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What is ChatterBee's Chat?
ChatterBee's Chat is the place on Chatterbees.com where anyone over 13 years of age can chat about almost any subject. Persons under 13 can also chat in ChatterBee's so long as they have approval by their parents or guardians.
Is ChatterBee's Chat always "on"?
Yes. Currently, ChatterBee's Chat is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When are the best times to chat?
The chat room is slow during the mornings. The chat room also slows down considerably after midnight, Eastern Time (ET). So, the best time to chat is during the evening (7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET) as ChatterBee's Chat usually has a lot of people in the chat room during that time.
Note that, on holidays, the chat room is also slow as people are often with their families or friends celebrating the holiday rather than being on-line. Oh, the chat room is also slow on the weekends, especially during Saturday and Sunday mornings.
I'm new to ChatterBee's Chat and no one will chat with me. What should I do?
Well, dont give up! Being a "newbie" can be tough as many participating chatters already know each other. So, to get them to chat with you, you need to "break the ice" in some way. Here are some suggestions that will help to get you into the flow of chatting with other chatters:
- Tell the other chatters your A/S/L (Age/Sex/Location). For example, if you're a 16 year
old girl in Denver, you would say "16/F/Denver". That information will often get the
attention of other chatters.
- Let everyone know that you are new and ask THEM for their ASL information.
- Even if you don't know a chatter, ask one of them a specific question about whether
they like a certain movie, type of music, or the like. That can kick off some chat
for you.
- Say something interesting about yourself that you know will make the other chatters
notice you. For example, if you're in a band or if you like scary movies, let everyone
know it. They'll probably start chatting with you in order to discuss your likes
and dislikes.
Is ChatterBee's Chat monitored by administrators?
Yes. ChatterBee's Chat is randomly administered. That means that administatrators ("admins") monitor the chat room at random times throughout the day and night. Thus, occassionally, the room is not administered. However, as an admin could log on invisibly at any time, it's best that you always be on your best behavior. Note that all admins are "over 18" years of age.
Also realize that parents and legal guardians may also monitoring this chat room from their home computers if those computers are equipped with content monitoring software (such as CyberSitter). If your parents find that you are using inappropriate language or are engaging in questionable topics of discussion they can, of course, remove or limit your Interent privileges. Of course, you may not like that; However, we call it "good parenting."
Can I talk to an administrator?
That depends. You should page (ask to speak with) an administrator ONLY if you have a serious problem with ChatterBee's Chat or with a chatter. Realize that an administrator may not be available at all times. If you have a problem that needs to be addressed and an administrator is not available, you should send an e-mail message to ChatterBees by way of the "Contact Us" link on the Chatterbees.com home page.
Note that you should NEVER page an administrator if you are bored and feel that you just need someone to talk to. If you find yourself in such a situation, you probably should try to start a private chat with a chatter or get a chatters' attention by sending a sound to them by using the sound button on the chat room's toolbar.
How do I know if I'm talking to a real administrator?
Our administrators use only two chat usernames: "Senior-Admin" and "Junior-Admin" (no quotation marks in either one). If you are chatting with either "Senior-Admin" or "Junior-Admin", then you're chatting with a real administrator. Note that neither of those chat names is preceded nor followed by any other letters, numerals or characters. ChatterBee's Chat administrators do not use any numerals, letters or characters in their "admin" username.
Do admins ever log in to ChatterBee's Chat as "regular" chatters?
Yes. The junior admins can log as their "real" selves. However, the Senior-Admin can log in to the chat room only as "Senior-Admin."
If a chatter is disruptive and an administrator isn't available, what can I do?
You an use the "Ignore" button. That will prevent the chatters comments from appearing on your computer screen. Likewise, if the chatter is being extremely disruptive, jot down the chatter's username and send it to us in an e-mail to Chatterbees.com. In your message also explain the incident so that we can grasp the nature of the disruption. We will then keep an eye open for that user and/or take whatever action is necessary.
Can I cuss on ChatterBee's Chat?
