UK Chat Rooms

     As you may already know, the British love a good conversation. They enjoy catching up with old friends or meeting new people and finding out all about them. Either way, if you want to find someone to talk to, our UK chat rooms are the place for you! Chat rooms are a wonderful way of meeting and conversing with people from the same town, or county as you. They are a wonderful way of meeting people from other countries. You can make connections with people from all walks of life that you may otherwise not have had the chance to meet. 

     Now, it is possible that some of you in the UK are wondering what a chat room is. In basic terms, a chat room works just like your Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp. Think of it as a written conversation. You send a message that the other person reads immediately and responds. Generally, you will both be online at the same time and you can see that the other person is there to talk to. In our chat rooms, our aim is to help establish a connection that could lead to a long-term friendship or possibly even more. This page wants to help you have the best chance of establishing a wonderful friendship so read on and listen carefully to our advice.

First Impressions Count for Everything!

     We all know how important first impressions are. It is said that it only takes a tenth of a second to form a first impression. We feel like it may take a little bit longer than this in our chat rooms as you are not face-to-face. However, while you may only be messaging online a first impression will still be made very quickly. You must make sure your first message is memorable, relevant, and polite. You want the other person to be immediately interested in you. You do not want them thinking “Wow, this person is boring!”. Here are a few ideas for your first, and probably most important, message.

• Stick to what you know - there is nothing like the basics but make sure you are not too boring! A simple “Hello, how are you today?” is completely fine as it is a normal, everyday question that anyone would be happy to answer. However, you need to be careful when using the everyday approach as this could be seen as boring and not very creative. It could be said that you should combine the basics with some of the other tips we have below. 
• Use a specific opening comment or question - being more specific is more likely to get you a response, especially if what you say is very interesting and relevant. If you use phrases such as ‘I notice that…’ or ‘You have written in your profile that’ you are showing the other person that you have taken time and care to look through their information and find out more about them. It also demonstrates your genuine interest in them and that you want to find out more. Be specific and avoid being too vague. This approach will get you a response as long as your specificity is not taken as rude or invasive. 
• Would you rather have questions - these can be excellent ice-breakers as they are either funny, thought-provoking or both! Asking questions like would you rather have all the money in the world or be immortal? Would you rather have £50,000,000 right now or be 15 again with everything you know now? Would you rather have fingers for toes or toes for fingers? Okay, so the last one is a bit of fun but is still a question that could get a response! Just make sure you keep these sorts of questions clean and polite!
• Deep questioning - now, you must be careful with this one as you do not want to ask questions that could be deemed prying or digging too deep! If you ask someone how much money they make each month or why they have never been married you run the risk of offending the other person and our UK members certainly don’t want to feel they are being grilled! You could ask ‘What is the most meaningful event in your life so far’. These questions can be highly effective but also risky, think carefully. 
• General, open-ended questioning - these are excellent but make sure you do not rely on them too often. A simple ‘What has been the best part of your day?’ or ‘What makes you smile?’ is open-ended enough that the other person feels comfortable answering them while understanding that they can give as much or as little information as they wish. 

While the above tips generally concern your opening message there are some other things to remember when it comes to all of your messages.

1. Be respectful.  You must treat the other person the same way online as you would in ‘the real world’. People from the UK are not as rude as the media might make you think but you still need to be polite, listen, and respond accordingly. We would say that respect is the number one factor to keep in mind when chatting to anyone online.
2. No rude jokes.  People in the UK like a good joke but you must keep them clean, at least in the beginning until you know the other person well enough! Make sure you keep away from rude comments, jokes, and photos (more on these later) so that you do not come across as too much of a joker or someone who is always rude.  
3. Make it interesting.  A bored person is a person who walks away from your conversations. You need to keep their interest by asking insightful, open questions and listening carefully. Demonstrate that you have listened through making relevant comments, and asking questions relating to previous conversations or what you see in their profile. People from the UK appreciate being listened to and will spot when this is not happening.
4. Make it relevant.  Don’t focus on the past or comment on something completely irrelevant. They need to know that you are interested in them and not clutching at straws or talking too much about yourself!

Your Picture Says a Thousand Words

In an online chat room, a picture can either lead to a thousand words shared or cause the other person to refrain from talking at all. Your photo is of vital importance and we do not mean that people will judge your appearance (they might). This will be the first thing they look at and it could make or break your chances of a conversation taking place. It is said that it takes a person less than a second to make a judgment about a person. It could be said this is even quicker when looking at a photo. Let’s focus on what will be relevant and what to avoid doing in your photos so as not to deter our UK users from talking with you!

The Do's and Don'ts of Profile's Photos in Europe Chat Rooms

Something else to consider is the quality of your photos. They need to be clear, open and honest. By open and honest we mean that they should not hide anything or be seen to be covering something up! It is also a good idea to have at least one photo that is a full portrait, showing you smiling. Make sure it is recent, not from ten years ago! Don't be afraid to experiment with different pictures and seek feedback from friends. What you think looks good may not necessarily be the most appealing to others. If you have several good pictures, consider switching them out occasionally to keep your profile fresh and interesting. Additionally, always be honest in your pictures – being authentic is key to attracting the right people who are genuinely interested in you.

