Chat Box?

[Jane]

I've been wondering if maybe we can get a chat box installed on the forums? My thinking is it would be fun, we USED to have one back in the day, and anything that gets people to keep their eyes on the board is probably a good idea in terms of keeping things more active.

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=148472 Maybe? There are other options I'm sure.

edit: this was totally the wrong account for posting this but oh well :p

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I just did a search for 'chat box' in the vbulletin forums so that link I posted may or may not have any actual value.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I would not be against this.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm not sure how much use this would get. To use a chat box, you'd need to be sat with Fans open. If any of us have Fans open, we've probably got AIM open as well, and are chatting on that. And, anyone who logs on from work will probably find it harder to keep Fans permanently open than to have AIM sneakily running.

Maybe looking into something like an IRC chat room would make more sense? Most of the IM clients (Trillian, etc) let you log on to IRC, so it'd be easier to sneakily log onto from work. An IRC chat room would basically be a giant AIM group chat that was permanently running. Plus, you could probably even log into it from a smart phone too, which means you wouldn't have to be glued to your keyboard to use it.

Maybe there's a way to have both? A chat box that is also an IRC server, so we can cover all the bases?

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'd have to defer to Ogre on what is/isn't feasible.

[Droo]

As I recall, chat boxes act like miniature threads, as in the recent messages are saved and loaded for people to see upon visiting the site. That way, you are able to take part regardless of when you last reloaded the forums. I've only ever seen it used for silly banter between forum members, to be honest, and I'd say it was a novelty at best. There is also the danger that it could divert what little activity we have on the forums to the shout box itself.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I would rather have a shoutbox or chat thing that is just connected to if you're a member at this site rather than having AIM, exactly for silly banter. Yes, it is a novelty, and I don't see it diverting RPing energy away from threads except perhaps the random thought thread which has, to be honest, sucked up a lot of things that would have turned into separate threads in the past.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've not seen it have an adverse impact on posting over at SWRPG.

[Captain Untouchable]

I would rather have a shoutbox or chat thing that is just connected to if you're a member at this site rather than having AIM, exactly for silly banter. Yes, it is a novelty, and I don't see it diverting RPing energy away from threads except perhaps the random thought thread which has, to be honest, sucked up a lot of things that would have turned into separate threads in the past.

I wasn't suggesting something that you have to be on AIM to use. I was suggesting something that you could use without having to be logged in to SW-Fans.

To use a shout box, you have to be logged in to SW-Fans. That might be tricky for people who are at work all day (some employers aren't fond of people browsing social sites on work time), and when people are at home they might be too busy browsing other sites, playing video games, and all that jazz to keep clicking back to Fans all the time.

I'm wondering if there's perhaps an alternative that might be more useful to everyone. Is it possible to log into a shout box via IM software (AS WELL as on the website)? Is there an app for it available on smartphones? Is it possible to have an embedded chat room somewhere on the forums, that can be accessed via IM / app / whatever? Can the forums display a twitter feed, or a reddit feed, or something else that can be accessed across a lot of platforms?

If a shout box is just for silly banter, I'm not sure how it differs from us just having a silly banter thread... but maybe there's something similar that could have more use/functionality.

[TheHolo.Net]

If 10 individuals, not aliases, post here stating that they would like to add this feature, I will add it. So far I see one confirmed. LD

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'd like it added too :)

[Ilias Nytrau]

I'll give my 'yes' to this. :)

[Crusader]

Yes why not!

[Droo]

Since people seem to be positive about the idea, and I have no real objection, I'm going to toss my vote into the "Yes" pile.

[Captain Untouchable]

I echo Droo's sentiment... there's no harm in it I suppose, so consider me #6.

[Malcolm Duncan]

Sure. This sounds like fun. [/Vince]

[Dragon]

Make it so, Number One! (yes)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Count me as your ninth 'yes' :)

[Carré Inirial]

Table for No, party of one...I know I'm in the overwhelming minority, but I just don't like chatboxes. I don't want one more thing to have to remember to look at, and frankly, with all the ways we have to communicate and keep in touch and banter, etc., I really don't see the point.

But if it gets approved, I'd at least like a way to be able to turn it off.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

When we had one before it was on the portal page in the side bar - I'm not sure where we would put it when we get a new one, but somewhere unobtrusive (but not overly difficult to find) and having the option to toggle it off isn't a bad idea.

Putting it in the portal page would encourage more eyes on whatever content we put on the portal. Right now I bet we only go there by accident. :p

[Sam]

As with most message board sites I've frequented in the past, I'd completely forgotten the sw-fans portal existed.

In any case, I can't say I'd use it much, but I certainly don't see the harm in including a chatbox somewhere. I do remember it existing in the past.

[TheHolo.Net]

Table for No, party of one...I know I'm in the overwhelming minority, but I just don't like chatboxes. I don't want one more thing to have to remember to look at, and frankly, with all the ways we have to communicate and keep in touch and banter, etc., I really don't see the point.

