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We need a Boards.ie instant messager

  • 31-10-2009 7:38pm
    #1
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭


    Has the idea of Boards IM ever considered? Even for subscribers only? It could even gain Boards lots more subscribers, I suggested it before a thread asking how we could make Boards better but nothing came of it.

    I've lots of friends on here that I've built up over the time, play games and run a gameserver with some of them. Would be very handy to have a community IM as at the moment I'm using several different methods, Pm, Steam, Xfire, Msn, GoogleTalk, Skype to connect as everyone uses a different IM method. You'd definitely need to be added as a friend first and have the ability to block (and appear offline) same as every other IM but pm and email as You know is a very slow way to converse and its all Boards offers.

    Anyone else think its a good idea?
    Post edited by Shield on
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    Kiera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,130 ✭✭✭✭Kiera


    Visitor messages is kinda the same tho.


  • #3
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    Kiera wrote: »
    Visitor messages is kinda the same tho.


    Not really. PogMoThoin is referring I think to a Boards IM system where you have a list of friends you can chat to in real-time and not actually access it via Boards.

    PogMoThoin, sounds cool though isn't gonna work. I suggest that you give you existing IM details to those whom you wish to be in IM contact with and see what happens.

    Besides that there's an unofficial IRC chat room that some of use hang out in.


  • #4
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    Add your friends to gmail google chat?


  • #5
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Kiera wrote: »
    Visitor messages is kinda the same tho.

    Not the same, You gotta get on Boards, then the persons profile, for this I mean proper instant messaging, a seperate app if not possible to integrate into Boards
    Ponster wrote: »
    PogMoThoin, sounds cool though isn't gonna work. I suggest that you give you existing IM details to those whom you wish to be in IM contact with and see what happens.

    I already do, I use the ones listed above, but it'd be much easier to have a universal app as alot of my online stuff springs from Boards, its central to my online life
    Ponster wrote: »
    Besides that there's an unofficial IRC chat room that some of use hang out in.

    IRC is just so dated, I've stopped using it ages ago. We're moving forward with Google Wave and Mozilla Raindrop etc, IRC is just too clunky.
    Beruthiel wrote: »
    Add your friends to gmail google chat?

    See thats the thing, not everyone uses Gmail, in fact I know loads without a Gmail. I've a Gmail but rarely use GoogleTalk. Most of my friends use Msn (not my choice) which is why Msn is my main IM app but I've ended up having Skype and Xfire just for 1 or 2 people and they're on here


  • #6
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Beruthiel wrote: »
    Add your friends to gmail google chat?

    Agreed,

    Boards.ie isn't facebook, :)


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  • #7
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Cabaal wrote: »
    Agreed,

    Boards.ie isn't facebook, :)

    Which is why I don't have a Facebook account, deleted mine ages ago.

    So is this such a bad idea?


  • #8
    Conor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,479 ✭✭✭Conor


    To be honest, right now we don't have the development time to do it. There are several other more important projects which have to be done first.

    That said, it will be considered next time we're planning new features.
    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    See thats the thing, not everyone uses Gmail, in fact I know loads without a Gmail. I've a Gmail but rarely use GoogleTalk. Most of my friends use Msn (not my choice) which is why Msn is my main IM app but I've ended up having Skype and Xfire just for 1 or 2 people and they're on here

    Multi-protocol instant messaging apps FTW.


  • #9
    Rev. BlueJeans
    Closed Accounts Posts: 600 ✭✭✭Rev. BlueJeans


    No, it's quite a good idea.

    Unfortunately, enforcement is a major problem, which is why it'll never happen, I'm afraid.

    Boards irc became synonymous with cliquery and bitching, and there are many more souls aboard the ship now.

    edit: unless of course you meant a 1to1 application, my apologies.


  • #10
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Conor wrote: »
    To be honest, right now we don't have the development time to do it. There are several other more important projects which have to be done first.

    That said, it will be considered next time we're planning new features.

    Thanks, I'm just really throwing the idea out there for discussion
    Conor wrote: »
    Multi-protocol instant messaging apps FTW.

    I'm aware of these, but I've family abroad who use Msn for video which these apps don't cater for
    Rev. BlueJeans wrote: »
    edit: unless of course you meant a 1to1 application, my apologies.