No. ChatterBee's Chat is designed to allow middle school and higher level students (and even parents!) to chat in a profanity-free environment. If you use any "X-rated" words in ChatterBee's Chat, you could be permanently banned from the chat room. Any word that you use that is identified by our profanity filter (the program that hides offensive words by using %%%% symbols) as being a cuss word could get you kicked out or banned.
If I break a ChatterBee's Chat rule, what could happen to me?
You could be either kicked off or banned.
What's the difference between being kicked off and being banned?
If you are kicked off, you are simply "kicked" out of the chat room for a moment. You can log back on immediately. Being kicked off is actually a warning to you that you are close to being banned. So, if you are kicked off, understand that you engaged in a behavior that, if repeated, could get you permanently banned from the chat room. Being kicked off should not be taken lightly.
Being banned is much more serious that being kicked off. When you are banned, you are permanently removed from the chat room. Bans remain permanent unless you request that the ban be removed. To learn more about how to remove a ban, read "What can I do if I'm banned from ChatterBee's Chat?" located below.
What behaviors could get me banned quickly from ChatterBee's Chat?
Violating any of ChatterBee's Chat's rules could get you banned. However, some violations are more serious than others. The three behaviors that may be considered the most serious are:
-- Cussing --
If an admin catches you using cuss words (offensive language) you could be banned instantly. Note that NO warning may be issued to you by the admins prior to your being banned for cussing.
-- Impersonating a fellow chatter --
Pretending to be an other ChatterBee's Chat chatter qualifies as "identity theft." This is a VERY serious violation and, if the impersonated person is harmed by your actions, you not only could be banned from ChatterBee's Chat, you could be subject to legal prosecution as well.
-- Highly disruptive behaviors --
This consists of making threats, spamming, repeated flooding, engaging in vicious insults, and other such related behaviors. Chatters who are banned due to highly disruptive behavior rarely have their bans reversed.
If I cussed because another chatter made me angry or called me a name first, could I still be banned?
Yes. If you respond to an insult with cuss words or with extremely disruptive behavior (as in making a serious threat), you can be banned. Remember, you must control your responses and keep a level head. If someone calls you a name or uses offensive language when referring to you, you should report the incident to chatterbees@usa.com. Be sure to provide the wording that was used and the username or identity of the person who used that language. We will then investigate the situation.
However, remember, you must NEVER respond to insults or cuss words with more insults and cuss words. You will only get yourself in trouble here by doing so. Realize too that the person who made you angry or who called you a name will, eventually, make the same mistake again later and he/she will get caught by the administrators and be banned.
Are private chats monitored by admins?
No. Your private chats are truly and completely private. However, if you were private chatting with someone and they then later complained to ChatterBee's about something you said in private chat, ChatterBee's will investigate the matter and take whatever action it deems appropriate.
Can we cuss in private chat?
Sort of. As admins cannnot monitor or view private chat, you can pretty much say whatever you want to say in private chat. However, realize that if you offend someone in private chat (such as using a racial slur against them), the person who was offended can contact us at chatterbees@usa.com and file a complaint against you. If the complaint is found to be valid, you could be summarilly banned.
Also realize that, unlike ChatterBee's, parents and legal guardians CAN monitor your private chats on their home computers if those computers are equipped with content monitoring software (such as CyberSitter). If your parents find that you are using inappropriate language or are engaging in questionable topics of discussion they can, of course, remove or limit your Interent privileges. You may not like that; However, we call it "good parenting."
So, try to be careful with the language that you use even in private chat.
What can I do if I'm BANNED from ChatterBee's Chat?
Well, you can always join another chat room, one that's less cool than ChatterBee's Chat. We're sure they'll be happy to have you.
Can administrators chat with chat room participants?
Yes. However, such chats are rare. Admins can usually chat if (a) the number of chatters is small or (b) someone in the chat room has requested help regarding a serious matter. Admins prefer to private message a chatter when it comes to resolving chat room-related issues.
