Cons:

• Only 15 people can join a chat at any one time

• The lag

• The inappropriate language censor can revoke speaking privileges for 3 minutes when you don’t even swear

• The lag

• Chats don’t always load correctly

• The lag

• When they’re full, they’re full; whoever gets in first gets to stay

• There aren’t always enough chats open

• Some chat rooms can be more expensive, or may require a membership to create

• Games can be complicated, not always working correctly or with controversial results

• People tend to hog the front of chats and don’t always actually chat

All of you at one point or another have probably visited a chatroom here on Stardoll. I think of the three of us working on this blog, I visit parties the most. Whether I’m dressing up in Pink on Wednesdays or going around with a cowboy hat, there's always something interesting to do at parties. Now that I’m no longer a Superstar or Royalty, I’ve found that designing doesn’t always help to distract me. Going out and meeting random strangers and connecting over the little things is distracting. I once had an entire conversation in Spanish in a random Colombian chat room about how frustrating English can be as a language.

There are so many different people with different backgrounds, and chat rooms full of distinguished, interesting, and unique dolls have inspired a great many of my blogs.

Although chat rooms do have many beneficial aspects, there are some disadvantages that have plagued me time and time again.

To begin, lag. Glitches. Connection Errors. Disconnection. When chats don’t work, they can be extremely frustrating. It’s hard to connect with friends when the platform won’t load. I can’t even count the number of parties I’ve been to that have been cut short due to connection issues. 

Another issue? Trolls. People can be genuinely mean. Not only are there inappropriate designs occasionally showcased in chat rooms, but people make new dolls and fake accounts just to troll around and be rude. I’ve gotten into plenty of tiffs with cyberbullies, finding myself having to defend myself and younger players who don’t always understand why they’re being targeted. As fun as chatting can be, if parties are being abused and used for bullying, they can quickly spiral and hurt feelings. I’ve gotten triggered plenty of times, and I’m sure I’ve triggered people in return.

I remember visiting one chat room only to find it full of Turkish members. I sat there trying to communicate with them for 15 minutes, and all I learned was “seni seviyorum” and “merhaba” along with 1 bad phrase that was directed at me for not speaking Turkish. In another chat room, a bunch of us realized we all spoke Spanish so we all started gossipping about Stardoll’s future in Spanish as the 1 non-Spanish-speaking guy in the room decided to sit there and look pretty because he had no idea what was being said.