    God no, I didn't mean global Boards IM, that would never work. What would be needed is an IM client linked to boards which work 1:1


  • #11
    Kinetic^
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,249 ✭✭✭✭Kinetic^


    There are plenty of alternatives out there that are used throughout the world. Anyone that I've needed to speak with on here more frequently is usually done through pm/irc/msn/steam/xfire/skype/google talk.


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  • #12
    sceptre
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    I'm aware of these, but I've family abroad who use Msn for video which these apps don't cater for
    Nothing to do with casting water on your idea but even if your family are hoping to use a hypothetical boards IM for communication, a hypothetical boards IM service developed in-house would be rather unlikely to support video for rather a while so for family comms you're still stuck with the existing methods of instant communication.


  • #13
    Hank Scorpio
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,631 ✭✭✭✭Hank Scorpio


    isnt there a irc channel? even faster than a IM :)


  • #14
    Dudess
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    Great idea OP. The PM facility is the only one for having a conversation - IM would be so much faster. And the profile page isn't much good if you want to keep it private.

    Why the naysaying? I've a feeling in my waters the suggestion would be taken far more seriously if made by a more "established" member...


  • #15
    Rev Hellfire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,346 ✭✭✭Rev Hellfire


    Bad bad bad idea.

    Lets face it if there's anyone I want to have available via IM its already been sorted out. The only possible 'advantage' a boards.ie IM service could have is for people who simply can't want for a reply from an PM sent to someone they don't know.

    Now that I've said it, it seems like the perfect idea, I suggest we sign the admins and cmods up right away. It could only help them in their job :D


  • #16
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    Dudess wrote: »

    Why the naysaying? I've a feeling in my waters the suggestion would be taken far more seriously if made by a more "established" member...

    Don't know what you are implying by that.
    PogMoThoin is an "established" member imo.


  • #17
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Great idea


  • #18
    Jay P
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭Jay P


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    IRC is just so dated, I've stopped using it ages ago. We're moving forward with Google Wave and Mozilla Raindrop etc, IRC is just too clunky.

    This is a bad idea, and you've given the exact reason. There are hundreds of other ways already to talk to people online.


  • #19
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    sceptre wrote: »
    Nothing to do with casting water on your idea but even if your family are hoping to use a hypothetical boards IM for communication, a hypothetical boards IM service developed in-house would be rather unlikely to support video for rather a while so for family comms you're still stuck with the existing methods of instant communication.

    Not a chance, they know nothing of my Boards existence ;)
    Definitely wouldn't expect video, just a simple IM would be great. Create an app and sell it with subscriptions if need be
    Dudess wrote: »
    Why the naysaying? I've a feeling in my waters the suggestion would be taken far more seriously if made by a more "established" member...

    Maybe You're right, I've a feeling if DeVore or Vexorg suggested it, it would be a great idea


  • #20
    Dudess
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Maybe You're right, I've a feeling if DeVore or Vexorg suggested it, it would be a great idea
    Yep. Nothing against DeVore btw.

    Instant messaging here just seems like such an obvious, logical step.


  • #21
    Jay P
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭Jay P


    RopeDrink wrote: »
    Boards is the LAST place I go to when I want a 1:1 conversation and that wouldn't change if it had an IM system - There's so many apps at our disposal as it is and you can be sure mostly everyone uses some/most if not all of them already. It'd be 'handy', sure, and as Conor said it'll surely be considered or implemented in the future but until that day I'll gladly continue rolling my eyes at all this garbage being posted about things not being considered purely because some higher power hasn't suggested it him/herself.

    +1

    Another thing I've thought about is that this is a discussion site, and I'd prefer to see it that way. This is a very Facebook-esque idea.


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  • #22
    star-pants
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,429 ✭✭✭✭star-pants


    Just to point out when I saw this I thought 'meh dunno if we really need another IM system' and it was ZERO to do with who suggested it so I really don't get where people are getting that idea from.
    I'd say the same to DeVore as I shall to the OP

    we have MSN/Gtalk/Skype etc, and you can add that into your profile so your friends on this can add you on it. I can't imagine the lads have the time to delve into the IM side of things at the moment anyway and I'd assume it would need a lot of work to make sure it doesn't affect the running of boards in general.
    Look at FB chat -- it's sh*t tbh, AND if someone IMs you on it, it stops you writing text on any other tab you have open, and if you hit backspace, it goes back a page on the tab you have open. VERY annoying.

