Suggestion for a better chat facility

[bacteria]

I can't take credit for this find (credit to Klaymator14), however if we created a RacketBOY chat account on Chatango, then we could have a forum title of "Chat", linking straight to the chat (for illustration, see the bottom part of my sig) - it looks far better than the IRC chat on this site, and full-page - and free. An example of the simple link result from another site i'm on is http://cybersteam.chatango.com/ to give some idea of what the chat room looks like - if you like it, then how about using it here? It is free, although if users want to use smilies, they will need to pay about £1 or $2 a month - otherwise, no smilies, free!

Thoughts / comments?

[Hatta]

IRC is open and available on any platform. It's hard to get much better than that.

The only problem with the chat here is that people don't use it. At least nobody used it back when I was idling in the channel. I'd like to see more people use the chat, but moving to a proprietary solution isn't the answer.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Yeah, IRC is free and dirt simple, chatango is not.

I'd use IRC more myself, I've just been busy as hell lately.

[bacteria]

No problem, just a suggestion.

I agree, it would be nice if more people used the chat here - perhaps it can be better promoted? I have gone on it many times, and normally it's the same two members there with me; excellent members of course, however several more on would make chat far better. How about a nice big "chat" logo; you can then have it prominent?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Well we have an IRC thread, plus leaving the log0o small and only noticeable to RacketBoy members helps keep spammers and dicks out of it.

[Hatta]

I'll come check it out more often. I've gotten out of the habit of watching irc since my normal channel is shit now.

[bacteria]

Probably wise Mod_Man_Extreme - as you say, there are a lot of idiots on the internet who use chat facilities for the wrong reasons, like messing it up for everyone else. I see the logic!

[weasels]

i would love to be on the irc more myself. but with my senior project comeing up this Wednesday, i have been very busy. and when ever im on, i stay for an hour or less and still not many people on. i love the chat dearly but we need more people on it.

[emwearz]

Many site, teams use irc, meaning I can be on more than one at a time. Stick to irc its simple and does what its meant to do. The irc has had traffic increase, but it is still dead for long periods of time.

It also now has a bot and it set up correctly, its fine.