Chat room

[WaterPond]

Wouldent it be cool to have a chat room for really quick info, and just so we can get to know each toher a little better. I'm on numerous other forums which have chatrooms, and everyone comes on at around 8:30 at night and we all just chat, and it pretty fun. Probably alot of trouble to get one on the site though, but i am just putting it out there.
:yes: you know you want it;)

[Melody]

Staffing it would be the biggest concern I should think, but we'll see what everyone thinks. Thanks for the suggestion!

[WaterPond]

any thoughts?:wideeyed:

[Jonesy]

I think it's a great idea.....kinda nice to talk about things while they are on your mind instead of waiting for posts.....

[fishykisses]

i agree! i think it would be fun.

[Melody]

Cool - I'll wait for the PM'ed application for mod volunteers :laugh: . Who wants to sign up for shifts of sitting in an empty chat room all day & night? A show of hands? ;)

I'm not much for chats when it comes to fish for a couple of reasons. For one, they rarely have anyone in them. Someone wants to chat, nobody is in there, they leave, which keeps happening so nobody is ever in there.

Second, I like having the info in the forum for others.

There's also a question of software & all that, which isn't my job and we already ask a lot of a certain someone.

We do have some awesome plans for expansion that will knock your sox off I'm sure, so it might be something we can pencil in. I doubt it will be tomorrow, but we'll see what that certain someone has to say. Maybe we could start with scheduled chats or something.

Keep piping in - we need to gauge interest. :smile: Thanks for putting it on the table!

[mixixe]

I"m up for it! I"m always chatting anyway

[Jonesy]

I don't think that we need a moderator in terms of a babysitter....It would be in real time and i'm sure that with the technology that is out there now, we could have all "words" deleted or censored. We could also have a person or forum that we could post into if someone is outta control. I agree that something like this will require more software, but at the same time, i think that the people that are interested in it wouldn't mind throwing in a few bucks. I agree with Melody that forums are great in keeping info out there and for classified etc, but it would also be nice to just say hi to someone and talk about fish or anything else that someone may have on their mind. I think it would let everyone get to know each other alittle better and make this a MUCH better forum.....

Just my two cents.....

[Melody]

Oh believe me, I've seen people even in forums with ineffective moderation - some always need a sitter....lol. Its not just that, any threats, minors, etc, are our headache. I really don't think chat effects the quality of a forum, if anything it makes for less board activity. Any sticky community content is usually a good thing, you just have to balance the resources required, appeal, etc.

[Melody]

How about everyone fills out their profile to include their Instant Messenger ID's? You can even arrange group chats through those. It would do you in the meantime anyway.

I'm not opposed to it as an idea, there's just a lot more to it than chatting when you have to be the one responsible for it. I have yet to see one get much use either.

[CACAdmin]

I appreciate everybody's input with regard to a chat room. There are a number of reasons why this isn't really feasible. We are still a small forum and it will take focus away from the forum... the info shared in the chat room would be lost to anyone (current or new members) searching for it later. A search of posts will net an answer (our pooled knowledge is a great resource).

However, that aside, a chat room needs to be moderated (whether you think it does or not). We do have young members here and we have to ensure that all info on this site is age appropriate. There are also legal and ethical issues which may arise within a chat room for which I am responsible. In addition, the moderators of CAC are generous enough to donate a considerable amount of time and energy as is.

Although, I cannot see it being feasible at this time, I will look into the possibility of a scheduled chat. Also, despite the fact that this isn't an option (at least at this time), please do not let this deter you from making suggestions. We look forward to them and implementing any which will add to/improve the forum whenever possible.

[Jonesy]

I appreciate everybody's input with regard to a chat room. There are a number of reasons why this isn't really feasible. We are still a small forum and it will take focus away from the forum... the info shared in the chat room would be lost to anyone (current or new members) searching for it later. A search of posts will net an answer (our pooled knowledge is a great resource).

However, that aside, a chat room needs to be moderated (whether you think it does or not). We do have young members here and we have to ensure that all info on this site is age appropriate. There are also legal and ethical issues which may arise within a chat room for which I am responsible. In addition, the moderators of CAC are generous enough to donate a considerable amount of time and energy as is.

Although, I cannot see it being feasible at this time, I will look into the possibility of a scheduled chat. Also, despite the fact that this isn't an option (at least at this time), please do not let this deter you from making suggestions. We look forward to them and implementing any which will add to/improve the forum whenever possible.

So i take it as a no?? At least it's put to bed..

[Melody]

I think he said 'not feasible at this time'. We are always open to input, suggestions and discussion. Maybe something will come up that changes the entire feasibility aspect, now or later. The level of interest also has a big impact on whether something is worth doing or not.

There's nothing to stop you from starting one tomorrow though. ;)