Shoutbox

[Landy]

How about a small shoutbox on the forums? I recently installed it on my own forum, and it's perfect for small talk. :)

[Jason]

I will definitely be installing a chatbox at some point, but I don't know when - I don't want to kill what little activity we have by installing one too early. I'll talk it over with the staff and see what the consensus of opinion is. :)

[Landy]

That's perfectly understandable.

[Recaner]

I will definitely be installing a chatbox at some point, but I don't know when - I don't want to kill what little activity we have by installing one too early. I'll talk it over with the staff and see what the consensus of opinion is. :)

Definitely.

I've seen some forums start to dwindle because there was a lot of activity going on in the shoutbox. Maybe hold off it for a while.

But that's just my opinion.

Nothing against a shoutbox.

[Brakkish]

I will definitely be installing a chatbox at some point, but I don't know when - I don't want to kill what little activity we have by installing one too early. I'll talk it over with the staff and see what the consensus of opinion is. :)

I saw the thread title and was just headed over here to say; well, what Jason and others have already had said. Looks like he's already all over it.

Chatboxes will increase a minimal amount of activity within the forum and can be a great tool to introduce new members to the forum "feel". But they do little to promote substance or content that future members can use as a resource. Consider chatboxes like bathroom walls. Sometimes you can read the most profound things ever said, but every week the cleaners come in and wipe it clean. All the amazing stuff, all the wisdom that was dispensed, wiped clean, lost forever with one stroke of the cloth.

Chatboxes are a great novelty item, but the reality of it, there are much better options already in existence that users prefer to use if they just "must chat right now with someone". ie MSM, YIM, IRC, XFIRE... the list goes on.