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Chat – where to next?
In the past a chat room was a valued addition to any transgender web site.
Before the advent of SMS, Skype and social media it was invaluable for those in the closet to talk with others.But times change, and so do the needs of our members.
Although TgR has always had a chat room its use over time has changed.
This post is an invitation for us to discuss what role chat could have going forward.The current situation
TgR hosts a chat module that supports both a Facebook-like private 1-to-1 messaging (IM) and a public room.
The chat module is built on current technology and doesn’t use Flash.
Because the public chat room requires a lot of screen space it is only enabled on a few pages in the site, and is not provided on tablets.Both chat types are lightly used.
Many attempts to chat privately (IM) are unsuccessful (probably because the other person is not on a web page that displays the chat).
When the public chat room is in use it often only has two active chatters.
The public chat room is unreliable and tends to freeze. The private chat doesn’t seem to have this bug.
The public chat room has had to be modified to stop un-moderated content appearing whenever the chat is displayed. This modification means the public chat room is often not available.Where next?
Do we need a chat/IM feature?
Quote:I suspect the answer is “yes”. Messaging doesn’t provide the opportunity to “chat” and many members I think like to chat. Not all members have (or want to have) Skype or Facebook to chat, and so having a feature on the TgR site ensures that everyone can be involved.Do we need a public chat room?
Quote:Occasionally more than two people discuss something in the public chat room. It doesn’t happen very often and it always seems to involve the same few members. Normally the discussion fails because the chat freezes for one or more of the chatters.Can we have the chat enabled throughout the website?
Quote:The TgR website is designed to be smartphone/mobile/laptop/desktop compatible – this is a good thing.
The public chat room has to be big – and so consumes a lot of space on smaller devices. So it can’t be shown all the time.
It is possible to minimise the chat room to a single status bar by default, but when this is done the chat room is not visible and the usage drops significantly.
If we didn’t have the public chat room we could have the chat on every page (for IM) – the chat list of members on-line could perhaps be configured to replace the existing green dots.
And if the chat was enabled everywhere I expect a lot more private IM chats would succeed.Can we modify the chat module so that…..
Quote:The chat is horendously complex. Modifying it is very time consuming , as is maintaining it. The admin preference would be to go back to the as-bought original module.So can I have your feedback.
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16 Replies
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Well as many members may know – in the evenings I tend to be in the chat room. However in recent times I am the only one there of an evening.
A chat room does let you talk to people you don’t know, whereas IMs I presume would be with people you do know mostly perhaps.
I will continue to be in the chat room for as long as it remains – but I can also understand the reasoning in removing it as it is not being used much.
It is an interesting fact that chat rooms have almost disappeared on the Internet these days – do a search its true…
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Personally I’m interested in the possibility for private chat with people I’ve made good connections with on here, and where messaging feels like waiting for a letter to arrive in Jane Austen’s time. So the immediacy of the chance for a quick exchange with people here would be great.
As you say, Adrian, it’s proving difficult and two of the people I’ve tried it with on here haven’t managed to get any sort of chat functional on whatever device they are using.
I’m less interested in the public chat function. I’d rarely get involved there, and prefer wider discussions when they happen within one of the forums, like this…
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I enjoy both forms of chat, but am restricted by the “home front” when I can participate. Also have the occassional browser problem with the chat bar in public. But that’s my lookout….
I dont have Skype and the “crossed wires” stories you hear about Facebook are horrifying.Its the main reason I dont have a page as I just do not want to think what would happen if the male’s me’s FB page got mixed up with Caty’s…
To sum up I’d like to keep both forms going, but if for any reason they havee to go, well so be it..
Regards
Caty
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I use to love the old chat room. I don’t like the new one and so I tend not to use it now.
It is small and looks rather drab.
I do use an iPad now and hardly turn the PC on, so would be interested in a chat room that supports tablets.
I do miss the chat room thought.
I found the old chat room easy to use.
I liked being able to have a group chat, and send PM’s to others at the same time.
I also found when I first joined , it important to talk to people as I needed this at the time.
I do miss being in the chat room. -
A chat room feature can be a wonderful way for people to make direct contact with others and on sites like this can even offer a lifeline to those who, for various reasons we all mostly understand, are isolated or unable to actually meet like-minded people. I know when I first entered the on-line trans* world I was a very active chatter and many of my fears, concerns or even just basic questions were addressed by people I met on-line whilst still deep in an emotional closet.
These days I have less need to seek solace in chat but I’ll never forget how much help it was for me so I’d hate to see it disappear and thus deprive others of that potential help.
Given what I see chat is useful for I think simplicity and ease of use is important. An ability to chat in general, in open conversation is a starting point, with an ability to switch to a private conversation should the need arise.
I am ‘old school’ by choice and use only a laptop or PC however I know many people these days use only a phone or tablet. It is thus a case of trying to find a ‘one solution fits all’ outcome. I think it’s worth trying for but, as has been stated, if it isn’t practically achieveable then so be it.The forums can still be of immense help.
