Sending a Message

To send a message, type it into the message entry box at the bottom of the chat box. The message will be sent to the other people in the chat room when you press the return/enter key.

Visitor List

The Visitor list is a list of people that are currently chatting in the group. Each name has a pawn next to it, and the color indicates their status. The pawns are:

	Guest
	Member
	Moderator
	(Main) Owner
	Ignored
	Banned
	Available
	xat staff
	Celebrity
	Pink power
	Blueman power
	Purple power
	Gold power
	Ruby power
	Everypower

When you send a message, your pawn, in the visitor/friend list, will glow green to indicate you are talking. When others send messages, their pawns will glow as well.

When a user is available, it means that they might receive your message, but you might not receive a response.

Smilies

Smilies are emoticons that can be added to messages. You can add smilies by either clicking on one of the default smilies above the message entry box, or by directly typing the code for the smiley. For example, :-) is the code for the standard yellow smiley. There are lots of additional smilies that are not part of the standard set, which can be found on the free smilies page.

Anytime you are on a chat page, and you want to display the full list of smilies (besides the subscriber smilies), look to the left of the chat box, and above the red x is a tiny icon with four little smilies on it. Clicking that icon will bring up the smiley list. Simply click on a smiley and the code for that smiley will appear in your text box. If you want to see the code, so you can manually type it yourself, just hover over the smiley you want the code for.

There are also several shorthand smiley codes. Here is a list:

• :), :-) - (smile)
• :d - (biggrin)
• ;), ;-) - (wink)
• :o, :-o - (eek)
• :p - (tongue)
• 8-) - (cool)
• :@ - (mad)
• :s - (confused)
• :$ - (redface)
• :(, :-( - (frown)
• :'( - (crying)
• |-) - (sleepy)
• :|, :-| - (rolleyes)
• :-* - N/A
• :[, :-[ - (vampire)

If you have ideas for a new smiley, please make a suggestion on the forums.

Audies

Audies are sound effects that can be added to messages. An audie is sent by using # followed by the name of the sound, e.g. #raspberry, #giddy, #ohh. It will appear as a sound icon in the message and play when the message is displayed. It can be played again by clicking on it. You'll find hundreds more of them here. Note that users who have the chatbox sound muted, or have the Noaudies power, will not hear audies. Check Noaudies for more information.

Tabbed Groups

The owner of the chatbox you are on may have added a chat group to their chat box. This will appear as a second tab next to the main tab. A chat group is a shared chat room created for a specific purpose. This could be:

• To discuss a particular subject (e.g. music, anime, surfing, computer games)
• For a specific age group or type of person e.g. 20-something, students
• For a specific country or language

You can also access the chat groups directly by clicking on the green speech bubble on the bottom left of the chatbox. If you would like to find more chat groups, you can check out the Groups page.

Turn sound & radio on or off

You can turn chatbox sounds on and off by clicking on the speaker icon on the bottom right of the chatbox. A disabled sign will appear on it once clicked. To turn sounds back on, click again. If you want to turn the sound up or down, hover your cursor over the speaker, then move the arrow up and down to increase or decrease the volume. If you are a main owner of a chat group, you can set all default sounds to on or off by clicking the "Edit Your Chat" button on the bottom right of your chatbox. Then go to "Extra Features," scroll down and you will see "Default chat box sounds to OFF". Check the box next to it, scroll down and click "Update these Options".

If a chat has a radio station, you may click the radio icon to turn it on or off. You may adjust the volume the same way as you can with chat sounds. If you're a main owner, click "Edit Your Chat" then "Extra Features" to set up a radio station. Read more about setting up a radio station here.

Sign In/Out

To sign out of the chatbox, press the Sign Out button located at the bottom right of the chat, next to the text box. You will be shown at the bottom of the Visitors list and will be listed as offline. You will not be able to see or send messages until you press "Sign In" or refresh the page.

Receiving/Sending a Private Message

A private message appears in the chat window but has only been sent to one person. It is like being in a room full of people and whispering something to someone that you only want them to hear. If you see a message that has a gold padlock next to it, that person has sent you a private message that only you two can see.

To send a private message to another user, click on their name in either the chat or the Visitor list. On the menu that pops up, click on "Private Message" and a large padlock will appear on the left side of the text box. This indicates that the next message you send will be a private message, to the selected user.

