The chat room can take some time to load. This will depend on your method of connection, how busy the system is, and other factors. The first time in each session that you enter the chat system, it will load more slowly than on subsequent visits.

I can't get in, or I keep getting thrown out, or I see only a grey box - what's wrong?

While your browser may be Java-enabled, it's possible that your version of Java, or your browser, or your browser settings, are not fully compatible with our chat system. Nearly all problems can be resolved by one or both of these two steps:

If you are running a Windows system:

If you are running a Mac:

Note: Some users of lower versions of the Mac OS have not been able to resolve their problems with accessing the chat, even by following these steps. If you have tried and still can't get in, please post a complete trouble report to PH Christy.

I was in the room and someone was using profanity, flooding the room with sounds or text, selling, or otherwise disrupting chat. What should I do?

Our chat rooms are not hosted at all hours, but we do log all chat room activity. If a host is in the room, they will handle the problem, but if not, you can use the "Report Abuse" link on the chat page (or Report Absuse Here) to let us know about the problem. You need to include the date, the room name, and the time AND TIME ZONE of the problem, so we can use that information to obtain a log of room activity during the time in question. You can also try checking other rooms to see if a host is available to help you while the abuse is happening.

Can we use colors, fonts, and sounds in the rooms?

The rooms have many features such as font sizes, colored backgrounds and text, avatars, sounds, and more.

Where can I get more help?

There are two places for more information. If you are in a chat room, there is a help button in the lower left hand side of the chat window (icon with a question mark on it). You can also access it from outside of the chat rooms by clicking here. This should answer any questions you have. However, if you are unable to access the chat rooms, or wish an even more detailed help document, view our complete chat help file here:

User Information

Enjoy the chats!