where you are. A moment later, you'll see the conversation start scrolling by. To contribute a comment, simply type what you want to say in the small box at the bottom of the window and click Send.

As soon as you send your text, it will appear in the conversation box, with your screen name in front of it. Everyone present in your room will be able to see what you've typed.

The screen names of all the other people in the chat room are listed to the right of the main box, or the left on older versions of the software. If you right-click on any of these names with your mouse you will be given a choice of options.

The first is to view the member profile of the person you selected. Anyone can set up a profile that tells other members about themselves. Learn more about profiles at Profile Help.

The second option allows you to ignore any chat from this member. If you choose this option, anything that person types will no longer be displayed on your screen, although everyone else in the room will be able to see what they type unless they also ignore that person.

The third option allows you to send an Instant Message to that person without the others in the room seeing what you type. If you would like to know more about using the Instant Message feature, go to IM Help.