Wallington High School for Girls

e-Safety

Gaming

Social Networking

Mobile World

Instant Messaging and Chatrooms

Emerging Technologies

Eating Disorders

Reporting Problems

Where to go for help

e-Safety Information for Parents and Students


A form of real-time direct text-based communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet. More advanced instant messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

Examples of Instant Messenger Clients

MSN Messenger Yahoo Messenger Windows Live ICQ AIM Google Messenger Skype IMVU	This list is not exhaustive and many social networking sites also include a chat feature. These Instant messenger clients all require the program to be installed on your computer, but most of the IM providers also provide an online version that users can access when they are away from their computers.

Examples of online instant messenger services

Facebook Chat Windows Live Messenger eBuddy ICQ online	These instant messengers are available online. the user just uses their username and password to access their account.

A good rule to remember is not to accept any files you may be invited to download through IM. Do you use a webcam? Do you video chat to your friends through your Instant Messenger Service? Think about what else may be in the picture when using a webcam; your school uniform, certificates, trophies indicating a specific interest. All this information can be used by others to instigate conversation with you and gain your trust.

Windows Live Messenger includes a report abuse button for users to immediately report messages or users that behave inappropriately, or send inappropriate or abusive messages, including picture messages. Other messenger services provide their own means of reporting abuse or inappropriate content, please refer to the relevent help pages provided by the messenger service provider.

SPIM

These are spam messages received through instant messaging. These can be advertisements and may be advertising adult sites. The sender of the messages is often a Bot or automated chat generator following a preconfigured script. This can be minimised by setting your options to only receive messages from people in your contacts list. View an example log of a SPIM conversation here.