We work hard to make the chat rooms on this site as safe as possible. Dedicated volunteers (Monitors) monitor the rooms, our new login system requires that everyone provide valid contact details, and our monitoring system records IP address and connection times for every user and all messages (including private messages) are logged. We believe that our chat site is safer to use than other instant messaging programmes. However despite these security measures, it is still crucially important to use common sense when using Internet chat.
An online chat venue is similar to a real society which can't run smoothly without some basic rules. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with these before using chat. [more info]
Over the coming months we we be continuing to develop our safety centre so please check back frequently.
Christian Chat would recommend that users do not disclose their name, address, email address, telephone number or other personal information while online. This also includes any personal information on your profile.
Our Monitors will never request such details online. It is advisable for parents to ensure their children are aware of this.
Do not share your personal details, particularly your work or home addresses.
When you log into chat, you choose a chat nickname. Your first line of defense is to choose a chat nickname that is not your real name, or location.
Stay in bounds. We provide various chat venues for a reason e.g Youth, 20's 30's etc. Try and stay within your age group, you'll find othersthat share your interests, and have more fun.
Christian Chat enables users to use webcams in chat - this can help you to be sure that the person you are chatting to is whom they say they are. At times however people may try to show inappropriate things on cams - remember you can switch cams off!! - please be sure to let us know of anything that you deem is inappropriate.
Private messages enable you to speak one on one to someone. Remeber EVERY message sent or received in chat is recorded. If you do no wish to receive private messages you can switch them off - once in the chat room click on "options" then in the pop up untick the box next to "accept private messages".
Dedicated volunteers called "Monitors" monitor all of our chat venues. You can identify a monitor in the list of people in a room as their name is highlighted red or green.
Our Monitors are experienced in using our chat rooms, so if you are stuck with anything your they are there to guide you!
If someone is causing problems in Christian Chat you should highlight that activity to a monitor - you will need to tell them the name of the person and the time of the incident.
Our current Monitors are listed below along with the area they are based - this is useful information if you are trying to contact a monitor urgently. To contact one you can either speak to them in chat or email them by clicking on their name below:
OOur anonymous whistleblower service allows you to let us know of any problems you encounter in our chat venues in confidence.
We will not respond to your email nor will we enter into discussion on any particular person at the same time we will protect your anonymity and not disclose your name. Be assured we take every complaint seriously. Once we have dealt with your email it will be deleted. Any misuse may result in banning from our service.
If you see or hear things that really aren't right in chat then simply send us a screen shot of the conversation or video by pressing the “print screen” button on your keyboard and pasting it into Microsoft Word or similar and send it to us with the date and time.
With the offensive material on screen, press the Print Scrn key on your keyboard (located towards the top right-hand side).
Then click on the Start button, click on Programs and then Accessories and select Paint.This will open the Paint program.
Now click on Edit at the top of the window, click Paste and then click on Yes. The screen image will appear in the window.
To save the image click File and then Save. Type the nickname of the offender as the file name, click on the drop-down list for file type and chose .jpg or .gif if they are available - otherwise leave it as bmp. Finally click Save and take note of which folder you save it in.
Close the document and open your email program and open a new mail, address it to Whistleblower-at-christianchat.co.uk, click on the paperclip or attachment option, locate the file, click the file and then click Insert, type your details in the body of the email and send.
There is also the opportunity to click on the “open message” button at the top right of your screen which shows a record of the conversation. Copy and paste this into a Word file, notepad or similar and send it to us.
Sometimes chatters will try to entice a person off site to places like MSN simply so they can carry on a conversation that is not very nice... . We see this as a misuse of our site and actively discourage it.
Below are a few sites which are widely recognised when looking into online safety.
THINK U KNOW http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
CHAT DANGER http://www.chatdanger.com/
SAFE KIDS http://www.safekids.com/
As these are external sites Christian Network does not neccesaily endorce their content in anyway.
