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Paltalk

© Maureen Fleury

I recently had a houseguest who introduced me to Paltalk*. I have heard about this program from other people but never installed it. I saw her using it so I figured I’d get her to show me how. The program is easy to install and the help files are great. She showed me some of the finer points so I wouldn’t look too new in the rooms. I am quite shy.

So, what does Paltalk offer?

You can search through lists of groups that meet your own interests. There are groups for singles by age group or location, groups for diseases, hobbies, sports, politics, music and anything you can think of. People can join in an existing group or create a group, whether it is permanent or impromptu. Some groups are closed and entry is by invitation only.

Once you are in a chat room, you can participate by using text or voice or video. If you have speakers, you can listen to the chat and if you have a mic, you can use the voice chat feature. Some of the music rooms have people who play music through their computer for all to hear or they sing along karaoke style. You can create a moderated forum and have the ability to kick or ban users who misbehave.

Other people in the room can send you a private message (PM) on a separate instant message screen. You can voice chat or text chat or see the other person on video if he/she has a web cam. If you have a cam, you can transmit your picture. Someone may want to see a photo of you or you may ask for one. This is obtained using the file transfer feature. You can also transfer data files if you choose.

You can leave a voice mail to anyone with email, even if he/she is not a Paltalk member. If your friend is offline, you can leave a 30-second voice message. You also can send voice mail announcements to multiple mailboxes. You can also talk privately using the voice feature. Just call up a friend by using his/her email. If he/she is not a Paltalk member, you can use the Invite function.

As you start to meet people on Paltalk (or have existing friends on it), you can add their names to your contact list. Just like the instant messaging services we are familiar with, the list on Paltalk will tell you if that person is online. To send a private message (PM) to that person, you can click on his/her name and use instant messages. You don’t have to go in a chat room. This is called being in the lobby.

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