Key to Harmony

Quick Instructions | Etiquette | Advanced Instructions | Chat Home

How to Chat

To enter the room, click on "Log on to Chat." Enter your username/nickname. Chat names can not contain any spaces or special characters. You may also enter your real name email address, and a password. (We do NOT verify this information). Click "OK, Connect." You will now be in the KEYRoom. You will see the other chat users in the black window on the right. Type your message in the text box at the bottom of the screen (where it says, "Type Here") and hit return. Messages are sent to all users by default.

[NOTE: You cannot save or reserve your chat nickname. Nicknames are freed up as soon as you log out of a chat room.]
Private Chat: Highlight the user you wish to send a private message to, check the "Private Chat" checkbox and then type your message. Your message is sent only to that user with a [PRIVATE your_name] in front of it so he/she knows who sent it and that it is private. Only two users can participate in one Private chat.
Ignore User: You can ignore an individual by highlighting their nickname and clicking on the "Ignore User" button. The Ignored users input will not be visible to you after that. Please email Key to Harmony with details of the problem.
To end your chat session, click the 'Log Off' button.
The 'About' button displays information about ParaChat in the message box.
The 'F.A.Q.' button displays this page in a new browser window.
We use abbreviations to save time from typing. They also help us to express our tone of voice by sharing that what we said was not meant to be taken too seriously. For instance: "I am an expert!", may be taken seriously, but "I am an expert ! (VBG)", with a Very Big Grin added to it, conveys a lighter, poking fun at myself, meaning.

Frequently Used Chat Abbreviations
LOL	Laughing Out Loud
ROFL	Rolling On the Floor Laughing
<G>	Grin
<VBG>	Very Big Grin
F2F	Face To Face (meetings)
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion
ES&H	Experience, Strength & Hope
CAL	Conference Approved Literature
C2C	Courage to Change (Al Anon Literature)
ODAT	One Day at a Time (Al Anon Literature)
BA	Before Al Anon
((((((name)))))	Give named person a hug!

Etiquette

First and foremost is anonymity. What is said there and by whom, should remain there.
Scheduled chat meetings in the Key to Harmony KEYRoom have a chairperson, just like face-to-face meetings, who will lead the meeting. And also like face-to-face meetings we take turns sharing and refrain from crosstalk. To be recognized by the chair, please type an exclamation point ! It's like raising your hand.
When you are finished sharing, please type [done] so that others will know that you are finished.
In a meeting, when the Chair acknowledges that it is your turn to share, say, "Thank you", to alert others that you will be typing your share, and are not lost in Cyberspace.
While we have no rules in Open Chat, there are common courtesies. Just by participating, you will pick up on them. However, in order to get acclimated here are some suggestions:
- When others enter the room say, "Hi (their name)."
- When having a one-on-one private conversation with another member, let the group know, so they do not try to engage both of you in the conversation.
- Generally when we ask for E, S & H from the group in Open Chat, we are given the floor. Others will wait while we talk. In this case, type "Done" to let others know you are finished and ready for their input.
- In meetings, after a member is finished sharing, type "Thank you (their name)".

Advanced Chat Instructions

The 'Float' button: Click on the Float button to bring up the chat applet in its own window, separate from the browser. This separate chat window can be resized and moved independently of the browser window containing the chat web page. Use Unfloat to fix the room back on the chat web page. Please note, by default the size of the floated window is 3/4 the size of your browser window. You can re-size it as you wish.
Type '*chat' in the text box (where you type to send messages) to get help on how to change fonts and colors for your window. [Note: You must include the asterisk (*).]
For example:
*chat bgcolor black (changes background color of the chat window to black)
*chat fgcolor green (changes foreground (text) color of the chat window to green)
*chat font courier (changes font of the chat window to Courier)
*chat fontsize 14 (changes font size of the chat window to 14)
*chat (gives help on the entire list of commands available)

[NOTE: The KEYRoom settings will revert back to the default when you log out of a room.]
Use the *beep command in the KEYRoom to set an audio cue when anyone enters or leaves the room. If you enter *beep (in the message line) you will get a help message as well as the current beep settings.

To turn beep on when someone enters the room use:
*beep enter on

To turn beep on when someone leaves the room use:
*beep leave on

To turn beep off when someone enters the room use:
*beep enter off

To turn beep off when someone leaves the room use:
*beep leave off

[NOTE: Settings will revert back to the default (sounds off) when you leave the room.]
User Info: Highlight the user name and click on the 'User Info' button to get info on the user's login. While we urge people to be forthcoming, there is no guarantee that the information you see when clicking on "User Info" is accurate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

User Features:

What kind of browser do I need to chat?
Is there a Java enabled browser for Windows 3.1 that works with this chat?
I am using a MAC and cannot connect to any KEYRoom. Why?
I use AOL, how can I chat?
I am using a proxy server or am behind a firewall, can I chat?
Does this chat work with IRC? Can I use an IRC client to connect to a KEYRoom or use the chat client to connect to IRC?
Does this chat client work with Web TV?
I am using Netscape 3.0/MS I.E. 3.0 on Windows 95 and still get the 'Sorry not Java enabled' message, is there some option I need to set?
I cannot connect to chat. I get some or all of the following messages: Connection Failed. Disconnected: Network connection closed. Why? What do I do?
I get one or more of the following messages: 'Security Violation. Java.lang.verify error, Applet exception:java.lang.ClassFormatError and the chat applet does not load, what do I do?
Why does it take longer to connect to chat sometimes?
I get ...'could not connect to server BAD_PARAMETERS:BAD_PARAMETERS'. Why?
I was logged on and the connection to the Internet/chat server dropped. I cannot log back with the same username (nickname) Why?
My Java console gives me a 'set daemon bug' message on Netscape. What is that?

