When used appropriately, chat rooms work extremely well as meeting places for people with similar interests. But it pays to be as scrupulous as possible. After all, chat rooms are anonymous meeting rooms, so it’s easy for others to lie about who they are and what they want. These helpful tips will keep you safe while chatting.

A chat room is not private. First and foremost, remember that every single person in a chat room can see everything that everybody writes. So be sure to only write about things that you are comfortable with other people knowing about you.

Be anonymous. Don’t ever give your real name as your chat room nickname. It’s important for your safety. Try to pick a screen name that does not give away anything about you including your name, initials and gender. Also, please keep it clean.

Keep your private information private. You have a chat room nickname for a reason. It keeps your identity protected. Stick to this rule for all your other information. Never give out your real name, gender, age, home state, mailing address, passwords, banking details or any other information about you, your friends and family. Not sharing your private information will protect your personal safety and reduce the risk of identity theft.

Know how to save conversations. If you ever need to report someone, it’s helpful to know how to save your chats as proof of their behavior.

Don’t hesitate to inform the moderator. The moderator is there to keep the chat room safe and clean. Before you start chatting, make sure you know how to contact them securely.

It’s okay to block people. It may seem rude, but if someone is making you uncomfortable or you just don’t like them, you don’t have to chat with them. Make sure you know how to block people before you begin chatting.

Trust your gut. Ever walk down a street and just sense something was off without knowing what it was? That’s called instinct. If something feels strange or uncomfortable in a chat room, even if you can’t put you’re your finger on it, there’s probably a reason for that feeling. Save the chat and leave the room.

Use your discretion for private chats. If someone requests a private chat, really think about it before you accept. Do you know this person very well? Do you know them at all? You do not have to speak with them privately; you control the situation. If they make you uncomfortable, politely decline.

Make plans privately. If you do choose to make plans to meet offline, make those plans in a private chat so no one else from the chat room will know where and when you’re meeting.

Meet publicly and bring a friend. If you do arrange to meet someone offline, be sure to pick a familiar public place during the day. Always bring a friend with you too. Don’t give out your phone number until you meet the other chatter face-to-face and feel comfortable with them.

Don’t encourage bad behavior. If someone asks you a lot of personal questions, harasses you, is sexually explicit or does anything at all to make you feel uncomfortable or frightened, do not respond at all - even if it feels rude. Ignore them completely; save the chat, leave the chat room immediately and report them to the administrator.

Don’t accept files or downloads from anyone. Not only can people send you inappropriate material this way, but viruses can be spread as well. Don’t ever open anything, even if you feel you know the person.

Don’t believe the sales pitches. Occasionally, people try to make money by offering chatters easy ways to make quick money, lose weight or make friends. Don’t believe a word they say and report them to the moderator instead.

Be suspicious. Anyone who appears to be attempting to turn you against your family, co-workers and friends is hoping to get you to do something you may not want to do. Do not engage in conversation with them.

Be careful who you trust. Remember, chat rooms are anonymous, so it’s very easy for people to pretend to be someone else, including someone of a different age or gender. Every decision you make in a chat room should be well thought-out.

You have options. You are in control of your information and your actions. If you’re having a bad experience in a chat room, you can always log out. You can also change your chat room name if you feel it will help.

Being smart in a chat room means having intelligent conversations while understanding the challenges of online chatting. Following these safety guidelines will keep you protected while you make new friends.