Chat Room Etiquette

First off, let me welcome you to Wendy’s Zoo Etiquette. The purpose of this forum is to discuss issues that may arise while playing Zoo World which may hurt another person’s feelings, offend a person or a group or can just be considered unacceptable in nature. This is not “Mrs. Peter’s Prim and Proper School of Manners”. This is a forum to discuss proper etiquette which not only applies in Zoo World or on FaceBook, but also in everyday life.

The first topic I would like to discuss is Chat Room Etiquette, more specifically Zoo World Chat Room etiquette. Each application (Zoo World, Birthday Cards, Horoscope, Hug Me, Likeness, etc.) has their own Chat. Observe a few of the different Chats, you may find that one Chat is a better fit for you than another.

There are some very basic rules that should be observed when participating in any of the chat rooms associated with Zoo World.

• Observe – Before jumping into the Chat to ask your question, watch the Chat for awhile. Chances are someone else has the same issue, is experiencing the same problem, etc. and you may see the answer to your question by just observing the scroll for a few minutes.
• Greet – This is just common courtesy whether you are entering a chat room, someone’s home, or wherever. It is always proper etiquette to greet everyone upon entering. So upon entering say “Hello Everyone” you may have to say it a couple times, the scroll moves somewhat fast at times. If you see someone you are familiar with then make it a point to recognize them by saying "Hi John". In some Chats I have seen (((((John))))), which denotes a warm hug. I wouldn’t suggest doing that unless you are on very good terms with that person.
• Technical Issues – If you are experiencing a techical issue with your zoo you should go to the Discussion Forum (Green Button located above the Chat) or contact RockYou at Support@Rockyou.com. The people in Chat are all players, you should not post your ID in Chat.
• Welcome – Be kind to people that acknowledge themselves as newcomers. They may not only be new to Zoo World but also new to Chat. Most are there to seek help; the Chat is located on the Help tab of Zoo World. They may be nervous about posting a question or may not use the correct jargon, or English may not be their primary language so try to be thoughtful and have patience with them.
• Be Courteous – Use common courtesy when asking questions in Chat. People are much more inclined to help you if you use “Thank You” and “Please”.
• Shopping Lists – Leave your shopping list at the door before you enter into the Chat room. Unfortunately if you watch the scroll for a few minutes you will get the impression that you are at an “Animal Soup Kitchen”, but trust me, you are not. Do not go into Chat with a shopping list of expensive animals, you are bound to be pounced upon and it won’t be pretty.
People will possibly help you if you need a couple Feed animals. But be careful when asking for animals that are located in your Shop. There are people that will help you with Shop animals, but they are few and far between. If you need 3 of a kind and you just purchased 2 Swifts, then you should really start breeding them. Because before all is said and done you’re going to need 4, then 5. There are forums set up for people who would like to trade animals, the Chat is not that forum.

o Need vs. Want – If you are at XP 11 and desperately trying to get to XP 12 you do not need an Aye Aye. You may WANT an Aye Aye, but you really don’t need it. Your monetary goal to get to XP 12 is $8,000.00 an Aye Aye is $3,000,000.00. Even if you can get someone to gift you one, how can you afford to buy another one to complete Noah’s Ark? Then what about the 3-of-a-Kind Achievement and so on?
No matter what you say you DO NOT need a Kudu, you may want a Kudu, but you do not need it. And why ask someone to gift you an animal they clearly only have 1 of? Since currently a person is only awarded a Dasyure or a Kudu once week, it is highly unlikely that anyone can even gift you one during the first week they are issued.
In addition if you are at the lower levels be careful when buying new animals and also adopting animals off the feed. If you are 6 hours away from having the last Manatee you need to finish an Achievement, don’t buy the brand new animal that takes 3 days to breed.

• Stay Focused – Many chat rooms have “regulars”. And because the “regulars” spend quite a bit of time together in Chat they sometimes tend to stray from the matter at hand. Some people just want to pop in quick, ask their question, and get out just as quickly to see if the offered solution works. It can be frustrating when someone is asking a question and the Chat is filled with vacation plans, dinner menus, etc. Those conversations really should take place in your FaceBook Chat, not Zoo World Chat.
• Be Patient – Post your question, keep an eye on the scroll and wait for your answer. If you do not see your question answered, politely post it again.
• CAPITAL LETTERS – CAPITALS LETTERS or UPPERCASE letters are generally regarded on the internet as shouting. Whether you are in Chat, IM, or e-mail, CAPS normally denote yelling. Please know that there are Chats where individuals use CAPS because some of the participants are visually impaired. You can quickly tell if that is the case when you enter into a Chat. If you see “HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY SUSAN?” then chances are Susan or someone in the chat is visually impaired; as opposed to “SUSAN WOULD YOU PLS SHUT UP” Big difference. But whatever the case, if the use of CAPS by the participants is a source of tension for you, then just try another zoo chat room.
• Troubleshooting – There is always someone that has nothing better to do than cause trouble. They come into Chat with no other goal than to wreak havoc. It is always best to try to ignore them, but if they get too annoying do not get into it with them, all they want is attention, just leave and save your energy.
• Offensive Language – Swearing is never acceptable in Chat, nor should you use obscene or sexually-explicit language. Unlike your FaceBook wall which may only be viewed by your FaceBook friends; you have no idea who is viewing the Chat. There are children watching and involved in Chat, so please try and keep your conversation family-friendly.
• Leaving – If you are leaving the Chat, please let everyone know. Nothing is more annoying than someone asking a question and then leaving without waiting for an answer and everyone is trying to help them. They may be trying to research an answer for you, and then come back to post a link or answer for you and you are gone. Even if all you type is “brb” = be right back or “g2g” = got to go, at least let people know you are leaving.