User Features:

What kind of browser do I need to chat?
You need to use a web browser that is Java enabled in order to use chat on the Key to Harmony web site.

If your browser is not Java enabled you will not see the KEYRoom but get a message 'Sorry your browser is not Java enabled.'

Windows 95 users may chat using any of the following browsers: Netscape 2.0, or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher.

Win 3.1 users can use Netscape 3.01 Beta with Java for Windows 3.1. (See below for more Win 3.1 questions.)

MAC users must use MS Internet Explorer 3.01b. The KEYRooms will not work reliably with Netscape 3.0. (Please see below for more MAC related questions.)

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Is there a Java enabled browser for Windows 3.1 that works with this chat?
You could use the new Navigator 3.01 Beta with Java for Windows 3.1 available for download at Netscape Software Download.

It is believed to work with this chat client though it is slow and has some bugs.

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I am using a MAC and cannot connect to any KEYRooms. Why?
There are known problems with Netscape's implementation of Java on the MAC and the ParaChat software developers are working with Netscape on a solution. The recommended version of Netscape for MAC users is Netscape 3.04. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.01b is known to work well for some Mac users but with some repaint bugs.

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I use AOL, how can I chat?
Just connect to AOL, go to the Word Wide Web, minimize the AOL window and launch a Java enabled browser. You can download Netscape Navigator v3.01 from http://www.netscape.com or Microsoft Internet Explorer v3.0 from http://www.microsoft.com.

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I am using a proxy server or am behind a firewall, can I chat?
Sorry, but you will be unable to access any of the KEYRooms from behind a firewall or via a proxy server.

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Does this chat work with IRC? Can I use an IRC client to connect to a KEYRoom or use the chat client to connect to IRC?
Yes. You will still need the room password to use this method. This chat client uses a superset of the IRC protocol, the chat server can be currently accessed via an IRC client. However, the chat client cannot be used to connect to an IRC channel.

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Does this chat client work with Web TV?
No, this chat does not work with Web TV.

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I am using Netscape 3.0/MS I.E. 3.0 on Windows 95 and still get the 'Sorry not Java enabled' message, is there some option I need to set?
Make sure that your browser's Java feature is enabled. For Netscape Navigator, enable Java by going to the browser's pull-down menu and clicking "Options,", "Network Preferences", "Language." Make sure the "Enable Java" checkbox is checked.

For Microsoft Internet Explorer, select "View" from the browser's pull-down menu then choose "Options," "Security." Check the "Enable Java programs" checkbox.

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I cannot connect to chat. I get some or all of the following messages: Connection Failed. Disconnected: Network connection closed. Why? What do I do?
These errors are due to your Internet connection going down or your inability to access the chat servers. This can be due to a failure on your ISP (Internet Service Provider), your modem or a downed computer on the path between your computer and the chat server. It can also be because you are behind a firewall or using a proxy server (i.e not directly connected to the Net).

If you suspect the connection problem is due to some other computer on the path from your machine to the chat server, you can do a trace route to see the connection lags. You may want to just check back later when the Net is behaving better. Also, if you suspect something is amiss, try http://www.internetweather.com ... which is updated every 15 minutes.

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I get one or more of the following messages: 'Security Violation. Java.lang.verify error, Applet exception:java.lang.ClassFormatError and the chat applet does not load, what do I do?
This is probably because your browser is caching an earlier version of the applet. Here's how to solve that problem:

Flush the browser's cache:

For Netscape : On the browser's menu bar, go to "Options," select "Network Preferences," select "Cache," click on "Clear Memory Cache Now," click on "OK." Click on "Clear Disk Cache Now", click on "OK." Set "Verify Documents to Every Time," click on "OK."

For Microsoft Internet Explorer: On the browser's menu bar, go to "View," select "Options," select "Advanced," click on "Settings for the Temporary Internet Files." Check the "Every Visit" to the page option under Check for newer versions of stored pages. Click on "Empty Folder" and select "Yes" to the delete temporarily files message. Click on "OK" in the Options Dialog.

Exit the browser completely and restart it.

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Why does it take longer to connect to chat sometimes?
It could be due to your machine, slowness of the chat server, or any computer on the Net that's in between them. You can often determine which computer on the Net is causing the problem by doing a trace route to see the connection lags. From time to time, we are all victims of Internet slow downs. You may want to just check back later when the Net is behaving better. Also, if you suspect something is amiss, try http://www.internetweather.com ... which is updated every 15minutes ...

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I get ...'could not connect to server BAD_PARAMETERS:BAD_PARAMETERS'. Why?
Netscape Gold 3.0 users may get this error due to a parameter passing bug present in that particular version of the browser. On certain versions of Netscape, this problem can be fixed by changing the Document Encoding to 'Western'. On your browser, click on Options, then click on Document Encoding and set it to Western. If that does not correct the problem, you may need to use another browser/version like Netscape 3.0 (non Gold), Gold 3.01 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. If you still experience a "bad parameter" message after taking the above steps, please let us know.

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I was logged on and the connection to the Internet/chat server dropped. I cannot log back with the same username (nickname) Why?
If you log back via the same machine (IP address) it detects a more recent login and lets you in. However if you use another IP address (another machine or a dynamic IP address), it will not permit another login if it still has a login under that user name. After a time-out period of 15 minutes the user is automatically logged off and you can then reuse the same user name (nickname).

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My Java console gives me a 'set daemon bug' message on Netscape. What is that?
This is just an informational message. You can ignore it.

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