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Michelle_S wrote:I use to love the old chat room.I was also quite partial to it as a group chat – but it too had its share of issues including the common theme of freezing up. There was also the issue of ghost conversations – people chatting in private in the main room appearing to be there…and not there at the same time.
After wandering through a number of commercial chat solutions I have to say that the flash based ones were always the most reliable..and all the later ones based on Ajax/HTML5 all seem to freeze up after a while. But as Flash doesn’t run on most mobile devices we can’t go back there!
Maybe that is why group chat rooms seem to have disappeared, Not because of a lack of demand but because there isn’t actually any universally acceptable technology to base them on! Perhaps I need to look for a very low-tech solution to the need!
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I agree with most of the others, feel the chat room is very valuable in being able to talk about things that matter to us. Being closeted it at times allows one to deal with certain stress knowing you can go there and probably have a conversation with someone who has an understanding of how you feel and can relate to.
I did prefer the old chat however i have made a few contacts on the new one and yes it does freeze at times but for the majority I am able to connect with others.
Sophia -
Another option is maybe start a facebook page. You can have a closed group facebook page and have to authorise members to use it.
I am a member of a few and this format works well for long term conversations as well short conversations, links etc. if people want to have private conversation they can do that too. Not quite the same as a real time chat room though. -
Michelle_S wrote:Another option is maybe start a facebook page. You can have a closed group facebook page and have to authorise members to use it.
A few practical issues like – not every TgR member has an active facebook page (and the numbers are shrinking I feel). And the idea of selecting 500 or so people individually to authorise them to use a closed page….mmmm maybe not.
More practically I’ve found a possible candidate for an ultra simple public chat on the web site – or shoutbox as they are called. What will be interesting is to see if it, like its predecessors, freezes.
Please give it a go if you want a public chat. You will find it at the bottom of the Messaging & Chat menu page
http://forum.tgr.net.au/cms/private-messagesI’ve down-graded the existing chat to be just for IM now.
This is all just an experiment to explore what we want / need – let me know your feedback privately or publicly.
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Well the new test chat room seems to be working a treat – come and try it out! You can change your text color as well – yay!
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Chat room thoughts.
I remember when I first got on line and found the chat rooms, Microsoft and Yahoo ran them. There were a few where we could go and have a friendly chat, have fun telling jokes and posting photos. But eventually, as often happens, the smut brigade turned up and took over. Microsoft found its pages being used for everything from porn to pedophilia so they closed them. Some of the bigger chat rooms, ‘Virtual Irish Pub’ anyone, anyone? All became ‘cyber sex’ rooms.
The one decent site devoted to us started to become bombarded with trolls. hacked to the degree that it was impossible to have a chat anymore.
‘Rose’s Repartee’ was a safe one, maintained and managed by Rose who also believe ran a group and even a magazine, a real one, not a cyber zine. But I found it was very cliquey. A moderate few took over and spent ages chatting and telling jokes and laughing but it was very difficult to get into a chat situation, often getting ignored, being on the opposite side of the planet didn’t help obviously but there was never any problem with the other group.
Sadly in the old days, there was a similar situation with this one. I watched people trying to ask questions and be patronised, try to join discussions and get ignored. This of course isn’t just an issue with us, it is such with many groups and organisations. Melbourne Seahorse was rife with this at times. The older members are settled and have their friends, newbies can have difficulties getting involved. This happened to me recently in a social group I joined. A few were forever passing comments about other members and their needs that I lost interest.
Chat rooms are great but need to be managed, new people need to be looked after.
Here endeth the reading according to St Claire. -
I’ve tried chat rooms before but I was a miserable failure. My one and a half finger typing was so slow that I was answering a question that was two pages previous by the time I sent my thoughts. Private messages where I have time to send a considered response are much more my style of “chatting”.
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I never use the public chat room because I generally don’t know the people chatting and prefer to communicate one-on-one. Then it becomes more personal and for me more interesting as I can concentrate on the individual at the other end of the line. If I end up having a long chat with someone I usually ask them to continue the conversation via email which is altogether easier and more convenient. Importantly, I can also add photos to illustrate the discussion where appropriate.
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Hey, I tried the test chat. Yes , I like it. Definitely worth keeping. That’s just my two bits worth though…
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hi well i belive the chat rooms are a valuable tool because this can be the only contact some girls have
so realy is does not matter if you like it or not or how its set out just think of the other girls that just may need to make contact and talk
i have noticed sometimes in the chat some girls can be rather meen to others and bulling not very lady like i have been on the reciving end of it for no reason its not a place to vent because your live is not going well its a place to make friends and share
remember some girls are struggling about who they are and where they fit in with life so when you chat just be the woman inside kind and under standing and draw from your life and try and help
i dont wish to be harsh but it not all about us
and i sorry if i have upset anyone its just the way i have seen it
