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Chat Help

Step 1 -- Get Started

Step 2 -- Start Chatting

Step 3 -- Take a Tour of the Chat Window


Step 1--Get Started

You must first download the ichat plug-in, if you don't already have it installed on your computer. If you already have it skip down to Step #2 -- Start Chatting.

  1. Before you can begin chatting you will need to extend your web browser's capabilities to allow real-time chatting with other Match.Com members. This entails downloading the ichat software to your computer. If you are not familiar with downloading files, this is just a process of copying files from the Internet to your hard drive. You will not have to download the software every time you visit Match.Chat; once you install it you can go directly to Match.Chat and start chatting. Match.Com invites users to download ichat free of charge. Ichat is easy to set up on your computer, and simple to use. Just follow the steps below. Before you begin, we recommend you print this page as a reference.

  2. Please look through the table below to find your computer/browser combination.
    For plugin option, click on the software that matches your computer/browser combination:
    (this is not necessary for Java or HTML options)
    We recommend the ichat plug-in for most computer configurations; it is listed first in most cases.

    See our special instructions for AOL users.

    Netscape 2.0+ Netscape 3.0+ Internet Explorer 3.0+
    Windows 95 or NT Netscape Plugin
    Java
    Netscape Plugin
    Java
    Explorer Plugin
    Java (MS Internet Explorer 3.02)
    Windows 3.1 Netscape Plugin
    HTML
    Netscape Plugin
    HTML
    HTML
    Mac Power PC Netscape Plugin
    HTML
    Netscape Plugin N/A
    Mac 68000
    Not PowerPC
    Netscape Plug-in
    HTML
    Netscape Plug-in N/A


  3. If you successfully downloaded and installed the ichat plug-in, you're ready to move on to Step 2 -- Start Chatting

  4. If you are having problems please read through the Common Problems listed below.
    • If you enter the chat room and see a gray empty frame at the bottom, this means that the plug-in was not installed properly. Before re-installing, make sure that your browser and computer support the ichat plug-in.
    • Netscape users often install the ichat plug-in in the wrong folder. Please be sure to install it into the Netscape plug-in folder of the version of Netscape you are using.
    • If you are running Netscape 3.0 and have Global Chat installed, you will need to open Netscape, select General Preferences from the Options menu, select the Helpers tab, scroll down to the application/x-chat entry, and click the edit button. Then click the plug-in radio button and select ichat from the pop up menu.
    • For Windows, unpacking errors also occur because you do not have the temporary directory defined by Windows. You must go to the MS-DOS Prompt and type "echo %temp%", without the quotes. If that directory does not exist, then create it and everything will work properly. In all other cases where the unpacker is complaining, please download the plug-in again.


    Step 2 --Start Chatting

      Chat Basics

    1. Enter into Match.Chat by clicking on the Chat icon on the top of any Match.Com pages, then select "Been here before?" and click the "Enter Match.Chat" button.
    2. Once you enter, you'll find yourself in the main lobby, possibly in the middle of an ongoing conversation. When you first enter chat you will see a room name, and then a list of who's in the room with you. Dialogue will begin to scroll for the bottom to the top as users talk to one another.
    3. While you're here in Match.Chat you can do several fun and interesting things:

      You Can....

      • Observe an ongoing conversation, or just check out chatting techniques from the regulars. Don't be afraid to ask other members questions.
      • Jump in there. If they are chatting publicly they want you to participate.
      • Browse through all the chat rooms just to check out who's there and what the conversations are about.
      • Chat with everyone in the room -- this is a great way to meet friends.
      • Have a private conversation with another "anon."
      • Invite another "anon" to a virtual date in one of the chat rooms.
      • Lead or follow other users around the chat rooms.
      • Create a private room for those more intimate conversations.
      • View other members descriptions while you talk to them live.
      • Attend moderated chat events with experts (we will have these in the near future).
      • Write private messages to intriguing people you want to know more about.
      • Send a virtual emotion to someone special.

      This is your chance to interact with other chatters -- what do you have to lose?

    4. To chat publicly, type your text in the field at the bottom of the screen labled "chat." Hit the enter key when you are finished to send the text to the screen. If you want to chat privately with one person, you can do this by typing "" and what you'd like to say. Your text will appear in the general chat screen, but only you and the person receiving the message can see it. For example: "?"

