Good chat, penpal and community site. (justchat.co.uk)

Member Name: chatpen

Product:	justchat.co.uk
Date:	05/05/04 (1695 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Popular community, Free, Addictive

Disadvantages: Occasional abuse, Addictive!

I have been using this website for about two years now, so thought I would add my opinions here.

Just Chat is a community site which seems to have a UK focus. As a result, most of its members are from the UK however I often come across others from the USA, Australia and elswhere.

The primary focus of the site is on its chat rooms which can be used without registering. The chat system used is Java based so usually no software downloads are needed to get chatting. This make the chat section of the site very easy to use and access. Unfortunately this can also be a problem as abusers can find it easy to gain access and cause trouble. In an attempt to reduce this problem, the website has a team of Chat Guides who are often on duty to help new chatters and deal with any abuse which may occur. I have to say that whilst the site does need more Chat Guides and can at times struggle with abuse, it is one of the 'cleanest' and friendliest chat sites I have come across. As a free service I think its site owners should be proud.

Obviously chat safety is something the media are scrutinising recently. This webite makes it clear it is only for those over the age of 18. As well as offering safety advice throughout the site, it states any users under 18 or considered to be using the site to initiate chat of a sexual nature will be ejected. Quite a refreshing approach, in my opinion.

Moving onto the next section of the site, we come to the message boards. These were introduced relatively recently - around October 2003 I believe. Already they have close to 1,500 members with hundreds of postings each and every day from subjects as intellectual as politics, to ridiculous threads about what shoes people are wearing.

Again, the site moderates the message boards and offensive or abusive posts are rare. Due to the popularity of the site, often I find I am deluged with 'useless' posts which are just pure drivel! However recently a
new section of the boards has opened which is dedicated to current affairs and serious posts and this makes the boards far more interesting and enjoyable to use.

Moving onto the newest feature of the site, we come to the email penpals (epals) section. I find this section refreshing as at no stage are you asked for money or joining fees. Quite simply, you sign-up with an email address and select a few interests and write a short blurb about yourself. You can then post your profile on the site and search for other potential penpals with similar interests. The site makes it clear that the epals section is not designed for dating - rather it is designed for finding friendship. The penpals section is extremely easy to use and all profiles are manually checked before going live on the site. As a result I have not yet come across any offensive or sexual content.

In general, I feel Just Chat is a great site to use and I am glad I came across it. It is easy to use and takes what it does seriously. As a free site, it offers so much more than many sites which ask for membership fees. It addresses safety issues with clear advise, contains a clear privacy policy and is always encouraging its members for new ideas for future development.

As a community site, it does rely on the input and interaction of its members. As a result, problems can occur at times with abuse however, in general I feel the site is an inviting place to be and I have lost a great deal of my online time there. I can only see this site improving over time with new features. Be warned - it can be addictive!

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