Live Chat Room?

[Been-Jammin']

I think that a live chat room for the members to use would be fun for all of us, and a good way to interact with each other (like one big happy family)
I dont know how available this is concerning taking time setting up/money, etc..but, hey, it seems like a decent idea!
Anyone else interested?

[saxfree]

Go for it!

[Pete]

As saxfree says, go for it: open one.

We do have the technology, here at SOTW, to do that -- and this request comes up about every six months. Neither I nor any of the Mods/Admins want to set one of these up and run it (I shouldn't talk for Bill: he's been a Mod for less than 6 months).

And I really don't care for additional techie work. I've got four or five things I haven't even gotten to yet, here.

If you can find a volunteer to run it that's acceptable to the SOTW staff, I might be able to be convinced to ask Harri to let me set this up.

[DaveKessler]

Problem would be moderating it all the time. Live chats can get really ugly really quick. I think that there would be way too much potential to errode the harmonious atmosphere of SOTW.

My vote is against it unless there was someone willing to monitor it 24/7.

[jazzbluescat]

I vote nay. If I need to talk to someone in particular private messages and email suit and serve my purposes just fine. I mean, I won't belly-ache if we have one, as long as it doesn't interfer with the message board.

[CMelodyMan]

Wouldn't you need around the clock mods for that to work?

[Pete]

To work, no, for it to be moderated, like the Forum, yes.

It looks like the Chat software we have available to us can ban people, etc. It doesn't have the ability to "share" the user list from this Forum, but that's not a terrible big deal.

What would have to happen is if $undesireable starts posting on Chat, the folks that are on the Chat woiuld have to tell us Admins and Mods that $undesireable needs to be booted -- and that could be LOOOOONG after the fact.

$Undesireable could do a lot more damage quicker than he could here.

... and, based on some experiments here, I do know that folks generally carry their arguments from one medium to another.

IMHO -- OK, I haven't been humble in years, so IMO -- the Forum is superior to Chat because it's a) better categorized, b) permanent and c) gives you more of a chance to edit yourself before OR after your post.

[Brendan Muse]

Set up an IRC room, and have someone appoint a list of people who aren't mods to act as moderaters of the room.

[Been-Jammin']

ummm, i don't exactly know what an IRC room is, but I have another idea too. We could set up an "official" sotw chat area on, say, msn messenger. It wouldnt require any moderation really, so it would be easy to control. And since there isn't that much activity going on on the forum at all times, there'd probably be even less activity in the chat room.

[jimmehMarkVI]

The voters seem to be split 50/50.

I think a live chat would be great but fairly unrealistic. A big problem will be people hopping in the chat for the sake of stirring people up, and that have never posted on this forum.

Will be a big mod job.

[Pete]

Now, if someone wants to do an occasional live chat, we could set up something. That might be more palatable.

Heck, y'all could arrange it yourselves: say that you're gonna open a thread on a topic at a specific time and tell everyone to join in at that time.

[Jbroad572]

The voters seem to be split 50/50.

I think a live chat would be great but fairly unrealistic. A big problem will be people hopping in the chat for the sake of stirring people up, and that have never posted on this forum.

Will be a big mod job.

Then ignore them. Maybe even make a chat a privelege after so many posts have been made? I think it could be beneficial. I personally would love to read real time conversation from some of the vets and even be involved in some of the conversations.

[Sigmund451]

Id be ok with that....I would hope it wouldnt overtake the forum and lower the quality and quantity of posts recorded for later viewing. Being granted priveledge may be a good idea or not. In the past it had been "voted out" but Im always open to something different....maybe run it as an experiement?

[jazzbluescat]

.................. I personally would love to read real time conversation from some of the vets and even be involved in some of the conversations.

Why, I 'member the 'combat zone' in Bahston back in '67, battlin' the hordes in the Golden Nugget and Intermission Lounge with only James Brown, Otis Redding, et al as ammunition....

[AG]

remember the discussion place at the old forum......and what happened there? you had best put on a fire proof suit before going in or at least take your fire extinguisher with you; I recall some very heated discussions by some very formidable participants. it would be a chance to see if history really does repeat itself though.

[Chris S]

This fire is still burnin' check out this thread.

Chris S

[Pete]

I'm talking with Chris "offline" about this. There is a newer product for vBulletin that does "pseudo chat" (it's got a short delay). You can read about it at http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=93097.

(The chat software offered by our website provider has been discontinued, so alternatives were needed.)

Don't count on it being implemented anytime real soon. While it doesn't take long to install, we've gotta set some guidelines, first, and it's not going to be implemented without Harri saying "OK" and having a full-time moderator for it.

And it'll be pulled if it doesn't work out.

I'm not violently opposed to the idea, I just think it's an awful lot of work for very little benefit.

[saxymanzach]

Now, if someone wants to do an occasional live chat, we could set up something. That might be more palatable.

Heck, y'all could arrange it yourselves: say that you're gonna open a thread on a topic at a specific time and tell everyone to join in at that time.

Perhaps slightly (okay, really) unrealistic, but perhaps we could hold live chat sessions every now and then with some accomplished sax players where we could debate popular topics and get a professional's point of view.

[Sal Alberico]

Yes,live chat would be fabulous

[kavala]

I think we almost have that now with the 'say anything random' thread.

If we had a live thread, some amongst would do no practise whatever,
and would soon be on the wrong end of a divorce.