"Gee, this room is dead."

There's nothing more annoying than people whose entire conversation in a chat room is about how quiet the room is, or who demand responses when they've said nothing more than "hello." (Or, in the case of something like the Leather room, "I like leather." So does everyone else in the room. That's why they named it the Leather room.)

You know why it's quiet? Because no one is chatting.

You know why no one is chatting? Because no one's saying anything that anyone else can respond to. Sorry, but I have no response to "Hi" other than to say "hello" back to you. You like leather? Good for you! So do I, but you must know that since I'm in the Leather room. And then I'm out of responses.

You want chat? Chat! It's a chat room! Talk about something interesting and people will probably respond. Talk about how everyone else sucks because they're not entertaining you and people will probably think, "God, what an asshole" and not want to say anything to you.

Chat rooms are self-service. Complaining that there's no chat in a chat room is like going to a grocery store and complaining that other people aren't putting food in your cart. That's not why the other people are there.

While you're at it, please get over the idea that a given chat room exists exactly as you define it. If you're there for hook-ups, more power to you, but quit bitching that some people aren't (unless the room is named something like "The Hook-Up Room"). If you're there to meet friends, great—but don't get mad at people who want hook-ups. It's a public space, and people will use it for different reasons. It's not there for whatever reason you imagine it to be.

You know how a public park is not "only" for picnics or kids playing or sunbathing? It's all those things to the people who come there to do those things. A chat room is the same way: a room named after a given city or state is for anyone in, near, or interested in that city or state. The "Discipline" room is for people interested in discipline from either side, or who just want to meet people who are.

I have this life-size picture of these same idiots who complain about how "dead" a room is going to a park full of sunbathers and loudly bitching that not enough people are having picnics or playing on the slides. You wanna play on the slides? Go right ahead. If you have enough fun, maybe others will join you. If not, quit whining at them for not participating in your fantasy.

You want chat? Chat. It's not brain surgery.