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.

 

[jmurrayhead]

See Forums are meant to encourage people to post. The problem with IM is that then people may not post but only use the Chatting... So content does not remain on your forum threads which means search engines have nothing to index which means less visitors which means less income...

So IM should be left out of Forums. IF a forum system was to have it, I wouldn't enable it.

It depends on the community. I run a site for developers which also has a chat running. Since it's hard to explain code in a chat window, they still use the forums for questions. The chat allows the community to build and get to know each other better.

 

[Onimua]

See Forums are meant to encourage people to post. The problem with IM is that then people may not post but only use the Chatting... So content does not remain on your forum threads which means search engines have nothing to index which means less visitors which means less income...

So IM should be left out of Forums. IF a forum system was to have it, I wouldn't enable it.

Facebook hardly has this problem.

The thing with chat is that is only really happens with 2 people so a small IM service wouldn't really affect the site's activity. With all the available IM services already (MSN Messenger, AIM, YIM, etc), users are probably talking to each other there anyway. Having an IM service on your site means that they're on your site.

Of course it depends on the community, but generally speaking I don't see it as something that would actually mess with forum activity.

 

[Peggy]

IM is not needed on a Forum - There are Private Conversations and the actual Forums themselves to post in. Some forums will also have a shoutbox which is pretty close to IM - Leave the IM'ing to the IM programs

I very much agree.

 

[Mikey]

you could always setup a separate open fire network, then add a link to header. Run it off site so it keeps server load down but adds real time chat for those wanting it. And lets forum focus more on discussions.

We call this 'open fire network' on a 'different server' - IRC

 

[Disjunto]

We call this 'open fire network' on a 'different server' - IRC

and the mod for adding IRC to xf will probably be out within a week after xf release

 

[Cezz]

and the mod for adding IRC to xf will probably be out within a week after xf release

Probably less time

 

[Disjunto]

Probably less time

well 5 minutes is still within a week. I think I'm covered with that estimation

 

[Sadik B]

It depends on the community. I run a site for developers which also has a chat running. Since it's hard to explain code in a chat window, they still use the forums for questions. The chat allows the community to build and get to know each other better.

Facebook hardly has this problem.

The thing with chat is that is only really happens with 2 people so a small IM service wouldn't really affect the site's activity. With all the available IM services already (MSN Messenger, AIM, YIM, etc), users are probably talking to each other there anyway. Having an IM service on your site means that they're on your site.

Of course it depends on the community, but generally speaking I don't see it as something that would actually mess with forum activity.

I agree that it depends on the community and it's difficult to generalize. But I would still say IM on a forum site would affect forum activity. To what degree depends on the type of community.

 

[Grover]

See Forums are meant to encourage people to post. The problem with IM is that then people may not post but only use the Chatting... So content does not remain on your forum threads which means search engines have nothing to index which means less visitors which means less income...

So IM should be left out of Forums. IF a forum system was to have it, I wouldn't enable it.

I understand your fears, but I see it differently. Look, I know that a really large part of my members use the PM system very frequently. They prefer to talk in private on certain topics (I run a health site) and they don't necessarily want to share it with everybody else in public on the forum. Does it harm public conversations? Well... you could think that. On the other hand... you can also see it as an enhancement of the services you offer to your members.

Also, the same goes for IM. IM is completey different compared to posting on a forum. Does the fantastic IM functionality of Facebook harm the wall and other social activities? I think not... it's a great addition to the already available social features: they exists next to / complement each other. If xenForo really wants to become as social orientated as possible, then I hope to see some kind of IM functionality integrated, like I said earlier:

I dearly hope it actually will be a goal of xenForo. How would you know which of your Friends are online if you do not get an instant 'notification' of that? Yes, one can obviously look at the user's online box, but this is the whole point: as an enduser to a social networking platform I do not want to look at a who's online list full of people I might not be interested in. I want to see which of my Friends are online. This is how IM clients like Windows Live Messenger work: you have a list of people that you want to talk to, not a list of everybody in the world who is logged into Windows LM. My vision of state-of-the-art 'forum' software would be like that: we need an area/functionality that shows us which of our Friends (or Moderators, because I also want to be able in xenForo in the future to divide my Friends into different groups, because that will make contacting them much easier) are online. Immediately.

I love the way WLM pops up a notification in the bottom right corner telling me that Friend X is online. I love the way Facebook does it (as explained above). Now I need a forumpackage that can resemble that essential functionality. vBulletin doesn't. Invision (as far as I know) doesn't? Will xenForo be the first?

 

[Ahmed]

I'd like to see this within XF, but I doubt it will be implemented.

 

[Alpha1]

Most people have MSN, AIM, Skype or whatever IM running anyway. Whether its integrated with your forum or not.
And the idea that chat takes focus away from forum posting is only partially true. The attraction of members to your forum is far greater. Especially if you also use chat for community events. Chat has played an important role in increasing my member count.

 

[Wired]

you could always setup a separate open fire network, then add a link to header. Run it off site so it keeps server load down but adds real time chat for those wanting it. And lets forum focus more on discussions.

LOL, was about to suggest Openfire right before I read your post

For those who don't know what it is, Openfire is an open source Jabber protocol IM server (GTalk uses Jabber, or a flavor of it anyway).

I setup external open fire for my networks and team which is good for real time group/file sharing, by keeping it separate it helps cut down server load for the main sites. I think the primary focus of xenforo should be for forums, IM systems take away from public discussions that should be for all members to take part in otherwise why have a forum.

Gotta agree. Wouldn't mind seeing a plugin that's aware of your Jabber status though.

and the mod for adding IRC to xf will probably be out within a week after xf release

http://vbirc.com/xenforo

 

[Disjunto]

http://vbirc.com/xenforo

Yeah, that was the one I was referencing

 

[Been Told]

See Forums are meant to encourage people to post. The problem with IM is that then people may not post but only use the Chatting... So content does not remain on your forum threads which means search engines have nothing to index which means less visitors which means less income...

So IM should be left out of Forums. IF a forum system was to have it, I wouldn't enable it.

I disagree here. I think you can't really say that for all forums.
My most active forum has a shoutbox, group discussions and Instant Messaging. We have recently added the Instant Messaging and it has done nothing to decrease content. Quite the contrary... Being the only forum in my niche that offers instant messaging, I've seen an improvement in registrations.

That said, I really agree with whoever said that surely it must be possible to utilize existing IM networks. It would be really neat to be able to utilize (for example) MSN or ICQ for instant messaging. No additional server load to speak of.
But I do agree, it could be done as a plugin, rather than stock. Although I wouldn't complain.

 

[Forsaken]

I'd probably use IM on my forums, but with how the forum is being setup I know I'll still see plenty of posts.

I wish all these forum IM systems provided a transcript however, because I'll often talk to someone, and then need the chat later to point something out.

 

[ArnyVee]

If the "conversations" page (part of the profile) were to update real-time would that not be a way to circumvent the need for an IM option? Then, even if you navigated away from your page, then the notice/alert would pop up and you'd get right back into the conversation. Could that work?

 

[Wired]

OpenFire has a log option.

Use either web clients for ICQ and the like right from those providers, or use Meebo.com.

 

[Fufu]

I see pros and cons of this suggestion. I am nutural to the idea.

Mod for sure, maybe Shoutbox? Not sure...

 

[KURTZ]

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

Something you can enable and disable per user, usergroup.

i'll support this!

 

[PixelFX]

i'll support this!

CometChat has a facebook chat bar system, I'm sure they could easily add support for xenforo when it comes out.