Worldwide communication has grown so rapidly since the popularization of the internet chat room and message board forum, that many internet users feel overwhelmed by the scope of their potential community. Thanks to chat systems, you can talk to people from all over the world without even having to leave your house. Chat room and message board forum communications have been responsible for people forming friendships and relationships, for sparking discussion, asking and giving advice, sharing interests, and engaging in heated debate.

Chat rooms are online sites in which people can chat in real time via type broadcast to others on the site, while a message board forum is a site on which a user can post a topic, statement, or question to which other users can respond. Typically called a thread, the comments on a forum post serve to create a sounding board for any imaginable topic. Chat rooms and message board forums are generally harmless, friendly, useful, and fun to use; however, as is the case with the internet in general, there is a dark side to online chat.

Most forums and chat rooms have measure of security involved with participation. As a user, you would usually need to register with the site in question and agree to the site's privacy policy and terms of service. You will typically be asked create an ID, password, and user profile, which lets you limit the amount of personal information displayed to the public. It is a well-known (though not always well-practiced) fact that chat and message board forum users should not reveal their personal information to other users, as it could be negatively used, for everything from online stalking to identity theft. Some chat rooms and message board forums focus on social chat, and often are frequented by teenagers or younger children who can fall victim to online predators.

Though many sites in the U.S. restrict young children from creating profiles or participating in chats or forums, there is no real way to verify the age of a user, and no real way to stop an underage user from frequenting chat rooms and message board forums based outside the U.S. There are many predators and pedophiles who use the anonymity of online chat to seek out targets, often by creating a fake profile and gaining the trust of an intended victim, about whom they then collect information and attempt to seek out in real life.

Moderators and others who run reputable chat rooms and message board forums generally post rules outlining acceptable behavior and consequences for breaking the rules, but the internet is simply too big to be monitored every minute, and plenty of people have the opportunity to post rude or harassing messages in a chat environment. If you or someone in your family is being harassed in a chat room or message board forum, you can report the harasser to the site moderator, who should be able to investigate and take action. There are also several steps you should take to disassociate yourself from the harasser, such as:

1. Block all the user's known accounts from contacting or viewing your profiles.
2. Set your profiles to a private or "friends only" mode if necessary.
3. Remove any pictures of yourself from the internet.
4. Change the username and passwords of any accounts the harasser may know about, and block him or her from your email and IM buddy lists.
5. When selecting a new user name, try to make it neutral and unrelated to your former user names, your real name, or any interests of yours the harasser may know about.
6. If the harasser has your email address, consider switching email addresses and make sure to block the harasser from your new address and scan all incoming messages and attachments.
7. Install antivirus software, a virus scanner, and a firewall to prevent the harasser (or anyone else) from accessing the information on your computer via a virus or piece of spyware.
8. Do not open ANY email correspondence from the harasser or any new, unrecognized email address.
9. Do not respond to your harasser in chat rooms or message board forums, and do not allow him or her to draw you into a confrontation.
10. If your harasser continues to contact you, keep a log of all messages, emails, and other correspondence sent and report it to the moderator of the site or to law enforcement officials, if it truly gets out of hand.
11. If the harasser still has access to your preferred message board forums and chat rooms, remember that you always have the option to leave them yourself. Find a new circle of cyberfriends and start fresh.
12. If you have given the harasser your phone number or any other personal contact information at any point, change what you can. If you feel the harasser is truly dangerous and he or she has your home or work address, don't take any chances.

Chat rooms and message board forums can be wonderful platforms to meet and talk with people across the world, but it is important to remember to guard yourself and your family against those who would abuse the anonymity of the internet. By taking basic precautions to keep your own information safeguarded, you can enjoy the benefits of chat rooms and message board forums without worrying about your safety.