Instant message with friends online

[Zachariah Boren]

Something that facebook has. The option to instant message your friends that are on-line.

Something you can enable and disable per user, usergroup.

 

[tyteen4a03]

I'm building my own based on ejabberd.

 

[Deepmartini]

I'm building my own based on ejabberd.

This sounds interesting. Is this going to be an addon?

 

[tyteen4a03]

This sounds interesting. Is this going to be an addon?

Yes. Most likely open source too, but it highly depends if I can still afford food.

In order for me to begin work, I must also develop an addon that will turn XenForo into an OpenID provider (so I don't have to write my own API). Hopefully this will be easier than I thought...

 

[Alpha1]

One major problem with this suggestion is that XenForo does not have friends functionality.

I am currently using CometChat and that is not compatible with XenForo until there is friends functionality.
Because only friends can chat with each other. (as it should be)

 

[tyteen4a03]

One major problem with this suggestion is that XenForo does not have friends functionality.

I am currently using CometChat and that is not compatible with XenForo until there is friends functionality.
Because only friends can chat with each other. (as it should be)

I like an IRC style chat better where everybody has access to certain rooms and that you can initiate conversations in private if you need to better. Of course, accepting chats from friends only can be implemented.

 

[Alpha1]

I like an IRC style chat better where everybody has access to certain rooms and that you can initiate conversations in private if you need to better. Of course, accepting chats from friends only can be implemented.

I have both chat rooms as instant message with friends online on my vb + cometchat site.
The main disadvantage of that is that PMs and chats are separated while they should be one integrated system like facebook has.

 

[tyteen4a03]

I have both chat rooms as instant message with friends online on my vb + cometchat site.
The main disadvantage of that is that PMs and chats are separated while they should be one integrated system like facebook has.

This will be implemented in my addon. (I hope...)

 

[Deepmartini]

@tyteen4a03 This sounds very exciting! I believe it will add a whole new level of interactivity among members and additional stickiness to the site!

 

[imthebest]

This should be a core feature.

 

[Alpha1]

Times have changed. The web is mobile now and everyone expects instant interaction. When this thread was started this was very different. Now conversations need to be dynamic instead of static.
For example: many new users mistake conversations for threads, because they are not dynamic like on Facebook and many other sites and therefore think they must be threads.

 

[Colonel Larry]

Appolgies so I guess I didn't find this post for some reason, even though I searched...

But anyways, vBulletin recent update has a IM within their PM system. If both are online they can engage in real time messaging. It works like a normal PM because it's stored all the same. So you could always go back. When you start a PM/IM all messages are stored in the conversation because each PM/IM had a topic title as well. The administrator can still limit the user group for how much storage they want. But again, if 2 users were engaging it's a seemles conversation.

I should point out that other's have said IM would drive away the user base? That logic is invalid.

It would not drive away the users because they are limited to just whomever they are talking with, the admin determines how many people can be involved in one PM/IM, so threads would not be come irrelevant. In fact, threads someday itself could become instant as well... It's all about Users Experience and how we can catch up on modern internet technology.

Facebook still has Wall Posts and Messanger. Do people use messenger a lot more then wall posts? Probably not. So in this case people won't be hermits on your site. Messanger, just like Facebook's messenger is used all the same.

I think people's fear of social media taking over is whats killing communities. UX plays a very important role.

 

[tsak76]

what happened with this ?

 

[beerForo]

The "Conversation" system is archaic and clunky. I welcome a messenger-type system. I recently had a long-time member ask me for my phone number to text because it was just too cumbersome for real-time.