An IRC (chat) room for the CBG?

[fw190a8]

A lot of sites have 'live chat' features and most of these are based on an IRC channel. As Ishmayl is looking into it, I thought I would post my thoughts. I realise you young whipper-snappers out there have probably grown up with ICQ and MSN Messenger rather than IRC, so for anyone who doesn't know (and doesn't want to read a newbie guide) it's similar to the IM programs, but you connect to a specific server and join a chat room. Everyone in that room can interact with one another and you can get as many people into the room as you want.

Setting up an IRC channel for the CBG would have both positive and negative effects I think. First, it would be much easier to have conversations. Imagine the tavern, but you'd be able to see responses much sooner. It would definitely make it easier to play games (over the play-by-post method) because it would be much more like sitting at a gaming table so proper sessions could be arranged (although even that has disadvantages if people are in different time zones, etc).

The disadvantage that I see is that there would possibly be decreased activity on the forum, but I think it would mainly be the off-topic 'chit chat' type of posts that would be moved to the chat room and not the more substantial posts or discussions about campaign material or elements. A chat room would only really succeed if people were willing to linger at first. For example, if you joined the chat room, saw nobody else was there and then left again right away, nobody would ever be there, but if you were willing to join it and stay logged on, at least until the community becomes larger, there would be more chance of 'chat' :)

Although it's possible for one to set up one's own IRC server, that's probably unnecessary because there are already some established servers on which a chat room (#cbg, for example) could be registered for free. I have a feeling Coldfront would be ideal, although there are countless others. Once a channel is set up and registered (usually instantaneous), Ishmayl would be able to add a plugin to the web site to provide a chat section. This is usually a java applet that hooks up to the specified server and channel. PJIRC is functional and free to put on sites, but again there are others. There are lots of other ways to connect too, most of them more 'persistent' than a window on a web page, like mIRC and even Trillian if you use that for your IMs.

[limetom]

e107 has some plug-ins to directly add IRC into the website.  I'm pretty sure this is what Ishmayl is looking at.

You left out ChatZilla...

[Ishmayl-Retired]

My main concerns on this subject are concerns about bandwidth.  There is going to be a time - possibly sooner than I hope - that this server is going to need to be ditched and replaced with a larger, faster server.  It may take 100 more members with 100+ average MORE posts a day, but it's eventually going to happen, and a page that would involve said IRC plugin would make that happen sooner, rather than later.  I don't think I would mind terribly, but it would be more expenses for me.

That being said, I think a chatroom would get a lot of OOC use (much like the Tavern), but in all honesty, I don't really see it getting a ton of use right now.  I just don't think we currently have enough regularly-active members to really, truely benefit from such a thing.  Plus, I do see it as possibly taking away from the forums, which really aren't getting as much use right now as I'd like.

Here's another thing; would having a chatroom mean I would need to purchase a "bot?" I don't know a ton about chatrooms, but from what I remember of them (talking in the various Wheel of Time channels on PIRCH), there has to be a bot in there to keep the channel permanent, otherwise, there's no guarantee that, once the room's clear and someone else wants to go in, there will still be a CBG to go into.  Not to mention, do we want just any-ol' random person who has an IRC client to be able to drop in and harrass/bother us about things that have nothing to do with the CBG?

It's just a few concerns, but they could be important.

[Raelifin]

See now I was just thinking of using one for the block party. I'm not so sure if a dedicated server would be used all taht much. Most of us already communicate over IM.

[brainface]

Here's another thing; would having a chatroom mean I would need to purchase a "bot?"

ish, you NEVER have to PAY for ANYTHING on the internet anymore.

[fw190a8]

I just don't think we currently have enough regularly-active members to really, truely benefit from such a thing.  Plus, I do see it as possibly taking away from the forums, which really aren't getting as much use right now as I'd like.

Not to mention, do we want just any-ol' random person who has an IRC client to be able to drop in and harrass/bother us about things that have nothing to do with the CBG?[/quote]
In theory, any-ol' random person with a web browser can drop in on the forum and (admittedly after registering) make posts. ;) As with anything else you can assign moderators to the chat room and they can kick out anybody who causes problems, just like you would delete posts here if they were objectionable. Also, the chat feature on this site should be put into a members-only section (possibly forcing people to use the same screen name as they use on the site).

I really hope you do decide to go ahead with this, although I agree with you on the community being too small to take such a step right now.

[Raelifin]

I made an IRC channel 'cause I was bored.

irc.chatspike.net::6667
#CBG

If you need help with the setup, I can be reached on AIM as Raelifin or on YIM as Raelifin_the_Zerg.