Starting/Responding to a Private Chat

A private chat is a conversation with only two people; it is like leaving a room full of people and finding a private room to talk in. When you are sent a private chat message, a tab will appear with the sender's name on it under the message window. It will flash to indicate a new message and the speech bubble will remain green to show that you have not read it yet. Click on the tab and you will be in a private chat with that person. While you are having a private chat with one person, you may also see the main room and other private chats flashing and remaining green to indicate new or unread messages. You can switch between these and maintain conversations with several people at once if you want to. When you have finished with a private chat, move your cursor over the tab and press the red x that appears to close it.

Have you been automatically signed out?

If you haven't typed a message for over 15 minutes, the chat box will automatically sign you out. To sign back in, press the "Sign In" button on the bottom right. Owners and Moderators are not automatically signed out, so they should take more care to sign out when they leave to prevent visitors from wondering why Moderators/Owners are not responding to them.

Have you been kicked?

If you have been kicked out of a chatbox, you will need to sign in again if you wish to continue chatting. There will be an information message that is sent to everyone in the room that says who was kicked, who did the kicking, and the reason for the kick. You will also be "Gagged" (unable to send messages) for 15 seconds after being kicked.

Have you been banned?

If you have been banned from a chat box, you will have received a banned information message, your pawn in the Visitors list will have turned brown, and your name will have changed to "Banned". You will still be able to see the messages being sent (this only applies if the chat doesn't have Banish or Banpool assigned), but the other people in the room will not receive any message you try to send. The ban may be for a limited duration and if so, you could return later. The ban may have been a warning and they may un-ban you sooner if you remain online for a while.

If you believe you have been unfairly banned, you should click "Report Unfair Ban" on the large window that appears upon being banned. This will send a message to the main owner of the chat saying that you've been banned, why you think it's unfair (if you included text), and your email (if you included it). If the ban happened while you were online, it will send a transcript of what was recently said on the main chat prior to you being banned, and give the chat's creator an option to demote the person who banned you.

If you are banned, only users who have added you as a friend can see private chats you send to them.

Profile Dialog

Click on your name at the top of the Visitors list to set up your display name and avatar. If you are new to the chatbox, you will have been assigned a "toon" name like WuggyBunch and a random picture. These, however, are easily changeable.

How do I change my name?

Click on your name in the chat, then enter your desired name in the "Name" box, as you want it to appear on the chat. You can use smiley codes in your name also, and these will be displayed on the Visitor and Friend lists.

How do I change my avatar?

To change your display picture, you can choose one of the default images shown by clicking on it. Every time you choose one, you will get another selection from which to choose. If you wish to look at a wider selection of images see the default avatars page. Alternatively, you can use any picture you like by getting the "Direct Link" of an image (you can easily upload images here). After copying the "Direct Link," paste the link into the "Picture" box and click OK.

How do I change my homepage?

To add a homepage or set a different one, enter the link to a website e.g. https://util.xats.ro/wiki in the homepage box, then click OK. If you have a home page specified, whenever you post a message, a small home icon will appear next to your name. If someone clicks on this, they will open the link in your homepage. To remove a homepage, simply leave the homepage box blank and click OK.

How do I turn off automatic sign in on a chatbox?

If you don't want to be automatically signed in to the chat box on web pages you visit, then you can turn off automatic sign in. Click your name and uncheck "Sign me in automatically". You will have to click the "Sign In" button every time you visit a chat box to appear online. To return to automatically signing in, click your name, check the box again, then click OK.

How do I reset my ID/user data?

If you wish to reset your ID number and screen name (not your registered ID or account name), right-click on any chat screen, then click "Settings". After this, click the little folder icon, then click "Deny" and click close. After, refresh on the chat page or go to a new chat page. These effects will take place. Doing this will remove your friends list, as well as all your data and status in chat group you have visited. So if you do not want to lose all of the data stored (friends list, status etc.) do not reset. If you reset completely then log back into your registered account and your friends will still be able to contact you on that account, but you will have lost all stored data doing this process. Do it at your own risk. When you're done, and you want xat to store the data again, right click on a chat screen, and this time click "Allow". After you do that, click close and it will start to store the data. Anytime you want to reset the stored data, repeat this method.

Subscribers

You can visit the Subscribers Guide for more information regarding this topic.

Can I use multiple names?

