Virtual Chat
Courtesies & Reponsibilities
Virtual Chat Courtesies and Reponsibilities
An original essay by C. Moon-Acha ©1995-2015
Yes, yes, I know, I know — YOU know all about the virtual world, its dangers, its pitfalls, and so forth. But, you'd be surprised to find that a majority of the people who chat online do not know, and many who DO know still chat, e-mail and surf unsafely.
In my many years online, I have met a variety of people from all over the world, and no matter what a person's background is, that person is a human being, capable of love and caring, and filled with emotions and desires and needs, one of which most often is simply acceptance. People come online in search for what they cannot find or are afraid to search for.
I have seen many people form real-time relationships built from one in the virtual world. Some of these relationships are filled with happiness, and many have come to an end; thankfully most do not end up in the worst possible scenario.
If you ponder the notion of meeting someone you have met online, just two words: BE CAREFUL. Never meet at anyone's home. Always meet in a very public place. Always be on the alert. Consider that by allowing that person from virtual-time into your real-time life, you also invite that person into the lives of your family and friends.
Consider the very true case of a young girl, who chatted often with a young boy. Through the couple of months they talked, she never overtly gave him any information about her, yet much to her surprise, she came home from soccer practice to find him in her home, talking to her parents. Not only that, but this man had first been at her soccer practice watching.
The young boy was actually a man, and lucky for her a concerned police officer. Although she did not give him her full name, address or phone number, she did here and there, did divulge enough information about her. The "young boy" learned her first name almost right away and he learned that she was alone two hours a day before her parents came home from work. They got closer, and they talked of their hobbies and school activities. Through this, he learned played soccer for her junior high school, her soccer team name and her jersey number. He also knew on Saturdays, her team had a four hour practice. He also knew her time zone. With this very little information, he was able to narrow down to the few states that fit the time zone. An easy search, he determined the junior high schools with girls soccer teams and that specific team name; further investigation, he narrowed down further the schools that set up practices on Saturdays. It took only a few hours to find one school. He went to her practice, and watched her, spotting her number right away. He spoke with parents at the practice, commenting on how well "number so and so" did. Easily he learned her full name.
When the girl got home and found a policeman there, speaking with her parents, she had no idea who he was. When he introduced himself, she paled. He then told her the story, how he had found her, and his speaking with her parents about what had taken place.
Luckily, this girl learned her lesson not tragically like many have already done.
In chat rooms, especially those of a role play nature, often times certain bonds are made between characters. While there are those that may be truly geniune, there are those that either purposefully set out to manipulate and victimize those unsuspecting, possibly with malicious intent for physical harm, and there are those that simply enjoy a game and don't care either way if the other person is hurt or not. Then there are those that are just — clueless.
In Gor, it's not any different. In fact, Gor seems to attract many of society's losers and manipulators.
The general rule is — COURTESY.
C |
OMPUTERS are machines, but it takes real people with real feelings, emotions, desires and needs to operate them. In ALL chat rooms, there are many that make their online world a part of their real world. |
O |
BSERVE and LEARN the beliefs of Goreans. |
U |
NDERSTAND that though you are not asked to adopt these beliefs as your own personal real-time beliefs, KNOW that there are those that do and ACT within this belief system while being a part of this room. Not everyone views Gor as role-playing. |
R |
ESPECT others for their beliefs, desires and needs. |
T |
ALK to your Master/slave and KNOW each other's needs, desires and commitments of the relationship; if it is strictly virtual or if there is a possibility of the relationship extending into real-time. |
E |
DUCATE yourself on the beliefs and cultures of Gor world. |
S |
TAY OUT! If all you seek is a way to manipulate and toy with others' feelings and minds, if all you seek is the amusement of an interactive role play game. |
Y |
ONDER is the door to other chats if all you are looking for is a cyber-sex playland. |
Special Note
Many long hours of research went into the making of these pages. Resources such as the New York City Library were helpful in obtaining much of the information presented. Online resources include, but are not limited to:
- American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition ©2001
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition ©2000
- Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, ©2004
- Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2004-2006
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006
Disclaimer
These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.