Live Chat

10:52-- locky: Just for GARRY P. lack of live chat users . try this . its open chat with limit but try topical chat nights . .. it stops random chit chat , which is fine but can make keeping up with the conversation topic difficult . the chat becomes so random that people look in and haven't a clue what the heck others are on about .usually ending with just two people talking between themselves .. .. my thoughts over .. think about it .. topic nights , or days ..

This post was put on live chat today for my attention. I think it is a brilliant thought. As most peeps know I am worried about the lack of use this facility has, and poss this is the way forward. What do other members think, and if its a good idea, how do we run it ??
Over to you

Garry

I have checked in to chat sometimes and there is no one else there or a chat is going on that I'm not interested in.
Just because it isn't used much it doesn't mean it worthwhile, especially at this time of the year when Christmas preparations take up most of your spare time.
Why do you seem so concerned about the amount of use, does it cost extra to run?

Cheers
Doug

Thanks for that post Doug, and the reason I am concerned is that only a short time ago Live Chat was VERY busy, and has been for the last 5 yrs . I cant remember it being so quiet ever, so this to me means maybe it has reached the end of its useful life. However , I dont believe it has, therefore the answer is to change the format, not scrap the original.
Does it cost any more to have live chat? I honestly dont know, but will find out and post the answer here

Garry

True Eric, however, I don't think the idea is to say talk about X Y Z on Tues Wed and Thurs. Maybe one night a week could be set aside for a certain general subject . However, its the members decision

Garry

Well in my case I wasn't well last week so had no interest In much.The other thing is that as I'm not actively modelling at present I haven't much to talk about The saga of my hips is of little interest to most so I mainly log in late to read back to see what if anything has been discussed.Not much of late it appears

With regard to the cost of Live Chat ..... I don't have the exact figures to hand but I do remember talking to Mike a while back and him telling me that we have to use a much better (and more expensive) server in order to cope with Live Chat. Even if there are no posts it has to update itself every second or so, and this is just the same as a load of people posting.
If we got rid of the place the rest of the forum would run on a very cheap system.
Having said that, I like the facility and want to keep it.

I certainly have no thoughts on suggesting that Live Chat is removed from the site. The place would be much poorer without it. However, Lockey's post gave me food for thought of if we were using it to its full potential . As I said in my opening post, this is a members decision , as it is a members forum , and always will be .

Garry

there is noone there

Between 21.45 and 21.47 I am not surprised Stephen, maybe there wasnt between 21.49 and 21.51

To contact peeps these days you do have to stay on more than 2 mins

Garry

Re live chat, I use it fairly often but to be honest I don't usually chat about models etc, I do use it for general chat and it's nice to know someone is there to have a natter, as far as I can see that is the idea, I would have thought that a themed night would be just another forum based thread and as such could be on the regular threads on the forum, in my humble opinion "live chat " is just that no specific topic, as is a chat in pub, anyone can pop into live chat, talk about whatever and leave or sit by and listen, I for one would be sorry to see it go, but similarly as village pubs go, "use it or loose it" boz

100% agreed Boz, and that is what it was originally put as part of the package for.
However, as Pol pointed out the forum would be far cheaper to run without it.

Without putting too fine a point on it, this place does cost money to run ,which up to a short time ago was borne by Pol himself. The cost was £40 a month, which has now risen to £48 per month.
This cost is now borne by the 4 members of the Admin team, ie Pol , Klippy, Mike and myself .This was an idea that was put into operation a couple of months ago.

Had Live continued to function as it has for the last 5 yrs I am sure this thread would never have started, however, this was not the case, and after a few Pm s I felt something had to change.

But this has to be a members decision, not mine.

Garry

Hi guys .
Eric .. live chat wouldn't be restricted to one topic on any one night ..in my view .live chat would still be live chat ..

I would try to be using it as a stimulis for chat or conversation . .. EG .. If one logged on like I do from time to time and read the history ,as I often do ( being that I live in the opposite time zone to the rest of you ) there would be a topic and the opportunity to join into a international conversation . .
you might say why not just post in a forum . .the answer is easy . . A person may want to place a small comment that really isn't that important ,yet still have a say in the topic with out posting for the life of the site .
I remember back in the early days the topic of live chat was debated, that it would take away from the forum .. to a point it may have, but the idea of the site was friends talking models ..

As a idea for trial , how about a topic , hobbies over Christmas , ,( this will be the topic any how at the moment ), but its a start and better than reading about peoples health for those whom don't know these guys at a personal level . .
Could I also make a suggestion to Admin . Is it possible to post the topic , weekly daily , whatever on the main forum page at the top as well as on live chat so people could log in and see the topic .. ??
Just trying to help guys .. pol admin klippy garry .. I think you know who I am .
Cheers and merry Xmas ..

Hi Locky I think you are right, if something is dying it is worth trying everything to keep it alive
Cannot make it's condition worse, it used to be good,
I don't go on much as im in a different time zone

For the newer members on the site, it might be worth mentioning that another feature of live chat is the ability to have a private chat to one or more of the members who are on Live at the time. Simply click on to the members name you want and that will bring up a small screen , click on "Private" and a small screen will appear on the r/h side of the main one. Click on the message bar, and type and send. The recipient will get a notification that he is required in "private" and the two peeps can talk without anyone being aware of the convo. Its like going into another room However, be VERY careful as if you are in private, you CAN also post on the live chat itself, and if you do, make sure the cursor is in the right box otherwise you will post private chat on to the live chat page in error, and it can be very embarrassing as Pol has found in the past lol

Garry