The room is made not by its basic HTML (hypertext markup language) computer codes, but by the people who chat there. There is no prevalent age or gender. The chatters are male and female, who range in age from teenagers up to the older chatters who refuse to disclose their ages. Another unique feature of the Back Parlor, is that we have many various nationalities represented. In a single day, someone may visit the Back Parlor from Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Germany, Holland, or Japan. The number of chatters varies greatly from just two people to well over twenty at a single time. The language of the room is a mixture of English, occasional Spanish, and various Internet created acronyms.
The Back Parlor is a web based chat room in which a person can make up a nick name, type out a message, and then post the message. This webpage can be viewed with the various chatters� messages posted from anywhere with Internet access in the world. One doesn�t even necessarily have to chat. There is a �Show New Messages� button which can be repeatedly hit to read the conversation without taking an active role. Some people choose not to chat when there is a heated argument going on. There are a lot of differences between the Back Parlor and many of the other thousands of chat rooms on the Internet today. The room has a different attitude which can be more open minded to ideas, yet less tolerant of the dim-witted chatters.
When loading the webpage, the chatter comes across an introductory paragraph which reads:
Of course, not everyone is necessarily welcome in the Back Parlor. The �regulars� (those who can be found chatting there daily) will sometimes choose not to chat to an annoying newcomer, or "newbie." A newbie generally does not know the basic guidelines of �netiquette,� or proper manners on the Internet. In the Back Parlor, the occupants take netiquette to a slight extreme. Any newbie that wanders in and asks for �stats,� or chats with the caps lock on is either ignored or made fun of. Although perfect sentence structure is not required, somewhat intelligible comments are expected. Personal questions are also considered intrusive for a first time conversation.
At first people just discuss the current topic in the room. There is no real set topic. It is just like a real life room. Different people are there talking to each other about different things. After awhile, when a chatter finds someone of similar interests and opinions, he or she may start sharing personal information. This is where the friendships start. Chatters then begin discussing the events in their every day lives and even ask for advice. Many of the chatters are people who have little access to the outside world, such as housewives or shy individuals. The Back Parlor is also a wonderful place to just go and vent after a hard day at work or school.
The friendships developed in the Back Parlor are stronger than most would expect. Many chatters are steadily becoming lifetime friends, and do eventually meet in person. Sometimes when two chatters meet in real life, a romantic relationship develops. The Back Parlor was never meant to be a place where singles meet and decide to eventually date, but it sometimes happens. This summer, two Back Parlor chatters who go by the names Psychobabbler and Farmer�s Daughter were married. They spent several vacations together over the course of a few years, and had lived with each other for a few months. Not all Internet based relationships work, but neither do the ones which occur normally in every day life. Through the Internet, possible couples are allowed to express their views on religion, politics, and little things like music preferences before they ever meet in real life.
There are also family type bonds in the Back Parlor. An older woman can give advice to a teenage girl who might not listen to her mother. When someone is feeling a bit depressed, many of the chatters will attempt to cheer up the individual by offering a cyber-hug. A chatter may also use the Back Parlor as a resource for finding information. There have also been instances where I have needed to research something on the Internet, but had found no valuable information. It is then that I usually turn to an Internet friend nicknamed JW and ask for help. Many times he has helped me find credible websites with solid information when I�ve come up empty handed.
The Back Parlor has also worked as an incentive to learn new skills. One very basic skill which is improved through Internet chatting is typing. When trying to keep up a conversation with more than three people at once, a chatter needs to be a good typist. The every day practice helps the chatter build up speed and accuracy This sometimes leads a bored housewife who is stuck at home to a possible job opportunity. Also, before their Internet chatting experiences, many of the Back Parlor regulars would have never created their own websites. It would have been considered an impossible task. Whenever the regulars need help in figuring out a bit of HTML code for their websites, they just ask a fellow regular for help.
Overall, the Back Parlor serves a variety of purposes. A chatter can make friends, learn new skills, find obscure information, or just spout off about current events. There is no need to go anywhere or get dressed up to be seen in public. The chatters also learn to understand those who come from different backgrounds and have different views. We learn more about ourselves and each other. When we�re finished chatting, we go back to our normal lives. My favorite convenience of chatting in the Back Parlor is when I�m tired of talking or arguing with my fellow chatters, all I need to do is disconnect and go back to the real world.