What are the norms of talking with strangers online?

In this day and age, you can literally do almost everything over the internet, from ordering food to making money to making new friends, all of this can be done with the help of the internet. When you are using the internet for talking to strangers and making new friends then you need to be certain of some rules and norms when having a conversation with a stranger online. While chatting everything may seem exciting but that might not be the case. Your safety comes first, therefore, here are some norms of talking with strangers online:

Never Ever Share Your Personal Information with Strangers
When you are communicating or talking with strangers online, you should be very cautious and you should never share your personal information with strangers. This includes your home address, your phone number, your email address, etc. When you are talking with someone online, it is easy to get carried away and share your personal information to bond with your new friend online. However, sharing information can come to bite you in the ass. When talking with someone, keep personal details aside and instead talk about other things such as your hobbies or interests.

Never Download Anything From A Stranger
When you are on social media or any other online platform that supports chatting then you would encounter many people there who will try to scam you by sending different malicious files, photos, or videos and when you download any unknown file from an unknown person then your computer can be infected with viruses and even get hacked.

On the internet, you are never sure with whom you are talking to just by looking at their screen name and it is not easy to trust someone, especially on the internet. So remember that unless you are completely sure that you know someone, you should download anything that anyone sends you online.

Try to Stay Open-Minded
When you are trying to meet new strangers online on social media or on other different platforms such as Omegle or Chatroulette then you should always try to stay open-minded. You will find all sorts of people, some looking for random chit-chat while others looking for a sincere friend, and some just looking to have some fun. It is better that you stay open-minded when you are talking with people online because you might actually end up bonding or becoming a close friend of someone you never know.

Don't Feel Obligated to Reply Everyone
When you are on the internet, chatting online with strangers, all sorts of people will message you, some would be really nice but others would be weird and creepy talking about inappropriate stuff. If you don't want to talk with someone online then don't talk with them. You are not obligated to reply to every stranger who texts you.

Talking with strangers online is supposed to be fun and if you don't feel uncomfortable talking with someone online then just don't reply to them, at all. You have full control over everything online and you are not obligated to talk to everyone. The whole point is to have some fun when you are bored and if that isn't happening then you shouldn't feel forced to talk to anyone about anything inappropriate.
 
Don't Share Your Pictures
On the internet, you never know with whom you're talking with and if someone asks you for your picture online then it is probably not the right thing to do. Your picture is like your personal information and if you are sharing it with someone whom you don't know then you are not doing the right thing.

You will find all sorts of creeps on the internet and they will be asking for your personal pictures and the sensible thing to do when someone asks for a photo from you is just not to send it. No one needs to know how you look in order to talk to you and it can turn really creepy if you send your picture.

Try to Be Friendly
It is true that you will find some weird people online but that is not the case every time. There are actually some very good and nice people online, who just like you are looking to make some new friends in life and have some fun in their boring lives.

If you find someone who has the same interests as you or whom you find interesting then it is better to keep the conversation as long as possible because you are enjoying talking with that person and you should try to extend the conversation with that person as much as you can. Remember, not every person on the internet is a creep. Some people are very nice and friendly who are looking to have a good time.

Find People With Same Interests
There are a lot of different messaging apps, forums, and online platforms where you can meet people according to their interest in something. For instance, if you are someone who is into video games then you will find different forums online where you can meet people who also have an interest in video games.

Everything becomes easier when you find the people who have the same interests as you to talk because both of you have the same interests and so much in common that you can keep the conversation going on for a long time. By making your chats specific, it will be easier for you to make new friendships with strangers online.