This is a question I have been asked over and over again. It`s quite simple to answer, too. I chat! That is basically all I do in my pursuit for getting contacts. I find people via chats, be it chat downloads, yahoo, get paid chats, msn messenger, any of them.

It`s personal, it`s friendly, people get to know each other so much better than through emails. I love to chat with other online marketers. It`s great for sharing hints, tips, ideas and information. Some of the people you meet seem to know so much more than you, and if you take the time, you can really learn a lot just by listening.

You can turn your contacts into joint venture partners, downline members, prospects etc. and it`s all mutual. My ezine came about through chat, just by listening to the wants and needs of other entrepreneurs like myself. I listened, and worked from what I heard. I`ve seen people start joint ventures, programs of their own and all sorts of good stuff, just through making chat friends. It is REALLY worth trying for yourself.

Sure, carry on with whatever promotional methods you are using right now, but try chatting with others on a personal level, find out what`s working for them and what`s not. You`ll be surprised by the results. I, personally, have found that I get much better results via chats than any other form of free advertising I`ve tried, and believe me, I`ve tried tons in my almost 4 years online.

Just remember to always be polite, never hype. Be honest, and most of all: Be Yourself. But anyway, in case you DO want to try your hand at chat, here`s a quick crash-course in chat terminology:

Abbreviation --------- Meaning

AFK ----- Away from keyboard
ASAP ----- As soon as possible
A/S/L? ----- Age/sex/location?
BBIAB ----- Be back in a bit
BBL ----- Be back later
BBN ----- Bye bye now
BBS ----- Be back soon
B/F ----- Boy friend
BRB ----- Be right back
BTW ----- By the way
CU ----- See you
C U L8ER ----- See you later
CYA ----- See ya
FAQ ----- Frequently-ask question(s)
FYI ----- For your information
G/F ----- Girlfriend
GGP ----- Gotta go pee
GL ----- Good luck
GMTA ----- Great minds think alike
H&K ----- Hug and kiss
IC ----- I see
IM ----- Immediate message
IMHO ----- In my humble opinion
IMO ----- In my opinion
JK ----- Just kidding
JTLYK ----- Just to let you know
KISS ----- Keep it simple stupid
L8R ----- Later
L8R G8R ----- Later gator
LMAO ----- Laughing my a** off
LOL ----- Laughing out loud
MorF ----- Male or female
NP or N/P ----- No problem
OIC ----- Oh, I see
OMG ----- Oh my God
PM ----- Private message
::POOF:: ----- Goodbye (leaving the room)
QT ----- Cutie
ROFL ----- Rolling on floor laughing
ROFLMAO ----- Rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
ROFLMBO ----- Rolling on floor laughing my butt off
RPG ----- Role-playing games
S^ S'up - ----- what's up
SUP ----- What's up
TANSTAAFL ----- There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
TGIF ----- Thank God it's Friday
THX ----- Thanks
TTFN ----- Ta-Ta for now
TTYL ----- Talk to you later
TY ----- Thank you
WB ----- Welcome back
WTG ----- Way to go!
YW ----- You're welcome

And there you have it, tons of chat abbreviations to get you started. It`s fun once you know how.