Small Talk Examples & Topics to Avoid in English Chat Rooms

Asking questions is the basis of every aspect of our day-to-day living. On average we, as adults, ask around 25 to 35 questions a day(!) so we need to make sure that they all count. You want to make sure your UK match does not feel like they are being interviewed or interrogated but rather an equal part of an interesting conversation. Here are some questions that you should consider if you want to make a meaningful connection in our UK chat rooms. 

• ‘How are you today?’. Now this is not suitable for a first message but is still a good question once a connection is made. You can ask your UK friend how they are, how their day has been etc which shows your genuine interest in them. Proceed with caution though as you do not want them to get bored or irritated by repeating the same question.
• Asking about their family. Remember, people from the UK love their family and want to find a match that shares this love. When you first start chatting you can ask about their siblings, where they grew up etc. However, make sure you are not too personal with these questions as you do not want them to feel forced into giving information they are not ready to share. Ask general questions until you are both ready to share more.
• Day-to-day life - ask your new UK friend about their job or hobbies. If you are unaware of their line of work you can ask questions that give a bit more information. This shows you are interested in their work and not just the social aspects. If you are in a similar line of work you could share stories. Just make sure you do not get too personal such as asking how much they earn or why they haven’t been promoted yet. 
• Tell me one thing that….questions. As long as you are not rude or intrusive these can be excellent, especially as an opening question. ‘Tell me one thing that made you smile today’ is excellent and can be answered in as little or as much detail as is desired. People from the UK do not like to be mocked so make sure you do not joke about their answers. Respect what they have to say and they will speak with you more!

Sometimes it is what we do not say or ask that is most important. There are some questions you will want to make sure to avoid in order to keep the conversation going! Here are just a few to consider.

• Don’t be intrusive - yes, you will want to find out more about your UK friend but there is being interested and then there is prying. Intrusive questions are those that have an answer that is very personal such as ‘How much money do you earn each month?’. This doesn’t show interest but more of a dig into their personal life. Some intrusive questions can be asked but much later when a connection is made. You can ask about past relationships or interests in having children when you and your UK friend have a more established connection. 
• Sex - People of the UK will not want to share any information about their sex lives, at least not until they have a very secure relationship as they can be quite reserved. If you ask questions of this nature you are likely to scare the other person away. Our UK users want to match with people based on trust and mutual respect.
• Stay relevant and interesting - Yes, you can ask general questions about their day or what the weather is like where they are but not all the time, especially as the weather in the UK is generally the same! If these sorts of questions are the foundation of all your conversations your new connection will quickly become an old connection. Our UK members are laid back and love chit-chat but they do not want to be bored!

Just remember, if it sounds wrong to ask then it probably is!

Your Safety in the UK Chat Room is Paramount

Some people enter the online world and suddenly feel the same rules in the real world no longer apply. This is certainly not the case. When using our UK chat rooms your first priority should be to make sure you are safe. You also want to make sure that the other person feels safe as well. Now, at chatandmatch.com we do everything within our power to make sure all of our users not only feel safe but are safe at all times. We have a contact service for any issues that arise and monitor our users, making sure they have not had any prior instances of abusing others. Here are some things to consider to make sure you are safe.

• Bank details - You would not walk up to a complete stranger in the street and give them your sort code, account number, and the four-digit PIN for your bank card. The same rules apply when using our online chat rooms. In all honesty, if someone is genuinely interested in making a connection with you they will not be asking you for financial assistance in any way. People who do this can sometimes be very clever. They will make you feel sorry for them and create a desire to help them. If you notice this happening you have three options. 1. Give them the money, this is a massive risk that could cause you financial and/ or mental health issues. 2. Call them out on it and ask what their intentions are etc but be warned, if they want to scam you for your money they will lie convincingly or 3. Stop the chat immediately and contact us!
• Photos - this is becoming an ever-growing issue in the online world. People share inappropriate photos of themselves with others. They do this because they think the other person is genuinely interested/ in love with them or to get positive attention. More often than not all that happens is the sender feels bad or dirty for sending such a photo and ends up regretting it a great deal. These photos could be used for any number of inappropriate purposes that could ruin your career and your mental health. 
• Meeting offline - be careful and make sure you have established a long-term relationship and are happy that they are who they say they are. We check our members thoroughly but we do not know them as a person. If the time comes that you both agree to meet offline you should also agree to have chaperones, and meet during the day and in a public place. Please do not be scared by this part. We hope that 100% of matches can lead to meeting offline and establishing long-term, successful relationships. If someone asks to meet offline after only a few days, this could be a red flag.

We hope that you have found this article regarding our UK chat rooms interesting and informative. We want all of our members to have the best experience possible while using our services. Just remember to always chat in a respectful, kind manner and in a way that you would like to be treated. Good luck in our UK chat rooms and we hope you find someone you can make a long-lasting connection with!