Taken from the xat page.
Sending a Message
To send a message type it into the message entry box at the bottom of the chat box. The message will be sent to the other people in the chat room when you press the return key.
[edit] Visitor List
The visitor list is a list of people that are currently chatting in the room. Each name has a person symbol next to it and the color indicates their status. Green is online, red is off-line, gold is owner, silver is moderator, blue is member, grey is ignored and brown is banned. Some users might have a purple/pink icon, this is because they have the Powers to do so.
When you send a message your person in the visitor / friend list will glow green to indicate you are talking. When others send messages you will be able to see their person glow as well.
Smilies
Smilies are pictures that can be added to messages. You can add smiles but either clicking the mouse on one of the default smiles above the message entry box or by using the code for the smilie. E.g. : - ) is the code for the standard yellow smilie. There are lots of additional smiles that are not part of the standard set that can be found at http://xat.com/help?ss=5 Anytime you are on a chat page, an you want to display the full list of smilies (besides the subscriber smilies) look to the left of the chat box, above the red x is a tiny icon with four little smilies on it, clicking that icon will bring up the smilie list, then simply click on a smilie an the code for that smilie will appear in your text box. If you want the code so you can manually type in the code yourself just hover over the smilie you want the code for.
If you have any ideas for a new cool smilie please submit it to xat.com/vote and show a picture of what it might look like if possible.
Audies
Audies are sound effects that can be added to messages. An audie is sent by using # followed by the name of the sound. E.g. #raspberry #giddy #ohh It will appear as a sound icon in the message and play when the message is received. It can be played again by clicking on it. You’ll find hundreds more of them here http://xat.com/audies
Group Groups
The owner of the chat box you are on may have added a chat group to their chat box. This will appear as a second tab next to the main tab. A chat group is a shared chat room created for a specific purpose. This could be:
To discuss a particular subject (e.g. music, anime, surfing, computer games)
For a specific age group or type of person e.g. 20 something, students
For a specific country or language
You can also access the chat groups directly by clicking on the green speech bubble on the bottom left of the chat box or going to http://xatech.com/groups
If you would like to search through all the chat groups in a wide range of chats from A-Z, go to http://web.xat.com/groupdirectory
Turn Sound & Radio On/Off
You can turn chat box sounds on and off by clicking on the speaker icon on the bottom right of the chat box. A disabled sign will appear on it. To turn sounds back on, click again. If you want to turn the sound down, hover your cursor over the speaker, then move the arrow up and down to lower or higher the sound. If you are a main owner of a chat box, you can set all default sounds to on or off by clicking the *edit your chat* button on the bottom right of your chat box. Then go to *extra features*, scroll down and you will see the option for this.
If a chat has a radio station, you may click the radio icon to turn it on. You may adjust the volume same way as chat sounds. If you're main owner click Edit Your Chat then Extra Features to set up a radio station.
Sign In/Out
To sign out of the chat box press the Sign Out button, you will be shown on the user list as offline and you will not be able to see or send messages until you press Sign In or refresh the page.
Receiving/Sending a Private Message
A private message appears in the chat window but has only been sent to one person. It is like being in a room full of people and whispering something to someone that you only want them to hear. If you see a message that has a gold padlock next to it, that person has sent you a private message that only you will see. You may wish to respond to this message by sending them a private reply.
To send a private message to another user, click on their name in either the chat or the visitor list. On the menu that pops up, click on *Private Message* and a large padlock will appear on the left side of the text box. This indicates that the next message you send will be a private message.
Starting/Responding to a Private Chat
A private chat is a conversation with only two people; it is like leaving a room full of people and finding a private room to talk in. When you are sent a private chat message a tab will appear with the senders name on it under the message window. It will flash to indicate a new message and the speech bubble will remain green to show that you have not read it yet. Click on the tab and you will be in a private chat with that person. While you are having a private chat with one person you may also see the main room and other private chats flashing and remaining green to indicate new or unread messages. You can switch between these and maintain conversations with several people at once if you want to. When you have finished with a private chat move over the tab and press the red x that appears to close it.
Been Auto-Signed Out?
If you haven’t typed a message for over 10 minutes then the chat box will automatically sign you out. To sign back in again Press the Sign In button on the bottom right. Owners and Moderators are not automatically signed out so should take more care to sign out when they leave to prevent visitors being confused that you are not answering them.
Have you been Kicked?
If you have been kicked out of a chat box then you will need to Sign In again if you wish to continue chatting. There will be an information message that is sent to everyone in the room they says who was kicked, who did the kicking and the reason for the kick. You will also be "Gagged" (Unable to chat) for 15 seconds after being kicked.
Have you been Banned?
If you have been banned from a chat box then you will have received a banned information message and your icon in the user list will be brown and the name will have been changed to "Banned". You will still be able to see the messages being sent but the other people in the room will not receive any message you try to send. The ban may be for a limited duration and if so you could return later. The ban may have been a warning and they may un-ban you sooner if you remain online for a while.
