Senior Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are a great way to be social and interact with others online. As the Internet becomes integrated into daily life, chat rooms can provide a vital link to meeting people and continuing to keep the mind active.

Computers and Retirement

Retirement is not necessarily a time to slow down. Many seniors see it as a time to do the fun activities that have been on their minds for years. While some people might volunteer or travel when they get older, others long to keep learning and educating themselves from the comfort of home. The Internet is a great way to keep learning and enjoying life, using simple technology such as chat rooms.

Connecting with Each Other

Learning how to use chat rooms has many advantages, one of which is the ability to connect with other people around the world and discuss a variety of topics. For anyone looking to make connections, but who might be immobile or simply wanting to reach out using technology, chat rooms can do the trick. Whether it’s to find friendship, romance, laughter, or learn something new, using chat rooms opens a whole world of opportunity.

An Online Place for Seniors

There are chat rooms dedicated to anything and everything, including activities that seniors enjoy. You can find chat rooms where people discuss trivia questions, learn a new skill, play games, meet a special someone, share writing, plan trips or discuss travel, ask questions of an expert, or simply share thoughts with others.

Most chat rooms do not require any special software. Normally, you’ll only need a computer with a good Internet connection and the ability to type on the keyboard.

Chat Room Etiquette

Just as in any online forum, the chat room is a place where live communication exchanges take place. There is a level of uncertainty over people’s identity and it’s good to take caution with the personal information you share. Just because a person claims to be a senior male or female, doesn’t necessarily make this true. Never give out information such as your address, phone number, or credit card number.

Some chat rooms are moderated and this is usually a good thing. Sometimes in unmoderated chat rooms, one user will bully another, but this is not appropriate behaviour. Show respect to fellow users and report any misbehaviour, should it arise. If you are finding participants in a chat room are being rude to each other, leave the community and find another one. It’s not worth dealing with negative behaviour when you could be learning something or having fun.

Chat Room Acronyms

You’ll also want to be aware of some common chat room symbols and acronyms so you don’t get left in the dark when it comes to what people are saying. These are acronyms that people use when they text each other on a cell phone or converse in a senior chat room. Some common ones include:

LOL (laugh out loud)

BRB (be right back)

G2G (got to go)

TTFN (ta ta for now)

JK (just kidding)

LYL (love you lots)

OMG (oh my god)

ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing)

WB (welcome back)

ASL (age, sex, location)

Read more Acronyms in this GrownUps article .

Embracing Technology

No matter what your age, getting involved in the online world will open up many resources. Finding a good chat room can be an invaluable resource for seniors who live alone or who simply want to try something new. Check out the GrownUps Chat Room HERE

By LovetoKnow