Mary Beth Voelker is a home-schooling mother of three who uses her odd moments to plot her stories in bits and pieces.

The new chatroom software has been very frustrating for some people. The array of options and features is intimidating. Matching up your type of internet connection, the capabilities of your computer, and your preferred internet browser with the correct choice of version for your needs takes some thought and experimentation for us techie-geeky sorts and can be quite bewildering for those who aren't techies.

First, you must set up your account. Go to this page:
http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com:4080/chat/data/html/user/addnewuser.shtml and click on "Create a new user" to bring up the form.

You will need to chose a screenname so here are some points to consider. Some people are comfortable using their names. Others prefer aliases, either because they are leery of using their real names on-line or because they like the idea of a playful chat name. Either works, just keep these points in mind:

• Your name will show up without capitals. This is annoying, but unavoidable. Choose a name that looks good and is easy to read without capitals. Things like "trytryagain" or "iwillwrite" with their array of differently shaped letters are more readable than "coocoo" or "quyggygyrly".
• Choose something that is easy to type and shortens or abbreviates nicely when people want to talk to you directly. If you choose "neversaynever" or "pigcollector" people WILL call you "never" or "pig" even if you don't like it.
• You can't have less than 3 letters. As for passwords, remember the usual rules about not using anything too obvious.

You can choose to fill out the rest of the form or not, its a matter of your own personal comfort.

Tech Note for those who cannot log on at all: You probably have a "cookie" problem (no, not crumbs in your keyboard. LOL). Your cookies are either not enabled in your browser or enabled at a very high privacy level. You need to have cookies enabled to keep track of user names and passwords.

Then you have to choose your version. Each version has its good and bad points. Some people could use any version, others are constrained by their systems and/or internet connections and thus cannot.

If you use AOL and use the AOL internet browser or you have a Mac computer rather than an IBM compatible you cannot use the iChat version.

Here's an overview of each version:

The most versatile and full-featured. It is especially desirable to use iChat when attending Open Forums or Thursday evening Interviews because the ask window accepts long questions. It has the most emotions and the nicest private messaging. Private messages appear in their own window which is fully independent. This is the only version where new posts and new people arriving are announced with a chime so that you can web surf in another window while the room is empty and be alerted when someone joins you. However, the various buttons are labeled with cryptic icons instead of clear, text labels. You have to memorize what means what. AOL and Mac users cannot use iChat.

Java

Nearly as versatile as iChat and nearly as full-featured. All of the buttons are clearly labeled with text. This is the only other version that has sounds. It also permits you to set your own default version. But the ask window is awkward because it limits you to a single, short line so if you have a more complex question for the moderator or the guest speaker you have to ask it in pieces then the moderator has to paste it back together. Also, the Private Message feature is unreliable. The PM window vanishes once you have clicked on any other window and cannot be retrieved.

JAVA Lite

For those who can't use iChat I recommend the JAVA Lite over the JAVA version. It shares the good feature of clearly labeled buttons and the bad features of short-line ask windows. But the Private Messages work better. They appear in the text box in a different color -- a feature familiar to long-time chatters from the old software.

HTML

This version is for people with older computers who cannot even run JAVA Lite. It has no distinguishing positive features except that it runs on systems no other version can run on. The private messages show in the text as with JAVA Lite. Otherwise, it runs slowly, limits questions to short lines, and is generally less useful.

The first and most noticeable feature of iChat are the rows of cryptic buttons. The most important buttons are on the left side of the bar across the middle of the

screen. Left to right they are:

The black, down-pointing triangle. This activates a drop-down menu of commands.

The globe. This allows you to enter a web URL so that you can open a site in the top half of the chat window. BEWARE -- if you click a link on the page you opened you will be taken clear out of the chat. You MUST use this button to enter the URL for every site you want to visit.

The little map. Displays the various rooms available, and how many people are in each, in the top half of the screen. You access the other rooms by clicking the link.

The speech balloon. The most important button in the auditorium (inactive in room 1). This is the ask button. Click it for a pop-up window that lets you ask a question of the moderator. You cannot ask questions during forums by typing them into the regular message line. You MUST use the ask button. You may also, if you prefer, use the command "/ask" typed into the message window along with your question.

The red question mark. This brings up a separate window with the help files.

And at the bottom of the screen you find:

The message window. The place you type text for ordinary chat. If you are typing and nothing is happening click inside this window and retype.

The send button. Click this to send the message you typed into the message window. Or just hit enter/return.

The exclamation point. This is the emote button. It changes the color of the text to indicate that you feel strongly about what you are saying.

The thought balloon. This is not the ask button. That's the other speech balloon. This both changes the color of your text and encloses it in a thought balloon. Use this when you need to think about what you are saying to let the person you're conversing with know that you haven't forgotten them, left your keyboard, or fallen prey to the chat gremlins.

To the right of the text window is a list of what they call emotions. You can double-click on these to insert some kind of action or feeling. You can do anything from agree to wink. The default is a relatively short list. By clicking on "emotions" from the drop down menu under the black triangle you can customize your emotion list by adding and removing from a much larger selection. I strongly recommend playing with this at a time when you are alone in the room. Some of the emotions are NOT what you would expect. For example "grin" is an evil grin. You want "misgrin" if you are not intending to be evil. Some of the available emotions can be downright offensive and the full list is long and cumbersome to use. Editing for a custom list is probably a good idea for most users.