Click on your name, and at the top right of the pop-up box you will see "new user..." Clicking that will make a default name that you can change and switch back and forth between other names you have added. You can have up to five extra names to switch back and forth between. Instead of having to manually change your name, you can switch from the other names you have added. Note: You will be unable to delete any extra names you create without resetting your user data.

Registering

Why register?

Registering allows you to keep your ID, rank (moderator, member, owner etc.), and Friends list on other computers (or after your cookies have been deleted). You can also get a xatspace, which is your own personal xat profile. Registering also makes it almost impossible for other users to impersonate you, and makes it easier for your friends to tell who you are if you're on other computers. It also allows you to buy xats and subscription time, or receive them through transfers or trades. On a few chats, you might not be able to join unless you're registered. Your name also appears higher on the list than non-registered users.

How do I register?

Click on your name in the chat and click the "Register" button. Fill in the required information (email must be valid), and submit the form. Log into your e-mail and click the activation link you received from xat. Afterward, log in using your registered name and password. You may need to refresh any chats you're on for the registration to take effect. If you don't get an email, then your email service has not delivered the email. Try opening a Gmail account.

How can I change my registered name?

Note: Anyone can take your old registered username if you change it to a new one.

Go to the login page and login to your account. Scroll down and click the "More" button, and in the "Change Registered Username" field, type in the registered username that you want (as long as it's 10-18 characters). After that, click the "Change User Name" button. You may need to refresh any chats you're on in order for this to take effect. You can only change your registered name once every 14 days.

How do I get a short name?

Instead of having a registered name that is 10-18 characters, you can purchase a short name. A short name is a registered name that is 4-9 characters long. Short names cost at least 1,000 xats. Generally speaking, the shorter the short name, the higher the price. By clicking here, you can see prices of short names or even buy one if you'd like.

See short name for more information.

Will I keep the same ranks/Friends list if I login on another computer?

Yes, your rank and your Friends list will be restored if you log in to your registered account on another computer. You can login by going to xats.ro/Login.

How do I change my password?

Click on your name in the chat, click the "Register" button, and click the "Change password" tab. Your password should be at least 8 characters long and consist of letters (capital and lowercase) and numbers. The more characters you use, the stronger your password will be. Avoid using personal information like your birthday, your name, etc. You may also want to change your password every 3-6 months to ensure maximum security of your account.

Note: Special characters (!@#$ etc) are stripped from your password when logging in, so be sure just to use alphanumeric characters (a-Z, 0-9).

How do I change my xat ID?

xat IDs are generated randomly. You can clear your browser cookies to get a new randomly generated ID. Otherwise, you can bid on IDs via the xat auction.

Note: xat does not support the trading of IDs.

How can I change my xat e-mail?

If you would like to change the e-mail account associated with your xat account, you would have to create a ticket.

Note: For security reasons, you can only update to a Gmail address at this time.

What should I do if I lost my password?

Click on your name in the chat, and click the "Register" button towards the bottom of your name card. Click the "Lost password/username" tab. Alternatively, you can go to https://xats.ro/LostPass. You'll need access to the email you used to register your xat account. After filling in the captcha, enter your email, and a link will be emailed to you. Go to your email and wait for this email (may take up to 30 minutes to arrive.) If the email doesn't arrive after 30 minutes, check your spam/bulk folders. Once you receive the e-mail, click the link and you are able to reset your password.

How do I delete my account?

NOTE: If you ever want to register your ID in the future, save the register link to your ID.

1 - Go to https://xats.ro/login

2 - When it says LOGIN SUCCESSFUL scroll down and click the more button.

3 - Now you should see an option that says "Delete (your current username here)".

4 - Click that button and it should tell you to check your email.

5 - Use the link in your email to login and click the delete button once again.

• You cannot delete an account with xats/days/powers or held on it.

• If you just registered your account you have to wait 14 days before you can delete it.

• Keep in mind xat does not support the transfer of IDs so if you get scammed in the process of selling one xat can't help you.

Interact Dialog

To interact with a person either click on their name on the Visitors / Friends lists or by a message they have sent. This will open up a dialog, which will give you more information about them and options to interact with them.

Private Message

A private message is sent to only one person and no one else can see it. To send a private message, click on a person on the Visitors / Friends lists or the name on a message someone has sent, and click "Private Message". A padlock will appear on the message entry window. Type your message and press enter. When the message is sent, it will have a padlock next to it and only the person you selected will see it. To send another private message, follow the same procedure again. In some case, Private Chats (see below) can be more useful.

