On-line chat systems provide a way for on-line users to engage in real-time conversations. Typically, these systems provide for real-time group textual messaging, with the conversational groups defined by “chat rooms.” Chat systems are normally implemented in a distributed computing environment.
Such chat rooms are beneficial because they enable real-time communications on various topics by two or more participants of similar or divergent interests or backgrounds. To find chat rooms with conversations of interest, chat participants typically infer conversation content based on the chat room title. For instance, a chat participant seeking to converse regarding football might select a chat room titled “Football.”