Shoutbox?

[Cortexian]

I've just stumbled upon "Inferno vBShout", an extremely feature rich shoutbox that includes low and high level logging and administration commands. I read through the last topic suggesting a chat box and it seemed that the biggest concern would be all the spam/shit/AUP violations a shoutbox could induce, Inferno vBShout should be able to handle all of these problems with ease.

Shoutbox administrators have the ability to silence users in the shoutbox, or if needed ban them from it entirely. You can place a "Notice" that stays above all other chat messages, useful for shoutbox rules, announcements, etc... There's also the ability to prune the shoutbox, which basically removes all the current shouts entirely and leaves a little "pruned by" message (or no message, if you choose to disabled that feature). You can choose which usergroups are shoutbox admins, can use the shoutbox, cannot use the shoutbox, can see/not see the shoutbox, etc... There are flood control settings and options to display the shoutbox on one page, or globally, it's really the best shoutbox setup I've seen for vBulletin so far. It's also easy to install, so you lazy administrators shouldn't have a problem!

I currently have it setup on my forum index page, if you want to peruse (http://www.lancersedge.com/forums/index.php) on over.

Edit - In case you wanted to see ALL of the options that you're able to set:
http://leimg.lancersedge.com/images/09089617445717598642.jpg

Crylancer for shoutbox admin '10

[StankBacon]

ive said it before and ill say it again, shoutboxes are useless and take away from the forum experience.

[Rook]

HS has one of these and it works well... then again HS is a bigger community.

[Jelly]

#modacity on gamesurge

[sdavis117]

ive said it before and ill say it again, shoutboxes are useless and take away from the forum experience.

.

[FRain]

Protip: Modacity IRC

[Jean-Luc]

ive said it before and ill say it again, shoutboxes are useless and take away from the forum experience.
Thirdin this

[Inferno]

FSP.

The forum is fine the way it is.

[Rook]

FSP.

The forum is fine the way it is.

Says the guy with anime in his avatar

[Jelly]

Says the guy with anime in his avatar
Says the guy with a Twitter in his sig!

[flibitijibibo]

We already have one. (irc://irc.gamesurge.net/#modacity)

[Dwood]

We already have one. (irc://irc.gamesurge.net/#modacity)

A link that goes no where?

[Rook]

Dwood, it seems you do not have an IRC client installed on your system!

[Dwood]

Dwood, it seems you do not have an IRC client installed on your system!

You would be correct, sir!

[Horns]

I like shoutboxes, but I don't see the point since we already have an IRC.

[Cortexian]

IRC is not populated, not integrated into the website, not user friendly, and it took me about 2 minutes just to get onto the Modacity IRC using the "easier and user friendly" Mibbit chat page (http://www.modacity.net/?pageid=chat). The reason for this was because I had to try many different user name combinations over and over because they were "in use" somewhere else on gamesurge.

This shoutbox actually integrates into the forum, it lists new posts and threads as they're created, and if you place it just under the navbar on the forum index (like on my website) you will probably cut down on a lot of the "quick question" posts and threads. I really have no idea why you're all salivating over the IRC channel, nobody even uses it for anything constructive! The problem with IRC is that it's an external entity, not integrated into the website in such a manner that users WANT to use it, I'm fairly certain that this shoutbox wouldn't have that problem!

This plugin takes under 3 minutes to install if you're any kind of competent web administrator, I say we try it out for awhile! If it's unpopular or abused beyond all ends you can remove it just as fast or faster than you installed it!

[flibitijibibo]

It took me 5 minutes years to figure out what /me was and I still I can't figure out how to keep mIRC on.Also, thanks for publicly assuming the majority of the forum can't operate an IRC client, if they even wanted to bother with it (as if the shoutbox would be any different in terms of population). If they were as dumb as you think, they wouldn't put their quick questions in either medium.

[Cortexian]

(as if the shoutbox would be any different in terms of population).
It directly integrates into the website, if you're online, you're shouting.

Either way, IRC clients are still user unfriendly and shoutboxes are extremely user friendly.

[flibitijibibo]

>Implying we would want to talk to anyone who can't even operate a simple IRC client

I think you're forgetting why user friendliness shouldn't always a priority. For more, see: Games for Windows Live/consolization.

[Jelly]

What is the unique purpose of a shoutbox? Stuff can be PM'ed, posted, and IM'ed. IRC'd. What niche does it fill?

Also mibbit is probably the best web-based client, but a dedicated client like mIRC, xChat or even Chatzilla are much easier to use and more functional.

[Bodzilla]

I'm with Bacon on this one.

i've had a few shoutbox's over the muiltitudes of forums i've searched and they dont do anything but degrade the actual forums.