Private Chat

A private chat is a one-on-one conversation in a separate tab on the chatbox. To start a private chat, click on a person on the Visitors or Friends lists or the name on a message someone has sent and click Private Chat. A tab will appear that contains just you and the person you want to start a private chat with. When you send your first message a tab will appear on their chat box which they can choose to answer or not. Note: You may not be able to Private Chat a user if they have the NoPC power. You can click Powers for more information regarding the special abilities.

Add As Friend

If you want to add someone, so you can easily find them and talk to them another time, you can add them as a friend. Click on that person on the Visitors or the name on a message they have sent and click Add as Friend. They will appear on the list in bold and move to the top of their rank. They will also be added to your Friends list, accessible by clicking on your Friends tab at the bottom of the list.

When you return to the chat box at a later time, you can click on your Friend list and see which ones of your friends are online on any chat box, not just the one you are on. You can send them a private chat or private message from your chat box to theirs. If the user has added you as a friend, you will be able to see which chat they are on so you can go there (unless the user has the Nofollow power). If you want to unfriend someone, click on their name and click "Un-Friend".

How many friends should I add? You can add as many friends as you like but there is no point in adding everyone you ever see, only people that there is a chance that you will want to talk to again. The more friends you have added the harder it becomes to find the ones you really want to talk to.

/f Add a User by their ID

If you know a person's ID number and want to add them as a friend, you can use the /fIDHERE command on the chat.

Example: /f96321545 Kyle

This adds ID 96321545 as a friend with the name of "Kyle".

Ignore

To ignore a user: click on their name on the visitors or friends list or on their name of one of their messages and press "Ignore". Their pawn will appear grey on the visitors list. You won't be able to see any of their messages and they won't be able to start private conversations with you. If you wish to unignore them and see their messages again, click on their name on the visitors list and press "Un-Ignore". Please note that the user will only be ignored for 12 hours, so after the time is up simply repeat the steps above.

You may also type /t in PC to ignore a user. If you have Ttth, you can also send a full-screen smiley / message along with ignoring.

As a moderator or an owner, you're still able to see ignored users post on the main chat. To have the same effect as a member and below, hold down SHIFT prior to pressing "Ignore".

Bad Chat Etiquette

When using a xat chatbox, you have to abide by the Terms of Service. However, there are specific things that you might do that are considered bad etiquette and could annoy some users.

Flooding or Spamming

Flooding or spamming is typing random numbers and/or letters for no reason, or repeatedly sending a link. This is very disruptive to the chat box and all the users in the chat. People find it very annoying and if you do it you may find you are either banned or Ignored by everyone in the room. Talking in CAPS, using too many smilies or audies in a way, may also be considered as spam or flooding. Likewise, if you do either of these too much, you may be ignored or even banned from the chat.

Talking in CAPS

Typing messages with CAPSLOCK on often annoys people, it is used to say that you are SHOUTING what you are saying. You can type in CAPS if you want unless a chat's rules say otherwise, but you should expect that people will add you to their Ignore list. It is best saved for when you are really shouting something.

Too Many Smilies

Using smilies livens up messages and makes the chat more fun, but if you send them too frequently, you will soon end up on everyone's Ignore list.

Spamming Audie Sound Effects

The odd sound effect can make a chat fun but if you keep on sending them, it can be annoying and you will soon be on everyone's ignore list.

Advertising

You may create chat groups or accounts relating to your services outside of xats.ro. However, you may not go to other chat groups and promote your services. This is prohibited in the xat Terms of Service. In addition to this, other chat group owners tend to dislike such behavior and it may result in a ban from individual chat groups.

Asking to be staff

Asking to be a higher rank on chatrooms is a sign that you have not earned it yet. Popular chat owners are bombarded with requests from people to be made moderators/owners. If you want to be a staff member on a chatbox, you should be active on the chat, make friends with users, and try to be helpful whenever you can.

Asking for free xats, days, or powers

People work hard for their money, which they use to purchase their xat products. With this being said, it is not likely that they will give away their products for free to people who just ask, especially if they are strangers. It is recommended that you avoid asking people for free products, as this may upset them and cause you to get banned.

If you are unable to purchase your own products, or if you simply choose not to, you can join the Game chatroom and play games for a chance to win xats, days, and powers as prizes.