chatroom

A virtual "room" in an internet environment , where people can log on under usernames to "chat": that is to talk to each other via a text interface (usually a scrolling text in a seperate text window). Most chatrooms can be accessed using a browser interface or Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client. Internet environments offering various chatrooms or the option of users opening their own temporary private chatrooms are often called "communities". Modern chatrooms offer a variety of options and commands beyond simply typing in text, such as i.e. font color changes and simple graphic features, e.g. "smily faces" or "emote icons" to convey emotions in quick, pictographic form, or even "avatars" (virtual personas as graphic representations not of, but for users, that enable limited facial expressions) A chatroom offers a place for people to hang out and meet who would have few chance to meet in real life because of living on different continents. In the virtual space of the internet, people refer to a chatroom like they would to a real geographic place.