You can hardly tell people that they should say hello to you, they can say what they want. Personally, I just keep blabbering on about good and bad moves all the way through the game- they still don't reply, but I think they at least read my comments and so see my thoughts on the game.
If you enjoy chatting while playing, feel free to challenge me to a game 
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Keep in mind that there are people from all over the world on here. they do not all speak the same language, and some do not feel comfortable conversing. It is even possible that some will not type the 2 letters, "HI" that you refer to because they are uncomfortable with the prospect of further conversation.
i believe every person here can speak english to the some degree, (at least to the degree of saying hello :)
when you start a game and there is your opponent saying hi or something like that, i think you should greet him or her as well. then you can stop the conversation. conversation and greeting are two different things.
Some people here also are probably really focused on improving their chess and so cannot be distracted by the trivialities of the chat box.
Ok, I tried to just write something a bit nice, now...
Maybe they just don't like you... ;o)
yep, that must be it :)
"Hi" (as a response to your "Hi") does invite further communication - or at least, it does not rule it out. Should there be an internationally recognisable reply ("iH" or "sh" {shush} possibly) that acknowledges the other player but signals no desire to prolong the 'dialogue'?
I like the idea of iH rather than sh, sh seems a bit rude to me. iH is a great alternative.
i must disagree about 'hi' inviting further communications. there are lots of games i played, someone said hi, hello, good luck etc. and i said hi, hello, good luck etc. that's the whole conversation. but i agree about an internationally recognisable reply. there should be one
I tend to agree with batlamaz; most do return some sort of greeting or acknowledgement, but a substantial number do not bother saying anything at all. Unless people's browsers translates what is said on this website to whatever language the person can read, I would imagine most people on this website can read at least enough English to at least sign up for membership, follow instructions to play games, etc. Heck, if they really can't say anything in English, they could, perhaps, say something in their own language to indicate a greeting, and type in the person's id on this website.
So, a substantial number did not give any greetings, but I would say most do. One person, after I gave a greeting, disabled the chat feature. I must admit I was a bit bothered, but if that is what they wanted to do, so be it. (That person is no longer a member.)
As for continuing a conversation, I usually take my que from the other person. If they respond to my greeting with an enthusiastic response; e.g, "Hi! Nice to play with you!" or some similar greeting, then I may continue a conversation with them. If they just say "Hi." or "Hello." or something like that, not as enthusiastic, I usually take that as an indication they just wish to be polite or courteous, but do not want to converse further. Then, I usually don't say anything until the end of the game, when I usually thank them for a good game, and wish them well in future games.
It seems to me, this website is not just about playing chess; it is also about building a nice online community. I have met a lot of nice people here, and hope that we can keep it a nice and friendly place to enjoy our favorite game!
Thanks,
George
I only say hi if I know them or if they say it first because I like to meet new people here but that is not my priority, so if they want to talk I'll know pretty quickly and I'll talk back, but if they don't that's ok there are other people I'm playing I can talk to if I feel compelled. :) (especially when i'm playing 20 greeter games at the moment.........)
it's been months since i joined this site. like written somewhere in it, it's not just playing chess, it's about getting to know people, having conversations. from the first day i played here, i always write down 'hi', 'hello' or something like that in the beginning of the game. and big part of them said nothing. i understand you do not have to have a conversation, but come on, is it so hard to say (or type) hi, it's got two letters people.
any input would be appreciated.