Community Chat, Helpful Or Harmful?

[Mr. Smith]

I don't know if anyone else seen the new "Community Chat" bar next the the "Help" bar at the top but to keep this short I think this new way of talking is more harmful then helpful to people on this forum. To have video and audio, and plus ANYONE can join this forum and go to this....Anyone know what people do on a site called Chat Roulette? If so, you get what I am trying to get at. If not then its better off not knowing. In short thats my honest opinion.

 

[AngelaMarie]

I looked it up since you mentioned it here. The definition of chatroulette is:
Chatroulette is a website which pairs random strangers for webcam-based conversations. Visitors to the website randomly begin an online stranger chat (video and text) with another visitor. At any point, either user may leave the current chat by initiating another random connection.

Don't exactly think it's the same. However, as you said you are entitled to your opinion. We all are.:)

 

[MurphyJB]

Anthony (and other moderators) monitor this forum very well.
If people are using the chat "inappropriately" I think it will be stopped.
And if you feel uncomfortable...don't use it?

 

[Mr. Smith]

I have no problem with it, just saying I wont be suprised if we have a troll come on here and cause harm.. Just warning others the danger via video/audio chat. Nothing more, nothing less....

 

[cherryblossom]

Firstly, although the chat facility is currently on the forum, it will come and go, until it is fully tested, with instructions and video of how to use use it for members. (I'm really not sure how many more time I can say this tonight, but please read
[DLMURL]http://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/proposed-chat-system-coming.17760/#post-230220[/DLMURL] )

If you read this thread in it's entirety, you will see that this chat facility has a 'report' facility, to remove any spam, trolls etc. Also read about the limitations on the video chat and the preferences that will be totally chosen my the member. (Although full instructions are still to be released because this chat facility is still in the installation phase (why don't people understand that?)

Just out of interest, how many trolls, spammers, illegitimate users have you encountered on this site? If you have encountered them, have you reported them? Or perhaps they've been banned before you got chance to report them?

I'm seriously not trying to undermine what you are saying, but the team of admins, and moderators (yes, including myself), and some great software, keep this site as safe as possible.

Of course there is a limit to that, and some people will always get through that safety net by lying, but we also encourage members not to give personal details, and to report any members they have concerns about.

 

[KP the nut]

I was pleased with it. I think it is so fast and awesome. I tested the private chat and that is invisable to other chatters

 

[aquabee65]

Let's just exercise some on line chat savvy, if most of us on this site are familiar with the Internet, I have been using it for 16 years, then we have a rudimentary idea about being discreet. The site administrators are aware of what to watch for in terms of trolls coming on the site. Be adult about your encounters on the Net. Good to see a chat option is back.

 

[anthony]

Absolutely Deb...

For those that are new to this site, you may think this chat software is new, but its actually not. We used to have version 5 of this exact software installed here, running live video chat, and members got a lot out of it. As stated elsewhere, the issue was expense and technology at that time... video was just new to the web and the cost vs. outcome wasn't the best.

For those who briefly used it already, you would have seen its somewhat impressive to live video through it now, especially those who used the prior version here, in comparison. Very fast and technology is the key to that. Now the technology support it as a far superior method of communication, I have reimplemented here.

Issues Raised

These very issues were raised first time round... and we had little to no problems with members and the chat. This version happens to have far more capabilities than ever before. Users can report users and place a custom message within the report to tell me the issue.

All staff have unrestricted access into all chats, whether private, public or password protected, they can enter every room, visibly or invisibly, monitoring chats. So even if two users registered here, did not participate on the forum, but only used the chat, they would be discovered quickly enough through repetitive behaviour and banned from the forum.

Staff can also kick, gag and time base ban from the chat only, per user. So if you abuse chat, you can still have forum access, but not chat. If you get banned from the forum though, you lose chat automatically, and the forum has some pretty good spam prevention tools in place for finding deceptive users and spammers.

 

[Kintsugi]

Seeing inappropriate behavior on the forum feels a little like watching football. Someone gets out of bounds and then there is a pileup of people on their backs, and then they're out of the game.

I feel very well protected on here, and the only way in which I've seen the forum abused so far is by those stupid solicitors who think this is a good place to pitch their quackery.

Thanks to the mods who make me feel safe.

 

[AngelaMarie]

(((MissAntiSunshine)))
I could not have said it better myself!!!