Instant Chat Thingy

[Reptilian]

Hey all, in a recent thread, a few have come up with the suggestion of possibly getting a instant chat thingy up and going... What are your opinions on this and we can put the suggestion to Dave... It just saves some of the chit chat in the threads, when there are a few of us on some nights...

Cheers...
Ash...

[carpetcleaner]

I think it is  a great idea. We can still chat to fellow herpers without important threads getting clogged up with our ramblings. People can choose to ignore the chat box and just read the threads or can get involved with the chat if they want to.
Everyone is happy. Perfect solution.

[Notechis]

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[Bluetongue]

Best thread Ive read in months.

Now that's a worry!

Where have you been mate?

Wink.  Wink.

[Niall]

Sounds like a good idea.

If Dave goes ahead with this, it would be good if it was on a seperate page so it doesn't disturb the home page.

[Bluetongue]

TOP IDEA!

You wouldn’t even need to add new software.  Just delete the “Chat Room” thread each morning and start afresh.

It would also solve the problem of threads that require one or two replies… like a simple question (eg ID of a King Skink that turns out to be a monitor… no wonder we got off track - in house comment for those that were there)… that requires a simple answer and is then dealt with, but hangs around for years, taking up space and making it harder to find the relevant stuff.

There is no doubt that forum users would like to chat at times.  You only have to trawl through the threads in the General Discussion categories to see that.  Besides, it is much more comfortable chatting to people who you know share a common interest / passion, whether the topic is to do with that interest or not.  If you have been in a general chat room then you will know exactly what I am talking about.

Last point (I promise!) is that newbies, who may feel self conscious about starting a new thread each time they have a new question (and there was a recent indication that they can be frowned upon by some users for doing so) could ask as many simple questions as they like and save the more complex ones for the traditional forum threads – which I believe is one aspect of the point Carpetcleaner made.

IT HAS MY VOTE!

[Notechis]

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[AnneE]

Absolutely agree....as for myself, who was ..... and some may say...still is, guilty of asking lots of "simple" questions, I think it's essential to have a chat room.  Little things are big things to newbies, and they want instant answers.  I'm too old to worry about what people think of me, but I don't like to be a complete pain in the neck with all my questions.  I respect experienced keepers, but if there's no where for newbies to go, or if there is, they may not know where to find the so called "simple" answers, then a chat room would be a perfect way to get those trivial things seen to and a good way to have a bit of social activity too.  I've started using a few private messages for some people I feel I'm getting closer to, but a chat room would be great....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Dave, can we have one.  :-)

Big smiles, Anne  

[roach]

The most popular thread all week and there isnt even any pictures. What is happening?
At first glance it looks like a real serious discussion.

On a serious note, yes everyone wants it. If it means less unrelated crap being posted in the reptile forum then yeah, go for it.

On the other hand there are already numerous chat sites around that can be taken advantage of rather than wasting time setting one up on here.
Try the chat on www.aussiepythons.com or www.theheatpit.com which was actually set up for people wanting to discuss reptiles untill it was taken over.

Dont panic, this wasnt here to offend anyone so dont get all upset about it.

Cheers
Roach

[Dave MacIntosh]

I am sure most of you punters out there all ready know that I have the computer knowledge and skills of a cane beetle.
I have no idea if this forum software has the capacity for a live chat room (I kind of doubt it actually).
May be it is getting time to get a decent more professional forum software in place that has more features?
I was always intending to do this eventually anyway if the traffic warranted it.

Regards Dave

[AnneE]

Thanks for those sites Roach, but I think some of us here would also like to get to know some of the other members of this site, and tale "crap" as you call it.  Those who don't want to talk "crap" needn't go to the chat area.  Some people enjoy social chat as well as talking seriously about their pets.

Cheers,  Anne

[AnneE]

Thanks Dave.

[Bluetongue]

I am sure most of you punters out there all ready know that I have the computer knowledge and skills of a cane beetle.
I have no idea if this forum software has the capacity for a live chat room (I kind of doubt it actually).
May be it is getting time to get a decent more professional forum software in place that has more features?
I was always intending to do this eventually anyway if the traffic warranted it.

Regards Dave

Dave,

As I mentioned in a previous post, you could utilise the existing software by simply dedicating a specific thread to “chat” and then deleting the contents at start of each day, so that you begin afresh.  I do appreciate that this means more work for you and  / or whoever assists you in this.  I do believe that the above suggestion would provide an ideal “trial” without the need, effort or expense of new software at this point of time.  I don’t imagine it will take long to decide what to do for the future, based on how the trial goes. 

As I have mentioned to you personally, and am more than happy to state publicly, the forum that you and your partner(s) have set up and run provides an invaluable service to the herpetological community of WA, the value of which is only too evident in so many of the comments posted and cannot be understated.

To me, it is obvious that those suggesting this change are very mindful of the fabulous work you guys do and are only suggesting this because they believe it will only enhance that laudable service.  I think it fair to say that the forum users truly appreciate what you have given us, even if it is beyond your means to add to it.

Sincere regards,
Mike L.

[roach]

AnneE, there is nothing stopping other members on the site going to other chat sites as well or there is also messenger.

You have obviously gotten a little stroppy over my comments. I did say on there this wasnt here to offend anyone so dont get all upset about it.

My point is even if there is a chit chat section on the forum like APS for example people will still post irrelevant information into peoples threads.

No offence but i dont really care what someone did over the weekend unless it included a reptile (or occasionally a frog). After all this is a reptile forum.

Bluetongue, the possibility is there but it will also create more work for Dave on a daily basis having to go through and delete threads all the time.

[Bluetongue]

The most popular thread all week and there isnt even any pictures. What is happening?
At first glance it looks like a real serious discussion.

On a serious note, yes everyone wants it. If it means less unrelated crap being posted in the reptile forum then yeah, go for it.

On the other hand there are already numerous chat sites around that can be taken advantage of rather than wasting time setting one up on here.
Try the chat on www.aussiepythons.com or www.theheatpit.com which was actually set up for people wanting to discuss reptiles untill it was taken over.

Dont panic, this wasnt here to offend anyone so dont get all upset about it.

Cheers
Roach

I am confused!  Are you for or against?  Your post is somewhat ambivalent.

You say: “At first glance it looks like a real serious discussion.”  This would seem to imply that the comments made, upon a second viewing by you, were “less than serious”.  Is that, in fact, the message you were attempting to convey?  The remainder of your post does not seem to support this interpretation.  Hence my difficulty in determining your drift!

If I may be so presumptuous as to speak on behalf of the ‘average punter’ here, I believe they are saying quite clearly that they want more than to “chat” with individuals from other states that don’t operate within the same sort of environment (natural and regulatory) that we have in WA. [Ain’t it typical of WA to be unique?]  They want to chat to people on the same page as they are, people they have come to know through this forum, people that they can identify with and respect and probably just plain, old like!  So to set up a “chat” facility unique to those in WA is far from a “waste of time”.  It is logical, reasonable, desired and dare I say, needed!

I am simply echoing that which I hear here.  The eastern states forums are not to be put down as they serve a really practical purpose.  However, the climate, habitat and herp species found in WA are rather unique – you only have to look at our rate of endemism!   Surely it therefore makes good sense to have a WA based chat facility, where local people can chat about local things knowing that they are talking to other who experience the same conditions and many of the same difficulties and, bottom line, therefore talk the “same language on the same page”.  This is aside from the plus that you may recognise who you are talking to or even have met the individual concerned.