5 Ways You Can Do Text Chat Conferencing
By Rich Menga on Oct 15, 2009 in Featured, Internet & The Web | comments(2)
Text mode conferencing is one of the oldest forms of communications on the internet. You commonly know this as participating in a "chat room."
This form of communication has lasted as long has for three very good reasons:
- It requires the least possible bandwidth necessary in order to do it. You don’t get any smaller in bandwidth usage than plain text.
- Even if you have the slowest/crappiest internet connection, you can still participate in text chat. Heck, it even works on dialup.
- It’s the easiest to use compared to any other mode of conferencing on the internet.
Why would you want to use text mode conferencing?
Other than just for the fun of it, if you find that with instant messaging the one-to-one isn’t enough, and you need to involve more people in the conversation, conferencing fits the bill nicely. Bear in mind that many businesses use this, so it’s not just personal use territory only. In particular, many customer service/help desk environments do employ the use of an in-house chat room so that the support team and techs can interact with each other easily without the need to chase around with phone calls and/or emails.
Ways you can do text chat conferencing
1. IRC
Requirements: Web browser or IRC chat client
If you want to create your own IRC channel, you must register it with a chat service like DALnet or GameSurge, then periodically login to it so it doesn’t get deleted.
To participate in an IRC channel, you can either use an IRC client like mIRC, or use a free web service to connect like Mibbit. Mibbit is definitely the easier of the two.
Participants do not need to register accounts in order to chat.
2. Meebo
Requirements: Web browser
Meebo allows any user to create a custom chat room at whim. You can then use it exclusively in Meebo or embed the chat into a web page if you have your own web site.
Like IRC, participants do not need to register an accounts in order to chat (but is recommended.)
3. Tinychat
Requirements: Web browser
This one is easiest of the bunch. Go to Tinychat, type in a name for your chat room, create it, invite others. It’s that simple. Rooms on Tinychat are designed to be disposable, so you don’t have to register anything in order to use it.
Similar services to Tinychat: Chatmaker, Chatroll
4. Yahoo! Messenger Chat Rooms
Requirements: Yahoo Messenger
In Y! Messenger you click Messenger then Yahoo! Chat then Join a Room…
At that point you see this window appear:

Simply pick where you want to go and go there. Other participants also have to have Y! Messenger and connect to the same room you’re in.
At present, Y! does not allow the creation of custom chat rooms or the ability to connect via the browser, both of which were previously available.
5. AIM Chat Rooms
Requirements: AIM client or browser
For many of us, AOL was the first place where we ever experienced a chat room. They are still out there and still available. In addition, you can create custom chat rooms at whim and invite your friends to join it easily. This to the best of my knowledge has always been part of the software.
In the latest edition of AIM, that being version 7, this feature is now called "Group Chat." To access it, click Menu then New Group Chat, or simply open your Buddy List and press ALT+C. At that point a chat invitation window will open. Type in the names you want to send the invites to, then click Send. The chat room then opens up.
Don’t feel like installing anything and would rather use the browser? No problem. Use AIM Express. After you login, click the small icon for a drop-down menu and create a group chat, like this:

What "saved" text mode conferencing?
In reality, text conferencing was never in any real danger of going away. It’s one of those methods of communications on the internet that goes up and down with popularity based on whatever people are using at the time to communicate with.
The first modern communications method that resurrected text conferencing (oddly enough) is video, as in live streaming video. I do this every week on Wednesday 8pm-10pm EST with PCMech LIVE. And it turns out that on most live streams, including ours, the way the audience interacts with the host is thru text conferencing.
The second method is smartphones. Being that text is universally compatible no matter what computer you use, smartphones definitely do count. On the live show I host there are participants who routinely connect using a phone to text-chat with. The technology is good enough, so people can and do use it.
Do you use text mode conferencing, a.k.a. chat rooms?
If so, do you host and/or participate? Do you find it easy or difficult to work with?


I’ll answer that question even before I start this article: Yes, you are. And you always have been since the first time you used text messaging on a mobile wireless network. 