If you believe you have been unfairly banned you should click "Report Unfair ban" on the large window that appears upon being banned. This will send a message to the owner saying that you've been banned, why you think it's unfair (If you included text), and your email (If you included it). If the ban happened while you were online it will send a transcript of what was recently said on the main chat prior to you being banned and give the chats creator an option to de-mod the person who banned you.
People who have added you as a friend can see your Private chat.
Profile Dialog
Click YourName at the top of the visitors list on the right to set up your profile. If you are new to the chat box you will have been assigned a silly name like WuggyBunch and a random picture but these are easy to change.
How do I change my Name?
Enter your name in the name edit box as you want it to appear on the user list. You can use smilie codes in your name if you want to and these will be displayed on the visitors and friends lists.
How do I change my Picture?
To change your display picture choose one of the default images shown by clicking on it. Every time you choose one you will get another selection from which to choose. If you wish to look at a wider selection of images click the more… button and follow the instructions. Alternatively, you can use any picture you like but it must be uploaded somewhere on the Internet to do this. Paste the link / url into the Picture box. You can upload your own images to photobucket for use on the chat box.
Change Picture Tutorial
How do I change my Home Page?
To add a homepage or set a different one enter the link / url to it e.g. http://www.[Homepage].com in the homepage edit box as you want it to appear on the user list. If you have a home page specified whenever you post a message a small home icon will appear next to your name. If someone clicks on this they will open your homepage. To remove this leave the homepage edit box blank.
How do I turn off automatically sign in?
If you don’t want to be automatically signed in to the chat box on web pages you visit then you can turn off automatically sign in. On your profile page and uncheck Sign In Automatically. You will have to click [Sign In] every time you visit a chat box to appear on the visitor list and to chat. To return to automatically signing in, click your name and check the box again, then click OK.
How do I Reset my ID/user data?
If you wish to reset your ID number, and screen name (not your registered ID or account name) right click on any chat screen, then click settings. You should see a little arrow/gauge that you can move from left to right, move the arrow all the way to the left then press close. After you refresh the chat page or go to a new chat page these effects will take place. Doing this will remove your friends list, as well as all your data an status in chat rooms you visited. So if you do not want to loose all of the data stored, friends list, status etc.. Do not reset. If you reset completely then log back into your registered account, your friends will still be able to contact you on that account, but you will have lost all stored data doing this process, do it at your own risk. When your done, an you want xat to store the data again, right click on a chat screen, an this time move the arrow to 1MB or higher. After you do that click close, an it will start to store the data, anytime you want to reset the stored data repeat this method.
Subscribers
Visit the subscriber section: http://web.xat.com/wiki/index.php/SubscriberGuide
Multiple names?
Click on your name, at the top right of the pop up box you will see *new user..* clicking that will make a default name that you can change and switch back and forth from other names you have added. You can have up to five extra names, to switch back and forth from. So instead of having to manually change your name you can switch from the other names you have added. Note after doing this you can't delete extra names!
Registering
Why register?
Registering allows you to keep your ID, status (moderator, member, owner etc.), and friendslist on other computers, or after your cookies have been deleted. You can also get a xatspace, which is your own personal profile. This makes it almost impossible for other users to impersonate you, and makes it easier for your friends to tell who you are when you’re on other computers. It also allows you to buy xats and subscription time or receive them through transfers. On a few chats you won’t be able to join unless you’re registered. Your name also appears higher on the list than non-registered users. You can always logout and become just a number again.
How do I register?
Click on your name in the chat and click the "Register" button, fill in the required information (Email must be valid!) and submit the form, click the activation link in your email, then login using your email and password. You may need to refresh any chats your on for registration to take effect. If you don't get an email back then your email service has not delivered the email. Try opening a http://gmail.com account.
How can I change my registered name?
Warning: Anyone can take your old registered username if you change it to a new one.
Click here http://xat.com/web_gear/chat/register.php, put in the email you registered with and your password. Scroll down and click “More”, then enter the registered name you’d like in the field, and in the change registered username field type in what registered username you want and click “Change User Name” (You may need to refresh any chats you’re on in order for this to take effect).
How can I log out and become just a number?
Click here http://xat.com/web_gear/chat/register.php, and then click “Logout”.
Will I keep the same status/friendslist if I login to another computer?
Yes, your status and your friendlist will be restored if you login to your registered account on another computer. You can login by going to http://xat.com/login.
[edit] How do I change my password?
Click on your name in the chat and click the "Register" button. Click the Change password tab.
I lost my password?
Click on your name in the chat and click the "Register" button. Click the Lost password tab.
Interact Dialog
To interact with a person either click on a person on the visitors / friends lists or their name on a message they have sent. This will open up a dialog, which will give you more information about them and ways to interact with them.