    5. These are common abbreviations you'll see chatters using.
      • LOL - Laugh out loud
      • BRB - Be Right Back
      • :) - Virtual Smile
      • AFK - Away From Keyboard
      • PM - Personal Message
      • <g> - Giggle or Grin

    6. These are messaging techniques you can use to express feeling and emotion. But, don't over do it, sometimes less says more....
      • <b> then type text - makes your text bold
      • <i> then type text - makes your text italic
      • <u> then type text - makes your text underlined
      • : then type text - makes your text pink (use this for emotions)

    7. Important Commands To Know
      • How to Ignore People: Use "/ignore add" (without the quotation marks) followed by the user's name to add someone to your list of people to ignore. To remove someone from this list do so by typing "/ignore remove" followed by the user name. To view who is on your ignore list type, "/ignore list" to see the list.

      • How to Follow People or Stop Them from Following You: To begin following another user, type "/follow," (without the quotation marks) then the name of the user you wish to follow. To disallow another user from following you type, "/disallow" and the user's name. The "/stopfollow" command can be used to stop another user from following you or can be used to stop following a user. Use autofollow to allow or not to allow users to follow you. You have 3 choices: "/autofollow ask," the default setting will notify you when another user attempts to follow you. You can chose to set the autofollow as "/autofollow yes" or "/autofollow no." If you chose to automatically let people follow you, choose "/autofollow yes." If you chose "/autofollow no" it automatically disallows all user requests to follow you. You will not be notified of any attempts to follow you if you select the 'yes' or 'no' autofollow command.

      • To Send a Private Message:To talk to just one person, type "/tell," the handle of the person you want to send the message to, and what you'd like to say, then hit enter. Example: "/tell sunshine Hi!" "you tell sunshine Hi!" You can also send a private message to a member by double clicking 'Send a Private Message' icon on the menu bar. A new dialogue box will appear. Enter the members handle in the left-hand box and type your message in the text box to the right.

      • Creating Your Own Room: You can create a private room by selecting the Create a Private Room option from the menu bar (#1 on the diagram below). When you select this option, a frame will appear in which you specify a description of the room. To invite people to your room, you will need to send them a private message telling them to type "/goto " (without the quotation marks). For example, if your handle is LadyDi and you want to invite Musicman to your room, you create the room and then type: /tell musicman hey musicman, come to room by typing /goto LadyDi. When the last person in the room leaves, the room disappears.

      • How to Show Emotion: Simply chose a word from the emotions list. To express an emotion that is not on the list, use the "/emote" command. Type "/emote" (without the quotation marks). Example: if a user named Jack entered "/emote loves Jill" -- the chat window would display "Jack loves Jill." You can also show emotion by using the Emotions List in the chat window. Simply highlight the handle of the person to whom you want to send the emotion, then double click on the emotion on the list you'd like to show. If the emotion you're looking for is not on the list, it's simple to add. Select 'Add New Emotion' from the emotions menu in the main pull down menu.

    8. Identity
      • Chat User Name/Description: Your chat user name is the same as your anonymous handle. If your anonymous handle has an underscore ('_'), it will be replaced with an "x" in the chat room. For example, if your anonymous handle is 'music_man', it will appear as 'musicxman.'

        If your profile is displayed, your description in the ´Who Is´ box will contain your anonymous handle, and profile summary sentence. If your profile is hidden, your description will only contain your anonymous handle.

      • Changing your User Name/Description
        To change your user name, you must update your anonymous handle by updating your registration form in the Office area of Match.Com. To change your profile summary sentence, you must update your profile form.

      • Viewing other Members' Descriptions
        You can find other chat member's identity by highlighting their name from the anon.member list and selecting "who is" in the chat menu bar. Or if you are on a PC, you can select the member's name and use the right mouse button. For Mac users, you can get a names list pop up menu by selecting option and clicking your mouse.


    Step 3 -- Take a Tour of the Chat Window

    Menu Options

    Options Image

    1. Menu Bar Menu Bar Image

    2. Different Chat Rooms

    3. Number of Members in a Room

    4. Anon.Member List

    5. Emotions List

    6. Chat Text Window

    7. Chat Window

    You can also scroll up and down the chat window to read previously displayed messages.

    8. Send a Private Message priv_message.gif

    9. Go To URL Command open_url.gif

    10. Match Chat Site Map site_map.gif

    11. Match.Com Main Menu

    12. Match.Com Feedback

    13. ichat Help Guide question.gif

    14. Match.Com Help


    Need More Help?

    Our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) are available for your reference.

    For human help, send us feedback via the Web or send an email message to feedback@match.com.

    Or go back to the Help Index.


    Attention those with non-Netscape browsers:

    Some browsers often "cache" or save pages. So your browser may redisplay an old version of a Match.Com page even after you have made changes. Don't worry, your inputs have been recorded. To see the updated page, select the "reload page" (or equivalent) option in your Web browser.


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