I use online chat services pretty regularly, both personally and professionally. I chat with my wife fairly frequently; it's less disruptive than a phone call and quicker too. I've also enjoyed the occasional chat with my six-year-old son. I chat with co-workers all the time, both individually and in groups.

I am a grown-up, however, with nearly three decades of experience in online communications (anyone remember Fidonet?), so I'm not worried about safety. When it comes to kids, however, it's another story. Kids haven't been around the block and they don't always realize that nearly every other fourteen-year-old on the internet is actually a forty-something guy.

If you're not overly familiar with the whole idea of chatting online, the SafetyClicks website has a nice introduction and some great advice on making sure your kids stay safe while chatting with friends. Most importantly, know who they're chatting with. I would even go so far as to say that kids shouldn't be participating in group chats until at least high school.

If your kids are starting to read and write, chatting with you once in a while can be a fun way to encourage that. But once they are old enough to use the computer on their own, parents need to make sure they stay safe. Check out the SafetyClicks guide for info on how to do that.