Be mindful in bingo rooms

If you’re an online bingo gamer then one of your first points of call is the inimitable chat room. There are loads of these ‘free to express yourself’ portals at our favorite gaming destinations and they are a pivotal component of the overall experience. But did you know that there are certain requisites for engaging in discussion? Let’s figure out the details together.

I’ve alluded to the norms of behavior at bingo rooms in a piece I wrote in March 2010. In my post entitled ‘My Personal Online Bingo Etiquette’ I stressed what the very general rules were for players entering bingo rooms. The post generated lots of interest and I’m now following it up with another piece that is specifically aimed at the chat room operators.

I beg your pardon! Did you just say that?

Those are certainly words you won’t want to hear in a bingo chat room. And why pray tell? It’s simple: you’re part of an online community espousing the norms and ideals of fair and respectful communication. This is about more than manners and etiquette. It’s about understanding the reasoning behind the rules. If you want to enjoy the social networking power of these portals then you’re going to have to think like one of them. Imagine the bingo chat operator as the ‘eye in the online sky’ – always watching over you and ensuring that the concept of mutual respect is always adhered to.

Remember there’s no yelling at the Chat Room Operator, this is the person who facilitates a peaceful and enjoyable gaming environment. In this vein you’re going to want to use all standard chat room rules such as no uppercase letters, no bold red text (remember from your school days how your teachers scolded you in red?) and no nasty icons that offend others. For starters avoid giving yourself an offensive name because we’re trying to build a sense of community and not trying to ostracize others. Other things you should avoid at all costs are pretending to be someone else, or worse yet demean other players while in the chat room.

An issue that I’ve seen raised again and again – often done by ‘agents’ of other bingo rooms is that of spamming the chat forums. Let’s be clear about what the intent of this game is: having fun. When I sign up to an online room, the last thing I want to see is some other bingo room having its agents try and lure players away from the site they’re currently at. I mean these things make sense and they’re not unreasonable requests. If you’re thinking about starting your own blog it would be hurtful too if readers were paying scant attention to the fantastic qualities of the site by way of spamming.

If you’ve encountered any of the aforementioned poor conduct in bingo chat rooms, do let me know. It’s important that we stick together as a community and inform fellow gamers what the norms are.

Image credit: the_dugghouse

About Jeremy Stersky