But if it gets approved, I'd at least like a way to be able to turn it off.You aren't alone. I have never liked the idea of a chat system on our forums.

And, yes we did have one at one time in the past. It was removed because we changed our portal software in the move from "Classic Fans (vB2.x.x)" to our current setup vB3.x.x.

I am currently planning on making a new 'Shoutbox' that would be in the left sidebar. this means you could collapse it and keep it out of sight like any other sidebar widget (portlet). That is, if we get the last solid "yes" from another individual. :p

[Lilaena De'Ville]

We could probably remove the "dotnet" widget from the sidebar, and we'd be possibly getting rid of the gallery bit too. So it wouldn't be like the side bar would end up more busy than it is already.

[Dasquian Belargic]

If we're just having a little widget on the side of the forum, that is the width of the current sidebar, I will retract my 'Yes' vote.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

D'oh :(

tbh I like how it is at RPG, maybe at the bottom of the forums under everything so you don't see it unless you scroll all the way down?

[Captain Untouchable]

If we're just having a little widget on the side of the forum, that is the width of the current sidebar, I will retract my 'Yes' vote.

Ditto, under those circumstances.

Reading is enough of a struggle at the moment because of my current medical stuff without having to faff around with a piddly little box.

[TheHolo.Net]

If you want it on the main forum index then I change my approval requirements to 20 individual yes votes.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I don't even think we have 20 active members right now :lol

Ah well

[Crusader]

according to my last survey that would mean two thirds of our "real" population within a month...

[TheHolo.Net]

Alright, 15 individuals

[Mr E Nygma]

I have no real interest in whether you put it up or not, but I can tell you up front I wouldn't use it. My time is divided enough that Gchat, Facebook chat, and Twitter occupy the bulk of my IM activity. AIM barely registers. 'Fans would essentially get no attention.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

I'll throw my name in the hat for yes, then.

[Ilias Nytrau]

You still have my yes.

[Callista]

I vote yes!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'll switch back to yes then.

[Zereth Lancer]

I vote YES as well.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm not sure if I have to vote again or not, but to be safe, yes.

[TheHolo.Net]

The vote count is whacked. Someone straighten it out.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

From what I've seen:



If 10 individuals, not aliases, post here stating that they would like to add this feature, I will add it. So far I see one confirmed. LD



If you want it on the main forum index then I change my approval requirements to 20 individual yes votes.

Holly - 1 - 1
Jones - 1 - 2
Kaman - 1 -3
Kale - 1 - 4
Droo - 1 - 5
Jace - 1 - 6
Vince - 1 - 7
Me - 1 - 8
Charley - 1 - 9
Callista - 1 - 10
Zereth - 1 - 11
Peter - 1 -12

That's what I'm getting from things so far.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Charley = 10
Callista = 11
Kyzer = 12

..?

Edit- Christin was number 9 last count, (you skipped Crusader in your list, Christin)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

That's why I double checked my numbers. But thank you either way.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

You posted while I was writing my reply, I wasn't trying to step on any toes, apologies.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It's all good, no worries. I generally check and check again, post, then check on any off-chances. It's no real horrible thing.

[Ilias Nytrau]

I think he finalized the requirement to 15, yes?


Alright, 15 individuals

Oh wait, he definitely did (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=398583&postcount=30). :mischief

[Lilaena De'Ville]

So we still need three votes, right?

[Liam Jinn]

Yes. I like voting. It's exciting!

[Banner Laverick]

I vote yes too.

[Peter McCoy]

I'd like to see this implemented, so it's a yes from me.

[Dasquian Belargic]

And I believe that makes 15 :)

[Sam]

My post was a yes, for clarification.

[TheHolo.Net]

No promises about when exactly I can deliver, but I will.

[TheHolo.Net]

Chatbox setup. Its final location is still pending feedback and experience.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Are we going to bring this back? It disappeared with the upgrade.

[TheHolo.Net]

I have no interest in one.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I don't mind either way. I can happily live without it.

[Crusader]

Assuming that our population might grow in 2015 we should keep this feature on ice until it becomes a popular demand backed up by enough traffic to justify it.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Well, it was a popular demand in March, that was just a few months ago. I'm just not sure why that choice is suddenly irrelevant.

edit: I'm not going or attempting to fight another "battle" over the chat box, if we don't have one we don't have one, but there was conditions set in March that the members matched, then in a few months we upgraded and the chat box was lost. I figured it would come back, it hasn't. The end. :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Based on my experience of the chat box when we did have it, pre-upgrade, my personal opinion is that it is an unnecessary feature.

[TheHolo.Net]

It seemed semi popular for two weeks, and then died almost completely from what I saw.

Its hard on the server and nearly impossible to moderate. Those are my beefs. However, if there is renewed demand then so be it.