Live chat section?

[ColinWa]

Hey guys,

I was browsing another forum the other day and saw they've a little colum at the top for a live chat which online users can IM.

I don't know what you guys think about it, but i think this would really be a neat addition to the forum?

Cheers
Colin

[kfc223]

This forum is not some chat room. If anyone wants a chat room go use mxit or something.

This forum is a bank of infomation. And is somewhat formal. As soon as people start forgetting that the quality of posts drops dramatically.

[Ryan5151]

i think kfc223 has a point.

[ColinWa]

Yeah,

That is true, to some extent people will get lazy and much rather use the IM option, but that wasn't really the case with the other forum though, it was just casual reptile chat in the IM box, seemed to work pretty well on there.

But anyway,

I get your point, geuss it could be good or just horrifcally bad lol ..

[jka]

The forum had a working I'm client but the interest wasn't there. So after the revamp of the forum a couple years ago it was not included.

Once post start to look like bbm groups and mxit its all down hill from there.

[F1refly]

Agreed. If I had my way, Mxit and BBM would be banned entirely. In my opinion, www.tarantulas.co.za while still being a mine of information, since they introduced the chat function, quality of posts and such has gone down immensely.

[fastback]

I must disagree F1refly about Tarantulas.co.za comment. (The chat function has been one the site from the start, IM a couple of months)
The IM function is something that is useful, it is like talking on the Cell Phone just with Text.
The chat function hardly gets used as it stands.

I think people do what they wont and write how they wont with or with out a chat functions. It is how the forum is run and how the Admins and moderators enforce the rules of the site. Also what kind of Site the owner wont's.

We all know that SAReptiles has Mods and Admins that enforce and look after the site very well!

[ExoticReptiles]

I would say the main problem with that is the information gathered will be being the guys doing the im and not like on her where you can go back and search and find out what you want to know. I have gotten answers to a lot of my questions by just searching these posts and then didn't have to create a new post so I would say stay this way

[Hoss]

This forum is not some chat room. If anyone wants a chat room go use mxit or something.

This forum is a bank of infomation. And is somewhat formal. As soon as people start forgetting that the quality of posts drops dramatically.

pms much? anyway...

I'm involved in a couple of forums and on one in particular we have a chat room (or what we refer to as the shoutbox). It has not affected the standard of the forum in anyway, if anything it has brought the community closer together, allows some light banter and you get to ask quick questions on simple issues that don't validate a thread on a topic that has been handled before. And no one said that the quality of the spelling/grammar in a chat room has automatically degraded to the level text messages.

[froot]

A chat function has its uses, I personally think it would contribute to the site's functionality.

[monopeltis]

A chat function would also allow a place for silly banter and arguments to take place, leaving them out of informative threads... no idea how it would bring post quality down!