Isabella

I was wondering if it's possible to have a chatroom on FishLore. I think it would be really interesting if we all could chat together. I would love to talk live with all of the nice people we have here. I think our chatroom would be a very lively one Do you think Mike could do something like this?

Craig

that would b really good !!

C W

Isabella

I know!

Butterfly

Sent Mike a PM.
Carol

Isabella

PM? Is that a "Private Message" ? (LOL, sorry for another silly question!)

Butterfly

yep

Carol

Mike

Hey Everybody - I'm not sure if we have access to that type of functionality. Let me look into it and if I find anything we could use I'll post back here.

Butterfly

Thanks Mike

Carol

Isabella

Thank you Mike. It was just a suggestion. It's absolutely up to you

rob2uk

I can see a coupla flaws with having a chatroom...

1: There aren't usually enough people online at once to justify having one; the majority of conversations on the forum happen over a period of hours, days or even weeks.

2. If there are enough users online to make the chatroom worthwhile, it'll effectively kill the forum

Jason

good point!

joe

those r some good points i dont think i would like it as much as the forum.

Isabella

Rob - while your points make sense, and it's good that you mentioned them so that people can decide what they think about the chatroom idea - my comment was merely a SUGGESTION. I did not intend to divert people's attention from the forums. Of course, if there never will be enough people to chat, the chatroom will be useless. However, if there happen to be people with emergencies (ex. questions about fish diseases requiring quick answers) perhaps someone in the chatroom will be able to help them right away. That is certainly not to say that people have to wait long for answers in the forums, because they're getting them very quickly, especially thanks to Gunnie and Butterfly

I don't think the chatroom would actually "kill" the forums. It would rather be COMPLEMENTARY to the forums. Forums were and will be the main focus. But as I have said - it was only a SUGGESTION. Nevertheless it wouldn't hurt to try. And if it turned out ineffective, then the chatroom could be cancelled. If it would indeed divert people's attention from the forums and if not enough people would participate in the chat, then I'd even want it to be terminated.

One more time: just a suggestion, an idea. And it's completely up to the administrator of this website. I don't "absolutely" need this chatroom to exist, and if it existed, it wouldn't be just for me but for all FishLore members. I rather had in mind a live talk with all the nice people we have here. I was curious how it would be if we could all heartily chat together. I came to like very much this warm community we've all created here.

Mike, if the chatroom is useless on FishLore, and if there is a possibility that it will ruin the forums, please disregard my suggestion.

Butterfly

In the chatrooms I have been in all the conversations aren't necessarily just about fish. We chat about going out to eat, what we had, also fish etc...... just like standing face to face in a group and visiting. It is a lot of fun. If Mike can swing it I think it would be a good addition. Usually Chat is set for a particular start time and a specific day. Chat doesn't go on all the time like the forums would. Just my 2 cents worth
Carol

Jason

Hmm Better points....

nebstew07

I dont think it would be a good idea
So are you having second thought about this chat room idea?

Isabella

Me? I am not having second thoughts. But as I have already said twice: it was merely a suggestion. If it's a bad idea, the chatroom never has to exist.

Craig

i agree with isabella it is a good idea but if it doesnt fit in then dont bother but i honestly think it would b a great additon 2 a fantastic website we can get 2 know one another better and talk about other stuff other than fish butterfly put it perfectly so i am definatly 4 it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! come on Mike what do u think sir anymore thoughts on the matter??

C W

Gunnie

I think a chat room is a great idea, but may be a little premature for the site right now. I post on another site that has a chat room, and know firsthand that there really needs to be some sort of monitoring of the chat room, which would be almost impossible right now. A troll in the chat room could really hurt the site if not dealt with right away, and could scare off new members. A chat room is also sometimes used for immediate answers to fish emergency questions, and if the only people in the chat room are too new to give the right answers, they could give bad advice and it would reflect on the whole site. I think this site needs to grow a little more, and we seem to get new members everyday, so it won't take long!

Isabella

Gunnie, yes, indeed it makes sense. Maybe it's better to wait for now. Since you have personally seen what a chatroom on an aquatic website looks like, I can't possibly argue with you because I don't have the necessary experience. The least thing we want are disrespectful individuals in a chatroom as well as incorrect information provided to those who need advice immediately. I agree.

NanoAddict

trolls are scary aaaahhhhhhh theres one ohh wait never mind well anyway the possible chat room is cool as long as there is monitors so people dont go getting off the subject and taking it into pms and stuff

RoboDude

I agree, there are people out there that would harm you for fun. You always have to be on the safe side.

rob2uk

The other option, of course, is for us all to add each other to MSN and have group chats on there...

Isabella

That's a good idea

rob2uk

OK...

Not sure of the best way to do this... obviously not everyone will want to post their MSN address in a publicly-viewable forum.

Everyone could IM me their addresses and I can orchestrate something from there if you think that'd work

Isabella

Maybe it would be feasible for everyone to create a new screen name just for the purpose of using it for chats with FishLore members. I personally don't even have an MSN screen name, but an AOL and AIM screen names. AIM is free but I don't know if it's possible to have group chats on AIM. I hardly ever use AIM, but would be willing to do so if we all could chat together. Or perhaps I should get an MSN screen name. How does MSN work? Is it free too?

If it were to be a timed chat, I think the best time to chat would be the time range between which most FishLore members are online. I see most people on FishLore during evening hours (ET). Or maybe we could all agree on a specific private chatroom name, and whenever someone would like to chat, he or she could simply type the chatroom name and enter the chat to see if anyone is there. The chatroom would be at the place of our agreed choice, such as MSN for example.

rob2uk

The only problem with that is that users outside of the US can no longer use the MSN chatrooms, hence my suggestion that we use MSN.

MSN is free, you can download it from http://messenger.msn.com.

Follow the instructions on that site to set up an account if you don't already have one.

rob2uk

OK, I've created a new account so we can see if this'll work...

Add fishlore_chat@hotmail.com to your contacts, we'll take it from there

Isabella

I have also created an account on MSN. My MSN e-mail is available on my FishLore profile.

rob2uk