I'm not sure what kinds of additions are in store for the future, or if this is a possibility, but lots of other forums also have chatroom boxes, and I think that'd be cool. Not sure what's involved in obtaining one, though. Anyone else feel the same? This is a mere suggestion...I love WF the way it is and will always come here.
this has been suggested many times and admin has explained why it's not a good idea and/or not doable here... you can do a search for previous threads on the issue if you want to know the reasons...
After searching I only really found these threads, neither with any reasons for or against. They only seem to suggest it died a death because nobody used it. https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=188 https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=955 It was a long time ago, and I could imagine a more embedded approach would work better (looks like people didn't even know about it once it was created) Ah, found another. Seems Daniel changed his mind about them here; https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=2474
The explanation given in that post above is hardly valid. Shout boxes are somewhat tedious, however an IRC channel can be set up. IRC channel's can be accessed via Java Plugin or dedicated IRC client. Chat Rooms are an excellent way to extend the community.
The point is that it is not the direction we want to extend the community, because of the element it attracts. In the same way we discourage word games that serve no purpose other than frittering away time, we don't want to divert server resources to support mindless chatter. That is why we had to impose restrictions on posts in Wayfarer's Tavern. Unrestricted chat rooms always - always - degenerate into mindless chatter to pass the time.
People are already chatting "mindless" chatter in the Tavern or in the VMs. A chatbox only extends what you're already doing. Try it out for at least a month.
I myself think it would be a waste of server resources as well. We have PMs and the lounge already, which is plenty. It keeps the conversations slow and interesting, verses quick and boring. Plus, we get a chance to think on what we are typing, and to analyze what someone has said. In the end, a chat feature would just get iffy and log down the bandwidth.
We also curtail it in the Lounge when it becomes excessive. We do not encourage mindless chatter on this site, so why would we add a feature specifically to support it?