It really all comes down to treating others the way you want to be treated. Whether online or in real-life situations everyone wants to be treated politely and with respect. Of course because of the nature of FaceBook you will be chatting with people of different opinions, cultures, etc., but remember they still are real people so they deserve to be treated with respect. If you treat them courteously they will treat you the same way and it will make the chat room experience enjoyable for everyone.

Happy Zooing Everyone!

Nice work Wendy greatly appreciate that

Beautifully said Wendy!! Thank you so much for putting this together...just recently my Son was with me in Zoo World Chat and he was to scared to say anything after his first post of "Hello" and then his question. It was a simple question about the best way to get wild life points so he can buy a treasure hunter and they were so mean to him and a few other "Newcomers" in the room. It was horrible! I quickly came to his defense (and so did some of my Facebook friends who saw this happening on their feed) and then we both left the room. I did not realize the intensity of some of these people until all of this happened. He is 14 years old, new to Zoo World and on level 11. When I was new to all of this, the chat room was a big help, that's why I told him to go there. Thank goodness I went with him. I have learned a lot through this experience, not only to be careful in the chat rooms, but everything is so different since I completed the achievements. That was my defense, we don't always know what the new people are experiencing because that's not necessarily what we had to do. And the new people don't understand what to do unless we say it in a nice, clear manner. Never the less, I am grateful for this post, again, THANK YOU!!! Sincerely, Dixie

Well said with wonderful advice! This should be read and applied whether you have been in Zoo World a short time or a long time!

Dixie,

I am so sorry that this happened to you and your son. I understand your anxiety with the chat room, because it appears that you entered innocently and seemingly got attacked for no reason at all.

All chat rooms are not the same and all participants in the Chat are not the same. I hope this experience did not turn you away from Chats all together, but I certainly understand the unpleasant memory the experience left with you and your child. Dixie, maybe try another Chat under one of the other apps, there really are some very nice people out there that are more than willing to help!

Thank you so much,

Wendy

MsPamela1220 wrote:

Well said with wonderful advice! This should be read and applied whether you have been in Zoo World a short time or a long time!

MsPamela,

Of course I agree with YOU! I think some people fail to remember at times that the animals and the zoo are Fake but the people and their feelings are REAL!

Thanks so much,

Wendy

This has been put together very well, Wendy, and something that EVERYONE needs to remember. People tend to forget that there are people with feelings in these chat rooms. I am one of the regulars in the Birthday Cards Help Chat. I have seen alot of this going on. I have quite alot of friends I have met in these chat rooms and Wendy, you are right, not everyone is the same. Some are warm, while others go in there just to stir up trouble.

I have found that when I generally enter the chat room, all of my friends tend to follow me in if they're not in there already (whether it's just because I turned up, I don't know). I do my best to help the people who come in and I also joke around with my friends. I don't use Facebook chat because I have major problems with it (I keep on getting errors). I don't have all my friends on my IM programs either (Google Talk, MSN Messenger, etc) so this is my only option to be able to chat with my friends (just an fyi) so this needs to be taken into consideration also.

Besides what I've said, everyone needs to remember this -> everyone has feelings and everyone needs to be treated with respect. Alot of the time, people tend to forget what they've been taught by their parents and go in chat rooms armed with a "forked tongue". They forget that the people there are just like themselves (people with feelings).

This is one of the things that caused the latest uproar in Facebook. All the back-stabbing, etc, I was sick and tired of it so I tried to stop it. When I said something, all everyone did was laugh at me (it happened to me in discussion forums). I was accused of things I never even did but that's another story for another time. They told me that I wanted to stop it because it was getting "too close to home". Little did they know that I was breaking down inside and also quit Facebook for almost a week because of it. It just tore me apart inside. These are the type of things that people need to remember. The only reason I came back was because of my friends. They all missed me and I missed them.