Finally, at the right side of the screen is a list of users currently in the room.

iChat doesn't allow you to send sounds, but under options in the drop down menu under the black triangle you can opt to receive or not receive sounds from other users.

iChat has the best private messaging feature. Using the private message button (the envelope), or simply double-clicking a person's name brings up an independent window where you can chat with one other person. The text window, emote, and thought buttons work the same here as in the main iChat window.

There is no exit button in this version but there are 3 ways to leave the room when you are done. First, you can close the window in the usual way. Second, you can open your favorites/ bookmark file and click into a different website.. Third, you can type in the code "/exit".

Tech stuff:

• iChat should be the most versatile version and usable by the widest range of systems.
• AOL and Mac users cannot use iChat.
• You need Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0 on Windows 95, 98, NT, or 3.11
• You MUST have Active X enabled in your browser. Note -- If you have access to a techie, get him/her to check this. Active X is required for many computer games and your resident techie gamer will be upset if you download an older version of Active X and overwrite the one he/she needs to play the games.

The first thing you will notice here is the row of clearly labeled buttons at the top of the text window. Most are fairly straightforward but there are a couple things to know about. Note -- the JAVA version doesn't have pop-up windows. If you resize your text window and pull it way up to the top of the screen you will cover up info you need. You can only pull it up to about the middle of the screen without interfering with other features.

Rooms List. Equivalent to iChat's little map. Displays a list of rooms and the number of users in each above the text window. Use this to access the other rooms.

Who's On-line? Displays a handy list of people on-line in the various rooms and offers you a "goto" button so that you can join a friend in the room he or she is in.

Private Room. This button allows you to create a private room where you and several friends could chat away from the main conversation in room 1. You might want to have a private gab session with several people or do a critique session that would interfere with the general conversation and thus you would want a private room.

Load a site. This allows you to type in an URL so that you can view a web site in the upper half of the chat window.

Insert Sound. This feature is only available in JAVA. You can insert sounds from a short menu. Not everyone will be able to hear them, but it can be fun.

Ask? This is your ask button for the forums. Remember, its not a pop-up. You must keep the text window below the middle of your screen to see and use it. Unfortunately, you are limited to a single, short line per question. If you need to ask something longer remember to put an ellipsis (...), at the end of each line until you are done. That way the moderator will know to paste the whole question together again. You MUST use your ask button to send questions to the moderator during forums. Typing into the text window does not work. You may also, if you prefer, use the command "/ask" typed into the message window along with your question.

Modify Profile. This allows you to change the information you have on record and to set your default version.

Help. Opens an independent help window.

At the bottom of the screen you find:

The text window. Same as iChat.

Send. Same as iChat.

The exclamation point. Same as iChat.

The thought balloon. Same as iChat.

The triangle with a dot inside. This brings up a pop-up that allows you to enable or disable private messages and load the full range of emotions.

Exit. Takes you out of the chatroom when you are finished.

Below the scrolling room status line you will find 3 more buttons:

The People button brings up a list of the people who are in the room with you. It also allows access to the emotions list. For more info about choosing and using emotions see above in the iChat information.

The Places button brings up a list of rooms that you have access to. Double-clicking a room on this list takes you to that room. The Buddies button brings up your buddy list.

Techie Notes:

• Must have Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0.
• You must have JAVA enabled in your browser.
• This version may require more computer resources to run than the iChat version.
• Runs on the AOL browser.

JAVA Lite is very similar to JAVA. The buttons that are labeled the same work in the same way. JAVA Lite does not have the ability to insert sounds. Like JAVA there are no pop-ups and you must keep the text window low enough to be able to see and use the features that display in the top half of the screen. Also like JAVA the question window only accepts short lines. See the information about the Ask? button in the JAVA section for more details.

The JAVA Lite version has 2 cryptically 3/4 hidden buttons just above the text window. 

The long, white one with the splash of purple is the modify profile button. 

The small, black, upward-pointing triangle opens an independent help window. There is no exit button. See the information on exiting from the iChat version.

Techie Notes:

• Requires Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 3.0 OR any browser that supports Java applets.
• JAVA must be enabled in your browser.
• Runs on the AOL browser.

This version strongly resembles the JAVA Lite version except that all buttons are visible. Many of the buttons open separate windows but others open in the upper half of the screen.

The say/reload button sends your messages. For some computer/ browser combinations you will need to hit this button to see others' postings as well.

There is no exit button. See the information about exiting above under iChat.

Techie Notes:

• Use for older browsers -- below Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0
• Use for browsers without Java support.
• Can access ROOMS from behind a firewall.
• The browser must support frames.

Some browser-specific notes:

• If you can use Internet Explorer do so. It gives the best overall results with no drawbacks that I can identify.
• If you use AOL you can open a copy of Internet Explorer in a separate window while connected via AOL. Click the symbol that looks like an "e" with a swoosh around it to open Internet Explorer. You will find this at the bottom left of your screen near the Start button on your Win 95 and up computer.
• The AOL browser is not compatible with the iChat version. Period. Don't try.
• Netscape Navigator works with all versions, but you cannot resize your text window and may find it uncomfortably small.

This information should help you get started with the new chat software and enable you to get the most out of forums, interviews, and general chats. See you at the chat!