I am so dieing for PCApex to get one of these. HWHell has one and it's Great (but the site is down).
However Necro has one at VoidedWarranty you guys can check out. The thought of one here just
makes me drool :-)

Oh man..this ROX, you gotta get us one GK!!!!!

Attached Images

ShoutBox (VW).JPG (21.6 KB, 78 views)

Its definately awesome
i feel spamming would come if the PCapex site got one, could be dangerous. But most defiately awesome.

i'll 3rd that gk! it would be a good thing to see over here!!
p.s. gk i've put some links up on a few sites for you! i hope thats ok?!!

hello guyz by the way!!

I have to agree with the rest of the others this would be awesome to add to the site.

True - I like shoutboxes... but there's a reason why you don't see them on medium to large size sites. They get used and abused.

true but can a shoutbox not be regulated? ( i don't know myself, hence the query!! )
but then again most peepz on this here second home are good people so i can't see them abusing it!
and yet then again guests could abuse it i suppose which then takes us back to what i said about regulating!!

honestly i do go on sometimes!! lol somebody pimpslap me!!

What exactly is the point of shoutboxes? They just increase spam, increase the amount of work for admins/mods and generally are full of crap...

The kinda of stuff that should be left in IMs...

goodevening dex!
i myself think it would be cool but also agree with u on the spam side of things!
if it could be regulated without causing too much work then it's a coolidea!!

Quote: Originally Posted by mrmobeus2001 goodevening dex! i myself think it would be cool but also agree with u on the spam side of things! if it could be regulated without causing too much work then it's a coolidea!!

It's not so much spam - it's just hard to keep an eye on. Sometime there will be someone post something entirely inapproriate because they know it'll be off the shoutbox before a moderator or an admin will show up, immature yes and entirely realistic. But plenty of other people will see it and you can quickly develop a bad reputation. We've normally got more guests than registered users on at any given time, wouldn't it be lovely if they all went back to their own forums and joked about it? Lord help us if a sponsor came by.

Shoutboxes don't offer much accountability, people will act stupid, it'll be attached to PCApex's name.

Quote: Originally Posted by Iateronmly It's not so much spam - it's just hard to keep an eye on. Sometime there will be someone post something entirely inapproriate because they know it'll be off the shoutbox before a moderator or an admin will show up, immature yes and entirely realistic. But plenty of other people will see it and you can quickly develop a bad reputation. We've normally got more guests than registered users on at any given time, wouldn't it be lovely if they all went back to their own forums and joked about it? Lord help us if a sponsor came by. Shoutboxes don't offer much accountability, people will act stupid, it'll be attached to PCApex's name.

Aye, but you could restrict it a bit, much like the rep system. Say, you have to have 1000 posts and 400 rep points to post? That way, we'd only get the cool people posting

good idea, but i only have 386 rep points . That would limit myself and some others, but it would be nice if you could'nt see it unless you had that type of prerequisites. Now thats an idea...

I had two shoutbox modules installed on my site, played with them a bit... then uninstalled them. Really they're fantastic for private sites - but when it's more than just a community but also a business, it becomes a tangled skein. You have to think about outward image. Sure they're cool as can be, down right fun - but when it comes to a site that generates money off ad revenue, you don't want liabilities. So yes - you could restrict it to only registered members, but that's about all you can do by default with the two I played with. You might be able to hack it and add checks for a member's profile stats such as their post count and or reputation - then you get into alienating your own membership.

I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here. But there's many things in this world that fall under "wouldn't it be nice to think so" - but it's worth looking at worse case scenarios too.

The Shoutbox at HWHell is limited to a certain number of lines of text. 20 I think,
so things don't stay there long. And if need be shoutouts can be edited or deleted
by a moderator. I usually just correct my own spelling errors though :-) If need be
I'd be more than willing to help keep a Shoutbox regulated here at PCApex, and I'm
sure other members would be willing to help out 2 :-)

I think the rep idea is good, although Id have to say only those with over 1000 rep points

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaymate The Shoutbox at HWHell is limited to a certain number of lines of text. 20 I think, so things don't stay there long. And if need be shoutouts can be edited or deleted by a moderator. I usually just correct my own spelling errors though :-) If need be I'd be more than willing to help keep a Shoutbox regulated here at PCApex, and I'm sure other members would be willing to help out 2 :-)

So basicly what I've already said. It disappears and is purged from the server so there's not much degree of accountability. You can delete your posts in the forum but moderators and admins still can read what was there origonally - you don't have that with shoutboxes. Also here's the big question: was lasting value does it give a site? They're fun, but in a novel way. On certain site's I can see it having a some what lasting value, but on a technology site I'm drawing a rather large blank. You want topics discussed in the forums where the spiders will catalogue it and increase the odds you'll be on the first few pages of hits.

Every site I'm a member of with this feature goes to the following... everyone raves and talks about how great it is for the first month or two, then everyone complains no one else uses it/it's to easy and people post stupid questions/stupid people complain no one replies to their question in the shoutbox fast enough. The only place I've seen them kept in use for long periods of time so far are for the CMS site's that boast that they're a built in feature.

The rep idea is a way of setting a goal for new members. But a 1000 rep points is a little
steep. I'm only 390 points away after 3 years and 1500 posts. I think after a member has
gotten 3-4 rep bars he/she has proven they can be somewhat helpful and responsible. I
don't think anyone wants a post whore war going on just to try and get some xtra rep points.

I would rather have an irc server with a lobby, a few broad topic channels, and rep-access private channels.

But this faster form of communication might threaten the forums' usefulness. Anything usefull that is said in chat basically disappears, but on the forum it remains for all to see. I would hate to see precious content go to waste.

Perhaps a more realtime IM could be added to the site, for collaborating with forum members without handing out your MSN id. Make it work more like conference calling than channels?

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Aye, but you could restrict it a bit, much like the rep system. Say, you have to have 1000 posts and 400 rep points to post? That way, we'd only get the cool people posting

I meet those restrictions and im not very cool, ask around im a regular pain in the arse.