[CN3089]

I think a shoutbox would be OK.

[n00b1n8R]

>Implying we would want to talk to anyone who can't even operate a simple IRC client

I think you're forgetting why user friendliness shouldn't always a priority. For more, see: Games for Windows Live/consolization.
sure is /v/ in here.

[DEElekgolo]

Says the guy with a Twitter in his sig!
Says the guy with gurren lagann in his sig.

[p0lar_bear]

I find it downright hilarious that everyone is repeating the points I made to freelancer when he suggested it to me via AIM.

We have a web-based IRC client on our website that connects to irc.gamesurge.net and the #modacity channel. Maybe if you didn't possess a moniker that a fair share of the internet badasses might also want to use, coupled with the fact that you have a tendency to do it wrong and assume it's someone else's fault, you wouldn't have any issue. I know it takes me no-time flat with no hassle at all to connect to the channel when I'm away from my home PC, despite my client at home still being connected and authed, using my nick.

Also, 90% of the websites that run shoutboxes are sites that also bog down their forum with other useless crap gimmicks in order to make up for the fact that the site would otherwise be totally and completely useless without them. I don't want that vibe here.

[Cortexian]

People are only debating it because I suggested it, you all know it.

[CrAsHOvErRide]

Not really. It was a redundant idea in the first place :v:

[Bodzilla]

People are only debating it because I suggested it, you all know it.
get the fuck over yourself.

how many times do you think this has honestly been suggested.
grow up kiddo.

[Yoko]

i've had a few shoutbox's over the muiltitudes of forums i've searched and they dont do anything but degrade the actual forums.
Why do you think the {Ð2T} forums died? shoutbox.

also, nostalgia

[Cortexian]

how many times do you think this has honestly been suggested.
grow up kiddo.
Once according to the forums.

[Timo]

If it was installed I doubt it'd get much use after the first week (other than useless spam).

[TheGhost]

Sorry, there isn't going to be a shoutbox.

Also, when we reject an idea, why do you always suggest we are lazy/incompetent admins?

[CrAsHOvErRide]

Because he is the best admin ever because he integrated it into his forums (http://www.lancersedge.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129) :iamafag:

[StankBacon]

obviously.

[Cortexian]

Also, when we reject an idea, why do you always suggest we are lazy/incompetent admins?
not incompetent, just lazy.

[StankBacon]

it's a feature we don't need, no laziness here.

even if it was built into the forum i bet it'd be shut off.

[Cortexian]

No idea why, all it does is encourage all the quick and usually stupid chat to be placed in the shoutbox instead of threads that get locked in an hour.

[p0lar_bear]

No idea why, all it does is encourage all the quick and usually stupid chat to be placed in the shoutbox instead of threads that get locked in an hour.


Also, 90% of the websites that run shoutboxes are sites that also bog down their forum with other useless crap gimmicks in order to make up for the fact that the site would otherwise be totally and completely useless without them. I don't want that vibe here.

Even if we don't have a shitton other useless products installed, a shoutbox just gives off that feeling. I know I'm not the only person who thinks this.

[Cortexian]

Except for the fact that a shoutbox isn't a useless crappy gimmick...

But okay.

[sdavis117]

Except for the fact that a shoutbox isn't a useless crappy gimmick...

But okay.
Freelancer, you've been wondering why your forum has been slowing down lately, it may be all of the useless crappy gimmicks like the shoutbox that are doing it.

[Cortexian]

I haven't been wondering why it's been slowing down... It was never very active in the first place, and it was never intended to be a large community website...

[=sw=warlord]

Except for the fact that a shoutbox isn't a useless crappy gimmick...

But okay.
What useful purpose could a shoutbox actualy have?
All i see is people shouting about their supposed favourite recipe in full capitals and bragging about how they had to borrow of their parents so they can have triple lcd displays and 2 geforce 295's.
I agree with polar.

[Cortexian]

I bought my GTX 285's myself thank you very much, and my LCD debt was paid off quite a long time ago. If there were an extremely limited quantity of a certain item that you needed to complete a project and you didn't have the ability to pay for it yourself at the time, you're telling me you wouldn't seek the assistance of your family? Weird!

I also already posted the practical reasons for a shoutbox, if you care to actually read the thread!

[p0lar_bear]

I also already posted the practical reasons for a shoutbox, if you care to actually read the thread!

And nearly everyone had valid posted counter-reasoning to it.

Ghost and I have also both said we're not doing it. Not out of laziness, but because we don't want it or need it.

This discussion ended a few (10ppp) pages ago, locking this.