How to send an ICQ Chat request 

  1. Click on the name of the user to open the User Menu. 
  2. Click the ICQ Chat option. This will open the Send Online Chat Request window.
  3. Enter your reason for the Chat request in the Enter Chat Subject text box. 
  4. Click on Chat to initiate a new chat. 
  5. Click on Join Session to invite the user to an existing chat. 
  6. The Chat session will begin when the user replies. 

    7. If you send a Chat request to an offline user - or if you check Auto-Send ChatDirect Request later when user is online in the Online Chat Request Window (figure 1) - your request will be saved in the Outbox. Your Chat request will be sent later when the user is online. The Outbox may be found by double-clicking the System button in the ICQ window.

    To abort a chat request, click on Cancel or Close the Chat Request window. 

Receiving a Chat Request

When you receive a chat request, a flashing chat icon  will appear next to the name of the user requesting the chat. There are two types of chat requests you can receive: 

  1. Normal chat request - when a user wishes to chat with you. 
  2. Multiple chat request - when a user wishes you to join an existing chat session

Follow these instructions to accept both types of chat requests

  1. Double-click on the user. 
  2. The Incoming Chat Request window appears. 
  3. Click on Accept to accept the chat. 
  4. You will receive a message saying: Initiating chat: Waiting for the other party to respond. You can click on Abort to cancel the request. 
  5. The Chat session will begin (if the initiation takes more than a few   minutes, the sender has either cancelled the request or has become unavailable). 

If you wish to invite the requesting party to a chat already in session 

  1. Click on Join Session. 
  2. Select the Chat Session Name from the pop-up menu. (You may only invite an additional chatter to a regular chat session. Two multiple chat sessions cannot be combined). 

To refuse a chat request

  1. Click Do Not Accept from the responses. 
  2. You will then be able to choose a Reason.