Suggestions and Feedback

Hey Eric,
I have been having this suggestion in my mind for quite some time.Can you put a chat option on this site in which all the members who are currently online can be visible.This way we can chat up with you,moderators regarding the improvement of the website as "David.P" had written to me about.Instead of talking on Gtalk ,we can chat on our own site.
Also,we can instantly send messages to other members as well as the experts.This will facilitate the whole process.

Hoping to hear from you.

beatthegmat wrote:Definitely appreciate the suggestion--this is something we tested in the past, but didn't seem to work that well. Any suggestions for chat software/platform that we could use? Thanks!

Eric its quite simple to create a chat platform using the same concept as of forum using javascripts. The only difference in forums the message is there forever and page don't refreshes on its own. Also you can decorate your text add image etc.

But if you create a page or rather a layer in page which refreshes itself after 1 second and the continuous message which is stored in your database gets deleted in say half an hour. so this becomes chat. here you can send only chat.

I am talking about the technical difference between chat and forum. So it can be easily created in your web page and it is easy. I also tried to make one, but left midway. If i code one in near future will send you the codes.
Also i will give you some free applets which can be embeded easily in your website for chat.
Hope my idea help you. Thanks

beatthegmat wrote:I'd love to get some of those resources you've mentioned. Question is, where would be put the chat? From the homepage? Or it's own separate page? We put a chat function in a separate page a while back, and the implementation just didn't seem to work.

Eric .. I really appreciate you for quick response on this issue. Chat application would be highly appreciable. Presently I am busy in some job. I would revert back to you with some helpful resources in a day or two.
Well for your concern about putting the application , you can go up with application being put up at lower right corner(facebook) or lower left corner(orkut) as an internationally accepted approach.

Well If you ask me personally I would suggest you to put chat application in a layer(by using <div> </div> command in HTML) which pop ups when required. Generally pop up are annoying when they come up on its own like advertisements in many websites. But when pop is called upon by a person its really pleasant.
So in summary, U can put a chat button in right lower corner. When you click button a layer pop up appear. The main purpose behind the pop up is that u can easily drag anywhere in ur website and close or resize whenever u like. So it will be all on user what they like and how and where do they want to put this application(I used This type of thing when I was designing website for my college a few years back to give details, rules, conditions,etc. about the events whichever is required by college students. Though it was not a chat application.)

Well putting up chat in different page is not a good idea. The application should be handy, flexible and according to user. If you put it on any other page, the link is break and a time lag comes which dampens the interest.

Well if u can share me some html codes of any of ur page and ur last chat application, I can try whatever best I can. Thanks & I would be coming with resources soon.

beatthegmat wrote:I do like your suggestion for a constantly refreshing page--but that could potentially hurt our performance. I'm not an engineer myself, I'll need to investigate more.

If we go by just a simple process refreshing page is very easy using <META HTTP-EQUIV="refresh" CONTENT="1"> which will not hamper ur performance . There are other ways too. Well you should investigate in this regard.
I am actually a petroleum engineer, but I like designing webpage etc and do know a few tits and bits though not fully. I will surely help you in this regard and will be sending you something in a few days.

beatthegmat wrote:One update: Just wanted to let you know that BTG staffer, dmateer25, may have found a chat solution that could work well for our community. We're doing some testing in the next week or two. Let me assure that chat is something we're trying to address!

More to come, thanks.

Hey Eric,
Thanks for following up on this idea.
Also,I wanted to ask which chat platform is BTG.com most likely to get??
Like u will have a separate window for chat or will it be embedded on every page??
Like right now,we have a separate inbox so will the chat facility will be like that only(on a particular page)
Also,can we hv chat rooms for diff. forums where we can carry out a discussion forum-wise.

Looking forward to hearing frm u.

beatthegmat wrote:We're still investigating the right implementation. At this point my vote is for a pop up.

I don't think this is a good idea. You will have a handful of people that everyone will want to talk to for help and eventually they will just turn the chat option off if they get constantly bombarded.

harsh.champ wrote:

beatthegmat wrote:One update: Just wanted to let you know that BTG staffer, dmateer25, may have found a chat solution that could work well for our community. We're doing some testing in the next week or two. Let me assure that chat is something we're trying to address!

More to come, thanks.

Hey Eric,
Thanks for following up on this idea.
Also,I wanted to ask which chat platform is BTG.com most likely to get??
Like u will have a separate window for chat or will it be embedded on every page??
Like right now,we have a separate inbox so will the chat facility will be like that only(on a particular page)
Also,can we hv chat rooms for diff. forums where we can carry out a discussion forum-wise.

Looking forward to hearing frm u.

harsh I discussed with eric and david a few times ..I think the chat option should be on every page in some corner which will come when called upon..
If it is kept in another page it will gradually die out as it will not be handy to go to another page and use the chat option..while solving questions in forum..

osirus0830 wrote:I don't think this is a good idea. You will have a handful of people that everyone will want to talk to for help and eventually they will just turn the chat option off if they get constantly bombarded.

Osirus the chat option will not be bombarded on screen like an advertisement...i think there is a difference between a helpful tool and an advertisment. An advertising firm will try make a pop up every time site is opened.
but we will have a chat tool which will be minimized in the lower section of page may be in form of a button. And when a user thinks he need it, he will click it ., the chat box will then come up .It would be drag gable and resizable ..so that user can put it anywhere on screen where he feels is the best.