I Wish The Lounge Had A Chat Channel.. Does Anyone Else??

[Gin&Tonics]

I support the idea 100%. I can honestly say that the FL is the most civil and well mannered internet forum I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. It seems to attract well mannered ladies and gentlemen, so I'm sure that a chat room would be a huge success and a lot of fun. Given the high level of attendance on the site, it would also be lively!

 

[Feraud]

Hi Alicia,

The following threads have more or less become the de facto chat rooms here at the Lounge:
Temperature Where You Live
What's For Dinner?
Excessive Posting

Enjoy!

Actually, the responses in those threads are often fairly instantaneous, particularly among the core group.

Right. There are quick replies in most of our conversations. We've been down this road a few times. I suggest new members take the time to read the multiple and voluminous threads we have available at the Lounge. Then feel free to add comments and ask questions.

I see little benefit to the Lounge in a chat room. It would be all non-Fedora Lounge related content and not worth our time to moderate.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I see little benefit to the Lounge in a chat room. It would be all non-Fedora Lounge related content and not worth our time to moderate.

Exactly. While the overwhelming majority of our members who participate here understand what the Lounge is about and post accordingly, there are always a few people who think they need to "stir the pot," or come here for some other purpose not relevant to ours, and it wouldn't take long for that sort to turn a chatroom into a shambles. We try very hard to keep the anything-goes-no-holds-barred Internet out of here, and a chatroom would fast become the equivalent of an open catflap for that type.

 

[Edward]

Exactly. While the overwhelming majority of our members who participate here understand what the Lounge is about and post accordingly, there are always a few people who think they need to "stir the pot," or come here for some other purpose not relevant to ours, and it wouldn't take long for that sort to turn a chatroom into a shambles. We try very hard to keep the anything-goes-no-holds-barred Internet out of here, and a chatroom would fast become the equivalent of an open catflap for that type.

Precisely. There are any number of options already out there if people want that sort of thing - no call for it here.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Exactly. While the overwhelming majority of our members who participate here understand what the Lounge is about and post accordingly, there are always a few people who think they need to "stir the pot," or come here for some other purpose not relevant to ours, and it wouldn't take long for that sort to turn a chatroom into a shambles. We try very hard to keep the anything-goes-no-holds-barred Internet out of here, and a chatroom would fast become the equivalent of an open catflap for that type.

Respectfully, I fail to follow your reasoning. The idea would be for a members-only chatroom which excludes the majority of the net riff raff right there. Anyone who does manage to become a member and is intent on "stirring the pot" would be as much trouble in the regular forum as they would be in a chat room, and the same methods for bartenders to deal with them in the forum would exist in an attached chat room as well (suspending, banning, blocking etc.) I really don't see it being any more trouble than moderating the forum is now. Maybe I'm missing something in your argument?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, there's several points. Our bartending staff all has fulltime jobs -- some of us have several jobs -- and we're already stretched to the limit, quite honestly, with the Lounge as it is now. Adding a chatroom is just more work for the staff than is worth taking on, given the off-topic, non-Lounge nature of the conversations that would likely result. Unless at least one bartender is in there constantly, 24 hours a day, to keep a firm hand on things, it'd rapidly devolve into something bearing little resemblance in function or purpose to the Lounge -- and would that be something we'd want to have the Lounge's brand attached to? It would attract more problems than it would solve. As Feraud noted, there are several chit-chatty threads where chat-type conversations go on, and that seems to work for most of the members who want to indulge in that sort of thing, without requiring a lot more investment from the existing staff.

 

[J.W.]

Might be nice, but might also mean that I spend even more time on the net than I should...

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It's been discussed before but nothing came of it, I suggest checking out the 'Excessive Posting' thread.

 

[Edward]

Well, there's several points. Our bartending staff all has fulltime jobs -- some of us have several jobs -- and we're already stretched to the limit, quite honestly, with the Lounge as it is now. Adding a chatroom is just more work for the staff than is worth taking on, given the off-topic, non-Lounge nature of the conversations that would likely result. Unless at least one bartender is in there constantly, 24 hours a day, to keep a firm hand on things, it'd rapidly devolve into something bearing little resemblance in function or purpose to the Lounge -- and would that be something we'd want to have the Lounge's brand attached to? It would attract more problems than it would solve. As Feraud noted, there are several chit-chatty threads where chat-type conversations go on, and that seems to work for most of the members who want to indulge in that sort of thing, without requiring a lot more investment from the existing staff.

The other thing that most miss.... for all we like to ignore the regular outbreaks of passive aggression and pretend we're the most civilised place in the known world... is just how often the bartenders are at work in the background. I'm sure I only have an inkling of how often things are dealt with in the background and it's just not seen by regular members, who then assume it doesn't happen at all.

 

[Old Rogue]

Our bartending staff all has fulltime jobs -- some of us have several jobs -- and we're already stretched to the limit, quite honestly, with the Lounge as it is now.

