What's with the chat section of the site?

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

This chat part of the forum is so weird, and I'm confused by it, and the notification things for it. No one seems to use the chat either.

While browsing 'what's new' I saw the chat thing at the top had a 1 next to it in green, instead of the red zero. So I checked, and no new private chat messages, no one active in the rooms. When I went there, the green number changed to two. I left all the rooms after checking them, it's back to one. Does that just mean that's there's one person in the chat, even if they're not talking? So when I went there to look for why I had a notification, it changed to two since I'd joined? @Koglin I saw your name in the room, had you just joined and that's what makes the notification show a one maybe?

Yet when people have sent me private chat messages, I don't get a notification and they say the same to me. Occasionally I'll get a forum notification that someone has sent me a private chat, seems to work for the first message, but not any replies.

 

[Koglin]

This chat part of the forum is so weird, and I'm confused by it, and the notification things for it. No one seems to use the chat either.

While browsing 'what's new' I saw the chat thing at the top had a 1 next to it in green, instead of the red zero. So I checked, and no new private chat messages, no one active in the rooms. When I went there, the green number changed to two. I left all the rooms after checking them, it's back to one. Does that just mean that's there's one person in the chat, even if they're not talking? So when I went there to look for why I had a notification, it changed to two since I'd joined? @Koglin I saw your name in the room, had you just joined and that's what makes the notification show a one maybe?

Yet when people have sent me private chat messages, I don't get a notification and they say the same to me. Occasionally I'll get a forum notification that someone has sent me a private chat, seems to work for the first message, but not any replies.

Huh. Good to know, seems we have to check it more often. But yes that was me, I had popped in and dropped a msg, might start leaving a window open in the room in case ppl randomly jump in while I'm perusing abouts the forum

*Edit - I bet it only shows a notification when there is a new msg

 

[Koglin]

Tried @ mentioning you to see if it gives ya a notification about it

 

[HoldenOn]

Yea, I think if someone you have a conversation with is using the chat thing it shows a number (depending on the number of people who are using it at the time.)

 

[kwi]

It appears to be a tally of how many members are in the chat area, it is very quiet though.
I do wonder about it's usefulness on a forum board alongside the PM system too.

 

[Ch4rlie]

It appears to be a tally of how many members are in the chat area, it is very quiet though.
I do wonder about it's usefulness on a forum board alongside the PM system too.

The chat room used to be a very popular place on this forum.

I used to frequent it often back in the day when I was a chat room moderator, used to get up to 18 or more folks sometimes in the chatroom, just randomly talking about things, to have a good laugh and generally have a blether about things.

It does have its usefulness but only when there are folks in it! Would keep it there, it may well get resurrected once again.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

The chat room used to be a very popular place on this forum.

I used to frequent it often back in the day when I was a chat room moderator, used to get up to 18 or more folks sometimes in the chatroom, just randomly talking about things, to have a good laugh and generally have a blether about things.

It does have its usefulness but only when there are folks in it! Would keep it there, it may well get resurrected once again.

Yep, the chat room used to be a great place. Now it’s a ghost town unfortunately. I think people used to go to it automatically and have a second browser window open to look at the main forum, waiting for people to come online.

Now no one comes into it at all. I’d say we should arrange meeting times but you need reasonable numbers to make it worth it.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I think people used to go to it automatically and have a second browser window open to look at the main forum, waiting for people to come online.

That’s exactly how I did thing then.

Obviously a lot easier doing this on a laptop or PC, not sure if can be done on iPhone or a iPad which what I normally use now, rarely do I have the laptop on now tbh.

 

[mcordelia]

Wait there's a chat?!?!? How do I get to it?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Wait there's a chat?!?!? How do I get to it?

There is no one in there at the moment but to find it, it’s on top of forum page between marketplace and contest links, normally has a red box with 0 on it, box turns green with number of members in chatroom, rarely seen now.

If you are using iPhone or mobile, turn the phone sideways and you should then see the links for chatroom and other areas of the forum.

Taken a screenshot of my iPhone on sideway profile screen to show top of forum page the chat with red box with 0 members currently in.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I was also confused by it when I first joined... just decided to ignore it and stick with the regular forum.

Even when I joined, it used to be active. Now we have the “general chat” sub-forum, which is sort of taken over.

 

[Colin_T]

The chat part is useless and never gets used. I told the mods to remove it years ago and it's still here. The problem with it is new people hop on asking for help and nobody is here to talk back to them. By the time someone notices there is a help request in chat, it's too late.

New people should be encouraged to post a new thread and provide information about the issue. Then it can be responded to by people using the forum.

Just my 2 cents worth, sorry if it sounds bad but in my opinion, it really isn't worth keeping.

 

[Fishmanic]

When I first started here in about 2013, many members joined in for informal chat sessions. Every day members would join in for fun sessions. Interest in it has dropped off over the last few years.