A big factor in many players loyalty or enjoyment of certain online bingo websites is the community that exists and whether they can interact with a friendly group of like-minded players while they play bingo games. Lots of websites do have a chat function and chatrooms, so that players can get to know each other, discuss their games and alert each other to good bingo games and jackpots.
Like in any group, there is often online etiquette and a set of loose or agreed rules that players must follow, so that the group can run properly and a community can thrive.
If you've never entered a bingo chatroom before or used the chat function in a bingo room then there's a few things you should know before you delve in and start interacting with your fellow bingo enthusiasts.
Don't ask for Money - Perhaps a bingo game hasn't gone quite to plan and you've run out of funds to continue playing - what this doesn't mean is that you can pester other players to give you a helping hand and transfer loan money, bonuses or jackpots over to you. You'll find this in the majority of community rules on online bingo sites. Being banned from the website will happen if you continue to ask other players for money or financial rewards.
Inappropriate Usernames - Keeping things clean and family-friendly will be a policy for many online bingo websites, unless they're specifically aimed at a different audience and have stated this clearly. Having an inappropriate username might be the funniest thing in the world to you and appeal to your sense of humour, but there might be other users that take offence at your username if it is rude or offensive. This is a good general rule to follow for your interactions with other users and dialogue too. Try to steer clear of swearing, rudeness and inappropriate behaviour.
Respect the Chat Host - Every bingo chatroom will have moderators or chat hosts that keep things running and ticking over. This means that they'll try to solve issues in the community when they arise or sort out any disagreements, aswell as livening things up from time to time and making things fun. Obviously, treating the chathost with respect and not interrupting or abusing them when they have information to share is a prerequisite of being able to remain a member of a chatroom on the online bingo website you've chosen to use.
In the rare event that you have a disagreement with a chathost or disagree with their conduct, then instead of addressing this yourself, it's recommended that you go through the correct channels and make a formal complaint through the website's customer service team.
Do not use Capital Letters - One of the main ways to differentiate between the chathost and the rest of a bingo community is that the chathost will use capital letters to type into the chatroom, so everyone can easily see messages and know that they're from someone affiliated with the bingo website and it may be an important announcement about exclusive jackpots or rewards.
Therefore, if you begin to start typing in capital letters, this can cause confusion for the rest of your fellow players and messages could be lost amongst the confusion. It can also look quite rude to type in capital letters as it looks like the equivalent of shouting into the chatroom. There may be times when the chathost specifically asks people to type in capital letters, as part of a competition etc, but if this has not been requested then it's best to stick to lower case and the correct grammar!
Respect People's Privacy - A lot of people like to browse the internet and play online games with a level of anonymity or respect for their own privacy. Therefore, everyone's usernames are probably not going to include any personal details, so if you come to learn more information about someone, try to respect everyone's privacy and refrain from revealing any personal information, including real names, email addresses or phone numbers and don't ask people for details they might be uncomfortable giving away. Accept that pseudonyms are a typical part of online bingo communities and this can be for all sorts of valid reasons, such as security etc.
Following on from this, impersonating other users is also something that will get a player banned. This can cause confusion and distress for the player being impersonated and also lead to a lack of trust in the community if people are pretending to be each other frequently. It affects the fun and friendly atmosphere that exists in online bingo chatrooms and won't go down well with other players.
Keep Topics Relevant - It's not good etiquette to mention and promote other bingo platforms or websites all the time. This could look like you're trying to diminish the reputation of the bingo website's chatroom you're commenting in and could end up getting you in trouble with the chathost. It doesn't add positively to the community by cross-promoting other websites.
Don't be Offensive - Imagine how you engage and speak to people offline and try to replicate this in an online chatroom. If you are repeatedly offensive or abusive to other community members in the chat function then you will be banned. Obviously, any type of discrimination based on race, sex, religion, sexuality, disability will not be accepted and will result in a ban.
Try to be pleasant and accepting of other users and speak in a manner that is considerate of other people's feelings. Because you're in an online chat room, you don't know what situation someone might be in, what they might be going through or how important the chatroom could be to that person - therefore if they face any abuse or disparaging comments, it could be very offensive or hurt their feelings. Be conscious of how comments can be interpreted online, without context.
Welcome Players and Be Kind - It can be a little daunting to enter a new community, whether it's online or offline, so being welcoming to new players and helping to foster a good, strong community feel for players is a courteous way to spend your time in an online bingo chatroom. Answering any questions someone might have can be a way to help people enjoy online bingo as much as you and give them some hints, tips and let them know what type of rewards and jackpots to look out for and take advantage of.
The most important rule to remember is to relax, have fun and treat other players how you'd like to be treated yourself. Online bingo is a super fun activity and a friendly chatroom and community of like-minded players can be a great place to connect with others, make friends and receive some hints, advice and information about how to get the best out of your bingo games.
As expected, there's behaviour in an online chatroom that's more serious than other types of behaviour. We've mentioned some of the things that can get you in trouble, but depending on the online bingo website and its chatroom rules and regulations, there are some things that you could face disciplinary action for as opposed to facing an outright ban. The chathosts and chat moderators have the authority to ban players or start disciplinaries, so it can often be at their discretion.
It can come down to the context of the mistake and if it's something you've never done before or was genuinely a mistake, such as talking in capital letters etc, then this could be seen more favourably, compared to something such as abusive speech towards another player or revealing personal information about someone. Chathosts and moderators are there to improve and maintain a bingo community and they will take action that they deem appropriate in a situation.