Our bartenders are gracious enough to donate their very valuable time to keep the Lounge running smoothly for all of us. I'm sure most all of our members would maintain proper decorum, and it would probably add an interesting new aspect to the FL experience, but if the bartenders feel they wouldn't have enough time to properly manage it then that's good enough for me. As an aside, this thread demonstrates one of the reasons we all love the Lounge; a number of members with diverging opinions have each presented their arguments while maintaining the air of civility that is the hallmark of the FL.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Unfortunately the real-time nature of a chat room makes it very easy to be caught up in the moment as opposed to a forum where a great deal of thought is generally devoted to each post. I know I've written a few posts which I ultimately deleted because I thought that it could be taken the wrong way. While a part of me thinks a chat room would be an exciting new addition to the Lounge, another part is far less enthusiastic given my own experiences in chat rooms. The one I used to frequent started off with some good people until some pot-stirrers joined the room. After that it went downhill with many of the original core group constantly fighting with the trolls. And worse some of the same core group even joined the troublemakers' clique, not to mention the constantly shifting alliances with friendships formed almost entirely on the basis of "an enemy of an enemy is a friend"

In short, the hardworking bartenders here already have enough on their plate without the added joy of playing Blue Helmets in a cyber DMZ.

 

[therizyflapper]

Respectfully, I fail to follow your reasoning. The idea would be for a members-only chatroom which excludes the majority of the net riff raff right there. Anyone who does manage to become a member and is intent on "stirring the pot" would be as much trouble in the regular forum as they would be in a chat room, and the same methods for bartenders to deal with them in the forum would exist in an attached chat room as well (suspending, banning, blocking etc.) I really don't see it being any more trouble than moderating the forum is now. Maybe I'm missing something in your argument?

I agree with Gin&Tonic a members only chat room would keep out any undesirables, and i don't think anyone who wants to cause problems would take the time to become a member, they would rather just to some other chat where its 'open game', rather then having to go through a whole process to become a member just to upset a few people. and i also agree that it wouldn't be any harder to moderate then the forum we have right now, we are a respectful group of dignified well rounded people that i have faith would respect the chat privilege, and not stir things up, this is a well respected forum and im sure the chat would be just as lovely and respectful

 

[Pompidou]

I agree with Gin&Tonic a members only chat room would keep out any undesirables, and i don't think anyone who wants to cause problems would take the time to become a member, they would rather just to some other chat where its 'open game', rather then having to go through a whole process to become a member just to upset a few people. and i also agree that it wouldn't be any harder to moderate then the forum we have right now, we are a respectful group of dignified well rounded people that i have faith would respect the chat privilege, and not stir things up, this is a well respected forum and im sure the chat would be just as lovely and respectful

Most of the forum chat boxes don't by default, if at all, log comments after so many lines go by, so, if the chat were active enough to be worth installing, problems would disappear from evidence before staff could see it and review context. If people don't like what I have to say in the forums, the staff have all the time in the world to do something about it. If I were causing trouble in chat, they'd need to be sitting there live. It would be a bigger hassle to maintain order over. I mean, even the forums get heated now and then. I'm not sure debaters would be able to maintain the high level of passive, highly polished subtlety in their attacks when real time as opposed to having all the time in the world to craft a mean statement whilst still looking classy. Things would degenerate fast.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Get skype or facebook.
Ask the members you like for their adresses. (write them a personal message)
Chat with them there.
Problem solved.

I do it like this and it really works well. I don't feel the need to chat with every single person on this page.

 

[DeaconKC]

Okay, let me throw my two cents in here. I am a Moderator at Surplus Rifle Forum, have been for years. We do have a chat room, which is also mMderated. We are known as one of the most friendly places on the firearms net and we work very hard to keep it civil and friendly. However, the chatroom has seen some heated debates come up and has resulted in problems totally un-related to the forum, even seeing one of our Moderators be banned from both. It is extra work moderating them. It has added a lot to friendships, but can also be a royal pain in the heinie. As keeping folks out [the members only route] is very difficult to maintain. Open forums, you get all sorts of strange folks wandering through, which sometimes is entertaining and other times, well......we can't hit the "Ban" button fast enough. If someone here decided to open a chatroom, be prepared to have to lay down a spanking on friends once in a while, sorry, but it does happen.

 

[Shangas]

Get skype or facebook.
Ask the members you like for their adresses. (write them a personal message)
Chat with them there.
Problem solved.

I do it like this and it really works well. I don't feel the need to chat with every single person on this page.

I suggested something similar to that already. It was shot down like a 109.

 

[Feraud]

The other thing that most miss.... for all we like to ignore the regular outbreaks of passive aggression and pretend we're the most civilised place in the known world... is just how often the bartenders are at work in the background. I'm sure I only have an inkling of how often things are dealt with in the background and it's just not seen by regular members, who then assume it doesn't happen at all.

A very accurate observation Edward.

 

[rue]

Awhile back I thought it would be a great idea to have a chat room, but I have to agree with the bartenders and a few other friends that have posted here. We already have the threads that V.C. mentioned and I don't think we need more than that. The excessive posting thread, for one, didn't start out as a chat thread, but it eventually turned into one and I honestly think that's enough [huh]

 

[therizyflapper]

I suggested something similar to that already. It was shot down like a 109.

oh dear hahaha i don't want you to think i shot it down hahaha i just meant i don't know if allot of people use those services haha im sorry if you felt that way Shangas , i have started to think, and like the idea you suggested earlier about the SPECIFIC chat-thread, that actually would be a good alternative to a real chat room. i apologize again for shooting your idea down at first,

 

[therizyflapper]

hello everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know i added a chat box to my blog! so if anyone wants to come chat about anything vintage or just whatever (just keep it clean please) just go to http://theritzyflapper.blogspot.com I hope to see some of my lounge friends there!