A shout box?

I never did get an official consensus on what our peeps think about the shout box over there, but I would image we use it and like it so much because the messages are archived and just stick there over time. It isn't ideal for rapid conversations, though, so things that are said are ultimately sent through a loudspeaker and can be replied to at a later time when its convenient for everyone. It also integrates with the user accounts, so its less of a pain than third-party extensions simply embedded into the layout.

Shout boxes can be enormously beneficial to forums if done right and placed in the right location. You should also focus on blending the shout box into the themes so it appears seamlessly integrated.

I recommend you guys look into installing one if its possible.

 

We have IRC for that. No thanks.

 

Not everyone uses IRC, and the Shout Box would be a good way to [maybe] attract new members and make our community feel more inviting, as well as increase casual communications between the rest of the forum. I think it'd be great to see ZEJ get a Shout Box.

 

Can mybb even handle a Shoutbox?

 

But would it bring activity to the forum, or will it be a degraded Forum Game Land?

 

The way it's used in RPH is a "hey I'm in IRC" or short conversations. Given the behavioral patterns in ZEJ, it maybe could turn into glorified FGL

 

But then there is a possibility of users using the Shoutbox as an IRC; we're at the population where that's feasible. Is that something people would be okay with?

 

We have an IRC for that. Why have two?

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Not really a controvery; more a concensus on that shoutboxes are kind of sort of not necessary, lol. Like them but we have @name tagging and #IRC. Whatfor do we need a shoutbox?

That plus to add to the inb4s flying everywhere, inb4becomesminiatureFGL

 

Now that we're struggling for activity, I urge that we revisit this; an active shoutbox will make us more approachable, and seeing as how RPH has seemed to have success with it, why shouldn't we?

 

It'd be more convenient and -hey- attract forum attention, because they'd be on the same page; and they do have an IRC, they just don't use it because the shout box is more convenient.

 

It'd just be easier to use it on the front page rather than having to go to the "IRC" tab, which most people won't even bother with; now all new members use the chatbox at the bottom of the page on another (largely active) forum I run because it's right there on the main page with activity.

Hence the reason why I think it should exist - to generate the activity that we don't have.