    I've more than enough with msn/gtalk/skype myself and tbh I really doubt I'd use a boards IM system. I just add people I'm friendly with onto those applications.


  • #23
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    Dudess wrote: »
    Why the naysaying? I've a feeling in my waters the suggestion would be taken far more seriously if made by a more "established" member...


    I think that you need to have your waters changed.


    The idea has been brought up several times in the past. We even had a user that developed a piece of code that allowed all people browsing the same thread to chat to each other without having to install a separate piece of software.

    A boards.ie IM system is not a direction I'd like to see the site aiming towards and think that the time and money needed for such a project could well be spent elsewhere.
    Even if I liked the idea I can see the problems it would introduce, both technical and social, and feel that overall it wouldn't add to the site as a whole.


  • #24
    Dudess
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    But there's already a PM facility - it would just be the same thing, only faster. I don't see how it would detract from people getting engaged in the main site discussions.


  • #25
    Gordon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,524 ✭✭✭✭Gordon


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Maybe You're right, I've a feeling if DeVore or Vexorg suggested it, it would be a great idea
    I still wouldn't think it would be a good idea.

    As a User having a chat functionality might be nice as an additional possibility, but as an Admin, seeing what happens on forums every day - there would need to be a large amount of work done in moderating and keeping an eye on another thread of discourse: real time chat. Not to mention the great deal of work involved in actually developing this. It's difficult and time consuming enough keeping the existing methods of discussion away from trouble, this will just increase workload imo.

    Unless someone can figure out a way of preventing libel, aggression, insulting behaviour, trolling and spam without relying on mods, cmods and admins - I'm against it.

    Plenty of threads in the past by the way, and I'm sure there are more in other fora:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055573194
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055554928
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055399089
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=111990


  • #26
    Earthhorse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,716 ✭✭✭✭Earthhorse


    I think it could be a good feature for boards. I remember discussing it before and there are definitely pros and cons alright (could be one of the threads Gordon linked).

    I think one of the pros would be you wouldn't have to give your real name to other users - if I give someone my gmail it pretty much tells them what my real name is.


  • #27
    DeVore
    Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 32,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭DeVore


    This is something which was suggested and rejected (marginally) a few times before.

    Generic "IM my mates" type of apps are not our direction. We are topic driven even if that topic is "my mates" ala the Nocs/BGRH etc.

    We had discussed having something chat-based per forum before and its not an awful idea, but we havent weighed up all the pros and cons because it definitely doesnt have the capacity to garner development time at the moment.

    Our next developments are going to be in the areas of:
    1. Search. Improvments, functionality and stability.

    2. Interface. Ours is crap. Its time we fixed it. This is the biggest challenge in the next 4 months.

    3. Metrics. This is more of an internal one. We need to know whats going on with the site. The days of me "steering the ship by walking the boards" are over. We need numbers and metrics for information. If I spent one minute on every forum... I wouldnt sleep.

    DeV.


  • #28
    minidazzler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,739 ✭✭✭✭minidazzler


    We do not under any circumstances need an IM system on boards.

    I hate this whole web 2.1 culture where half the sites I use have this. I don't like it myself.

    Web 2.0 BRILLIANT, I love it. But this bull with IM's on discussion forums is just crap.

    Some sites I have used in the past now have it. ultimate-guitar.com forums being a prime example. I am tired of using sites and being confronted by an awful bar at the bottom telling me how many friends are online.

    It's no good for real discussions because it would just be used as a short message service anyway!

    PM is much better for discussions because it gives you time to think.

    If you want to IM them, exchange the particulars for Skype, Gtalk, AIM, MSN, or whatever other apps ye use.

    But PLEASE don't integrate an IM system, it's just not needed.


    It's like flashing gifs, a fad that will pass I think. Or at least evolve.


  • #29
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    So is this such a bad idea?

    Because the site will be auto blacklisted and blocked for a whole heap of people in work, due to having a 'chat' facility.

    There are plenty of im clients out there and you just pass on your contact details to whom you want to chat with or put it in your profile here.


