Registration
Login using your username and password from one of Bethany's discussion forums (note: you must be registered on one of Bethany's discussion forums in order to login to chat - discussion.bethany.org, birthparents.bethany.org, or stepforums.bethany.org - choose the register button at the top). All rules that apply to the forums also apply on this chat server.
Logging In
In the menu bar of the chat area you will find a button that says Login. Next to the Login button there are fields to enter a username and password. Please enter your username and password from the forums and click Login. If the combination is correct, the login fields will change to a welcome message. Please Logout when you finish chatting.
Entering a Chat Room
Log in first, and wait until all rooms are loaded. Choose a room to visit, and click on it to enter. Every room has a user limit. If a room is full for the time being, you will be told to come back later. When you enter a room, a default host (robot) system will notify all that you have entered.
Leaving a Chat Room
When you finish chatting and want to leave, you can either close your browser or click the Quit button. If you choose to close your browser, you will close the chat client completely. If you choose Quit, you will return to the room list and you can enter another room.
Sending messages
After entering a room, you can type a message in the input field near the bottom of the chat area. Press Enter or click Send to send the message. Your message then appears on the chat screen preceded by your username. Press Ctrl+Enter to start a new line within your current message.
Message Scrolling and History
New messages come in at the bottom of the screen. As new messages come in, old messages will scroll off the top of the screen. Only a certain amount of lines can appear in your chat box, so the previous history will be automatically cleared to ensure chatting speed. Press the clear button to clear all messages on your screen.
Idle Status
After 5 minutes of a user not sending any messages, that user's status will be automatically changed to idle. When the idle user sends another message, the idle status will disappear automatically.
Private Messages
If you are in a chat room, you can click a username on the right side of the chat box. A small menu will popup. Choose Private from this menu to start a private chat window with this user. Private messages can only be seen by you and the other user you are chatting with. (Note: Your private chat windows can be monitored by the chat administrator.)
Private Windows
- Click on a username that you would like to privately converse with, and click Private in the popup menu to activate a private window with that user.
- Click the close icon (x) in the top right of the private window to close the Private chat window. Click and drag the top bar of a private window to move it.
- When a private window is minimized, it will blink when a new message comes into this private window to alert you.
(Note: Your private chat windows can be monitored by the chat administrator.)
Chat Not Showing?
If you cannot see the chat above, you may need to install the free Macromedia Flash plugin. Click here to download Macromedia Flash.
Questions
If you have any questions, please email the administrator at chat@bethany.org.