Private Message
A private message is sent to only one person and no one else can see it. To send a private message click on a person on the visitors / friends lists or the name on a message someone has sent and click Private Message. A pad lock will appear on the message entry window, type you message and press return. When the message is sent it will have a padlock next to it and only the person you selected will see it. To send another private message follow the same procedure again, to have a conversation a private chat (see below) is more useful.
Private Chat
A private chat is a one on one conversation in a separate window. To start a private chat click on a person on the visitors or friends lists or the name on a message someone has sent and click Private Chat. A tab will appear that contains just you and the person you want to start a private chat with. When you send your first message a tab will appear on their chat box which they can choose to answer or not. Note: You may not be able to Private chat someone if they have nopc power. For more information on powers, click Powers
Add As Friend
If you want to add someone so you can easily find them and talk to them another time you can Add as a friend. Click on that person on the visitors or friends lists or the name on a message they have sent and click Add as Friend. They will appear on the list in bold and move to the top of their category. They will also be added to your friends list accessible by clicking on your Friends tab at the bottom of the list.
When you return to the chat box at a later time you can click on your friend list and see which ones of your friends are online on any chat box, not just the one you are on. You can them private chat or private message from your chat box to theirs. If they have added you as a friend then when you view their profile you will be able to see which chat box they are on so you can go there. If you want to Un-Friend click on the person in the friend list and click Un-friend.
How many friends should I add? You can add as many friends as you like but there is no point in adding everyone you ever see, only people that there is a chance that you will want to talk to again. The more friends you have added the harder it becomes to find the ones you really want to talk to.
/f Make friend by id
If you know a person's id and want to add them as a friend you can use the /f command, example:
/f124575554 JoeBlogs
This adds 124575554 as a friend with name JoeBlogs
Ignore
If someone is bothering you or you just don’t want to talk to him or her then you can Ignore them. Click on that person on the visitors or friends lists or the name on a message they have sent and click Ignore. They will appear as grey in the list and you wont be able to see any of their message and they wont be able to start private chats with you either. The ignore is remembered, even if you use the chat box another time. If you want to Un-Ignore them and see their messages again click on the person in the list and click Un-Ignore. Please note that the ignore feature only lasts 12 hours, so when the 12 hours is up, and you are still being harassed or want to ignore them simply Re-Ignore. Also if you are a moderator or owner you will still see messages from ignored users in the main chat but you won't receive private chats or messages.
SHIFT Ignore: If you hold the shift key down when you press ignore only Private chats and private messages are ignored - you can still see the messages from that person in the main chat.
MSN and AIM invite
You can invite your MSN and AIM contacts to the chat.
Click on the Friends tab, then click *Add MSN/AIM friends*.
You need to log in to your MSN or AOL account. When you are logged in your MSN and AIM friends will appear on your friends list. To private chat or invite them click on their name in the usual way.
To invite all your MSN/AIM friends click *Invite all MSN/AIM friends*
Bad Chat Ettiquette
When using the chat box you have to abide by the terms of service http://xat.com/terms.html but there are specific things that you might do that are considered bad etiquette and will annoy some people.
Flooding or Spamming
Flooding or spamming is typing random numbers and letters for no reason or repeatedly sending a link. This is prevented by the terms of service and is very disruptive to the chat box. People find it very annoying and if you do it you will find you are either banned or ignored by everyone in the room. Talking in CAPS, using to many smiles or audies in a way may be considered as spam or flooding. If you do either of these to much you may be ignored or even banned from the chat.
Talking in CAPS
Typing messages with CAPSLOCK on often annoys people, it is used to say that you are SHOUTING what you are saying. You can type in CAPS if you want but you should expect that people will add you to their ignore list. It is best saved for when you are really shouting something.
Too Many Smiles
Using smiles livens up messages and make the chat more fun but if you keep on sending them it can be annoying and you will soon be on everyone’s ignore list. Or even get banned and kicked.
Too Many Audies Sound Effects
The odd sound effect can make a chat fun but if you keep on sending them it can be annoying and you will soon be on everyone’s ignore list.
Advertising
Commercial advertising is prevented by the terms and conditions but many owners and moderators are not happy with people posting links, especially over and over again, to their chat groups or myspace pages etc. If you want to do this it is best to check it if it's ok with the owner first.
Asking to be moderator, owner, member etc.
Owners of popular chats are often bombarded with requests for people to be made moderators and most will just ignore anyone who asks. If you want to be a moderator on a chat box you should chat there, make friends and try to be helpful to other people. This is the best way to become a moderator.
Asking strangers for free xats/days/powers
People have to work hard for their money, and to get xats/days/powers, so they likely won't give it away to people they don't even know. Unless the people specifically say they're giving it away (Such as in a contest, or competition). If you don't know how to purchase xats, you can do so by registering, then click your name and clicking "Get xats".