The live chat function is one of the most used areas of the forum, and certainly the most interactive. You will find it at the top of the forum, although there are some difficulties accessing it if using an iPhone or iPad.

It’s simple to use, you can just type in the message bar, and it will immediately post a live message in the chat room. You can see who else is online from the right-hand side, with the forum volunteers highlighted.

The volunteers try and keep a regular time when they’ll be on to chat, but it’s not manned 24/7. You can click on the calendar section of the forum (menu bar at top of the forum page) and you’ll see the days and times a forum volunteer is on. However, you don’t need a volunteer online to chat and engage with anyone who’s online at the time.

You can also create a private chat room by clicking on somebody’s name who is in the chat and selecting private message.