Hey LQ!

IDEA: I have a proposition for LQ. How about adding something like a Java chat room that is easily accessible through a hyperlink in LQ's navigation bar? Or maybe just integrate it into the LQ homepage! This would allow instantaneous help to members and would help the community out by giving them a more efficient, reliable means of communication. A live chat room would entice our website visitors to sign up because they would see an active and helpful community right there! A chat room is also great because, instead of browsing about in the forums looking for someone to help, you could just help people right when they need it! I also think that it would keep would-be members coming back to LQ. It would be a heplful and innovative feature, no doubt. Even a basic chat with few features would be amazing.

IRC = NO: Now if LQ has an IRC chat room (I don't know...), I can understand why LQ would not want to do this. But comparing a chat room that you can get into by clicking a link rather than dealing with IRC would be much more helpful. I personally have never/and probably will never use IRC. It's not easy. Not like clicking a link on LQ's Main Menu or friendly navigation bar.

FORUM ISSUES: Also, there might be concern for this killing the forums. I think not! Forums' data and responses are far easier to find and read than a chat rooms' are. Also, if this poses as a mighty threat, LQ could force a user to post at least 1 thread in the forums to enable chat functionality. But the forums will never die because of a chat room. Why? Because not all of LQ's members are on that exact moment. If a members question does not get answered, we (chatting members) and LQ (Note on chat room screen) could encourage the user to use the forums to better his chance at getting his question answered. Perfect!

FUN AND USAGE: Now of course our chat room would need some Linux in the mix, huh? How about when the member sends his chat message, instead of the usual;
mrexample: blah, blah
examplemaster: oh blah, blah
...we could set it up to look like a BASH prompt!
mrexample@LQ.org:~$ blah, cool blahness
Yeah! And of course the chat room wouldn't have all the entries the forums do. Maybe just General (non *nix discussion) and Linux - General would be enough to start us out on. Then after that if it becomes popular we could add more entries.

BANDWIDTH ISSUES: Lets face it, some LQ features aren't used as much as others. If bandwidth became an issue you could just scrap some other lesser-used features.

Just a suggestion, but in my humble opinion, it would be very cool. Thanks LQ.

Dont like the idea; dont like chat.

2 members found this post helpful.

A LQ chat room has been discussed in the past, and it has been "no plans to implement this feature at this time". This is because LQ is about giving people answers to their Linux Questions, and so a forum that records answers for posterity is good.

TG

3 members found this post helpful.

Exactly. The aim is to have a permanently searchable database of information for everyone to access. Chatrooms/IRC/etc, by their very nature are fast moving and disorganised. As well, if there are problems a moderator may not be able to step in appropriately until it's too late.

1 members found this post helpful.

Exactly! Agreed 100%. It wouldn't benefit anyone, either, IMHO.

I don't think it really needs a chat room. There's a ton of Linux IRC channels and this forum is more about recording questions and answers.

2 members found this post helpful.

If the OP hasn't yet tried it, he/she may like to check out the "LQ Spy" in the links on the right side menu. It shows posts as they are made, anywhere on LQ, in real-time. Pretty handy if you're helping or being helped and want to keep the conversation going in a timely manner, without having to reload or re-check the thread for updates.

Sasha

2 members found this post helpful.

I think chattin' is great, I always used to find solutions to my problems in a french chatting room, but I don't want to say the site's name (no publicity). The room's name was "info-help" ..

I think a chat room would be great just for interpersonal connections and excuses not to work = ) I miss the good old days of bitchx and irc. However I do agree that due to the size of this site it would be bombarded with the same questions over and over again , by people who don't bother to search the forum or google.

Regards,
JKZfixme

LQ is meant to be a forum. LQ is very nice place, it is organized, many experts all around. Chat requires more attention(moderation also) than forum, actually, so may LQ be what it was made to be.
Oh, and again, thanks everybody! I liked LQ since first moment I got in here, thanks to you, LQ members! =)

No chat room please!! This is not AOL.....

As someone already observed, you can get a conversation going using LQSpy---the advantage is that it is just slow enough so you don't have everyone talking at once.

2 members found this post helpful.

Most distros already have an irc channel if not more than one, there is also ##linux on freenode for general linux help/chat.

2 members found this post helpful.