14 June
2006 Articleworld.net
If you're like
most people, when you think of chat rooms, you probably think about a bunch
of people who get together and talk about dating, relationships, etc.
Well, you'd be
only half right, because chat rooms are so much more! In fact, let me give
you the true definition of a chat room, and you'll understand what I'm
talking about.
A chat room or
forum (There is no difference. They're one-in-the-same) is a web site,
part of a web site, or part of an online service, that provides a venue
for communities of users with a common interest to communicate in real
time.
Now the 2 key
words in the above definition are "common interest". It doesn't have to
be a dating chat room. There are a thousand different type of chat rooms
out there. You can chat with other people who like the same things you
like, whether it's Internet marketing, automobiles, babies, bowling or
pets. Whatever the topic, there's probably a chat room for it somewhere.
Here's how chat
rooms work: Chat rooms allow users to communicate with each other in real
time (or live), as opposed to the delayed time you get with e-mail. A user
enters a chat room, types a message into the computer, and sends it. The
message is instantly displayed on the computer screens of the other users
in the chat room.
Sometimes these
venues are moderated either by limiting who is allowed to speak (not very
common) or by having moderation volunteers patrolling the venue watching
for disruptive or otherwise undesirable behavior.
So how can you
profit from chat rooms? First of all, go online and find a chat room of
interest to you, that ties in perfectly with your website. For instance,
if you go on Google and type in the words "business chat rooms", Google
will present you with 90,4000,000 pages. Typing in the words "automobile
chat rooms" will bring up 2,390.000 pages. And typing in the words "pet
chat rooms" will bring up 10,900,000 pages. As you can see, the possibilties
are virtually endless!
Once you find
a chat room you like, start participating in the discussions. Develop a
friendly relationship with other users. Eventually, the other users will
get around to asking you what you do. Now this where you have to tread
softly. Go ahead and tell people what you do, but use the "softsell approach".
Why? Because people in general don't like being "sold", especially from
someone online they've never met. That's why it so important to give people
a chance to see you in chat rooms, and get to know you, check out your
website and view your posts on a bulletin board. You have to build a reputation
with them first."
It's important
to appear in the chat room at the same time every day or at least several
days per week. Let visitors know what your chat room schedule is. If you
play your cards right, you can become the "resident expert" visitors and
regulars turn to for advice. And that's very good for business!
By Carmella Giovanni.
Carmella Giovanni
is a free-lance writer, mother and housewife
currently living
in San Francisco, California. Carmella may be reached
at carmgiovanni
@ yahoo.com (remove spaces to email).
External Links:
Article
World. ArticleWorld.net is a free directory of quality articles from
expert authors on a wide range of topics.
