34 replies to this topic

[Bill Edwards]

Hi

We've tried chat rooms on our site and they don't work for us - unmoderated we get name calling, insulting and childish behaviour. It isn't worth the aggro.

However, a member has asked if a one to one chat, similar to Facebook is possible within our forum. Is it??

Cheers

Bill

[saturnus]

http://www.arrowchat.com/

[Bill Edwards]

It seems like that product might have fitted the bill. However their support isn't good - if its poor pre-sales, I won't risk buying

[eGullet]

We use cometchat for our staff, it works reasonably well.

[Bill Edwards]

A sticking point seems to be that I want to be able to regulate it on a group basis, i.e. just allow our Moderators access until tested, then allow perhaps another group of members.

Cometchat can do this, but only with a more expensive setup and then only by their staff

[Mikey B]

One on One? Have you seen the in-built Messenger?

That's one on one, or one on many.

[eGullet]

We do it ourselves with cometchat by cheating: I've wrapped the code that displays the bar with an if statement in the template that only shows it to certain groups. That should be completely adequate for testing (since we use it for production I had to tweak cometchat itself too, but you shouldn't have to).

One on One? Have you seen the in-built Messenger?

That's one on one, or one on many.

Messenger is a replacement for chats the same way e-mail is a replacement for IM.

[Mikey B]

and yet, I've had email conversations which have been as fast as IM.

Was merely a suggestion, I know the OP wasn't looking for PM's, but the one-on-one aspect jumped out as something he could use the Messenger for.

[saturnus]

Cometchat's prices are ridiculous: $130 for the best option? And to want audio and video, you have to buy the most expensive which is pretty much $500.

That's insane.

[eGullet]

Is there a cheaper option out there? We decided to go with the $50 option a couple years ago after first trying out IP.Chat, which didn't fit our needs: I haven't paid attention to what is currently available.

[kotaco]

The shoutbox by Michael with the option of a private shout to a group or between members would be ideal for me. We had the chatroom, but the shoutbox rendered it useless as everybody just uses the shoutbox now. But Michael won't add a private shout option because he says that's what IP.Chat is for. Endless loop initiated.

[Michael]

The shoutbox by Michael with the option of a private shout to a group or between members would be ideal for me. We had the chatroom, but the shoutbox rendered it useless as everybody just uses the shoutbox now. But Michael won't add a private shout option because he says that's what IP.Chat is for. Endless loop initiated.

That feature is actually in my list of features to look at implementing:

http://invisionfocus...o-private-chat/

Don't take this to mean that it's going to be added in the next week or so, but it is a feature that's on my radar.

[Dmacleo]

shoutbox one to one would be cool, worth paying for too.

[saturnus]

I actually stopped paying for and disabled IP.Chat because I've been so frustrated (as I've said various times) with it. Until it adds in private chatting or extra "chatrooms" (one on one/group)/audio and video, I see no reason to pay such a high price (imo anyway) for it.

I use the Shoutbox as our "Chatroom" instead, and the public title for the Shoutbox is "Chat" even.

[kotaco]

That feature is actually in my list of features to look at implementing:

http://invisionfocus...o-private-chat/

Don't take this to mean that it's going to be added in the next week or so, but it is a feature that's on my radar.

Well I stand corrected, last I saw that request was denied. Glad to see it will be implemented!

[Rhett]

With all the instant messaging options on the net these days, I'm not sure it's really needed is it? I don't know anyone who doesn't use some form of messenger anymore. On most larger sites of mine we use IRC as well, of course you have private chats as well as group chats there.

[saturnus]

Then you might as well get rid of the chat software entirely? In its current state, it is just a very basic chatroom. Its plans and prices aren't really fair for how little it offers, especially if there are no future plans to add some great features.

It would only make sense for the company if it added in a couple of things that really most other chatroom software offers, to not only add some $$$ to your pockets but to also have clients not running to other software.

And to also have the members of the communities staying on those communities, as opposed to going somewhere else or using a different software incorporated into IPB. We can manage the members and not have to deal with external stuff.

Not everyone has Facebook and/or Skype or AIM (which people have seemed to stop using in the past few years), and tinychat is very limited with its moderating options and can slow down often. And maybe some of us don't want to deal with IRC. Managing everything on IPB is 100x better. Especially with knowing which member is which, and having access to chat logs, etc. It's simpler and more convenient.


A few features have been suggested and backed up time and time again in this Feedback forum, and they've all seemed to have gone ignored. How will the software grow and attract more attention if it just stays how it is? I find it frustrating because I'd gladly go back to IP.Chat if it had a few more options.

Here is my post about what I think about IP.Chat, and I also link to threads in the Feedback forum that have the same suggestions:
http://community.inv...w/#entry2248290

[Rhett]

I was offering an opinion, nothing more, I'm sure ip.chat will be enhanced in future versions, however I can't tell you how at this point.

[kotaco]

With all the instant messaging options on the net these days, I'm not sure it's really needed is it? I don't know anyone who doesn't use some form of messenger anymore. On most larger sites of mine we use IRC as well, of course you have private chats as well as group chats there.

On my forums not everyone wants to get onto a 3rd party app like Skype, Facebook, Google, AIM, or whatever to chat, they want to be able to do it when they visit the site and leave and be done with it. Plus if its all integrated into the forums everybody knows who's who and its just much easier overall. There are a few people who share information with their friends to chat outside of the forums but I'm speaking for the majority.

That's why our shoutbox is probably the most used feature aside from the forums, and I get requests all the time for some sort of an instant messenger option because the general public doesn't like having to get out of whatever they're doing to go send a PM, I realize it can be "just as fast" as an IM in some cases but its just extra steps they have to take, taking them away from the shoutbox, arcade, gallery, forums or whatever they were doing, when they feel they should just be able to click someones name in the shoutbox, online list or whatever and strike up a real-time personal conversation, like they could in IP.Chat but more streamlined for the entire site.

I enjoy IP.Chat as it works well as a sort of messenger in popped out windows, but the pricing is too much for what it has to offer in my opinion with little to no extra features available, however even that wasn't designed for what I think a lot of us would like to see.

I believe IPB would benefit from having a cometchat like feature (with the option to regulate & disable of course) with a simple friends list showing who is online and the option to strike up a realtime PM with your friends on the forums. The messenger would remain or possibly be intergrated so that IMs to offline members would go to their PM box just as it does with Facebook. Group chat could the get away with remaining a seperate feature with a chatroom or shoutbox.

The main point being if it isn't broke, sure don't fix it, but why not polish and add-on to it? But that's just my .02

[bfarber]

I am unsure where the notion that we will never improve chat came from, however I am positive you will see future updates with expanded functionality.