  • #30
    GLaDOS
    Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 23,238 Mod ✭✭✭✭GLaDOS


    I wouldn't be against it but I doubt I'd ever really use it, all my friends on boards I can chat to through msn/facebook/text anyway.

    Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of the test



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  • #31
    Kinetic^
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,249 ✭✭✭✭Kinetic^


    Dudess wrote: »
    Why the naysaying? I've a feeling in my waters the suggestion would be taken far more seriously if made by a more "established" member...

    Pog has been here 3 years and has 5000+ posts, it's safe to say he's an established member of boards, particularly on the games category. If the admins had mentioned it I'd have the same feeling that it's not what the site needs.
    Dudess wrote: »
    Yep. Nothing against DeVore btw.

    Something against Vexorg?


  • #32
    Dudess
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    Oops, sorry. Just didn't mention Vexorg because he's not on Boards any more - nothing against him whatsoever, never had any dealings with him.

    Fair enough re the other points.


  • #33
    The_B_Man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,893 ✭✭✭The_B_Man


    i reckon if there was an IM built into boards, people would discuss potential threads in there instead of on the main site, and there'd be a drop in the number of new topics.

    people would then get bored, and sure after the initial novelty of the IM people would stop using it and then feel awkward any time a friend comes online coz they feel obligated to chat to them. its why im not that big a fan of the facebook chat. admittedly it can be handy, but if you stay talking on that, u never post a comment on their page, which leads to an impression of inactivity.

    i would have guessed encouraging activity on boards is a priority.


  • #34
    OutlawPete
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,689 ✭✭✭✭OutlawPete


    star-pants wrote: »
    Look at FB chat -- it's sh*t tbh, AND if someone IMs you on it, it stops you writing text on any other tab you have open, and if you hit backspace, it goes back a page on the tab you have open. VERY annoying.

    I agree 100% with this. Spot on and if you have written out a long peice of text it too will be lost. I've been close to throwing laptop out window on a few occasions :)

    I do have one suggestion that might be acceptable and may even satisfy those wanting IM. It may or may not be practical with the web team, not sure - but sure I'll throw it out there anyway.

    What I feel would be really handy is that if say when your on a thread reading, replying etc and you select the dropdown menu on someones name and you choose 'Send a private message to X' , instead of it moving away from the Boards.ie page that your on it instead opens a new window / tab.

    That way you could send off your PM and still carry on with what you were doing previously. Then if you got a reply to that PM that window will be still be there for you to PM back and forth without moving away from what your doing.

    It's not IM but it's very close and it uses the current PM system.

    Of course you can still do this the long way round by just open Boards.ie in two seperate windows but it would just be far handier if it were implemented into the system so that the new tab / window could be generated from the dropdown box and each user's username.


  • #35
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    There already is the option in the drop down menu when you click on someones name to send them a private message all you have to do it right click it to have the write new message page appear in a new tab on your browser.


  • #36
    OutlawPete
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,689 ✭✭✭✭OutlawPete


    Thaedydal wrote: »
    There already is the option in the drop down menu when you click on someones name to send them a private message all you have to do it right click it to have the write new message page appear in a new tab on your browser.
    2445829.jpg

    My apologies, I really shouldn't be allowed out on my own :D


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  • #37
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    No bother, it happens, sure every week I learn something new about the functionality of the site :)


  • #38
    Kinetic^
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,249 ✭✭✭✭Kinetic^


    Thaedydal wrote: »
    No bother, it happens, sure every week I learn something new about the functionality of the site :)

    If you press the "log out" button you get a treat, try it! :pac:


  • #39
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    oh really I must try that, did you ever see what happens when you press alt + F4 ?


  • #40
    Splinter
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 3,331 ✭✭✭Splinter


    a few years ago we tried this on a forum i was on. it was a fairly busy forum as it was, obviously nothing like boards but still you get the idea. they implemented a chat feature along the way and it pretty much just killed a fair chunk of chat on the forum. It took the random chit chat out all right but people were just hanging out there in the evening instead of posting in random topics.

    tbh I don't believe boards needs to implement it and Thaed has a good point about work firewalls blocking it with the chat feature, I'm 100% sure I'd lose access anyway :(


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