Chatters select or build their own characters, or avatars. Inside The Palace chat site, for example, a provocatively posed Cindy Crawford may be posing in the corner of a virtual castle dungeon. Every time Cindy's creator types something into his text box, then hits Enter, a comic striplike balloon appears on screen above her head. Both immediately turn gray, indicating the two are talking privately. The rest of the room continues spouting off in word balloons.
Conversations ebb and flow with departures and arrivals in each room.
You might select a simple happy-face icon, announcing yourself present and ready to interact. Inevitably, other avatars will begin directing questions to you, making small talk. But it can also be confusing for neophytes. Even over the fastest modems and connections, transmission delays can make chats disjointed. Avatar chat usually offers limited animation tools, so avatars can express emotions or move.