Am I missing something?

rah · June 12, 2002, 14:38

Every now and then the chat room participants catch my eye. But most of the time there's only one person in the chat room. Who is he chatting with? Am I missing something?

If you choose the invisible option in your preferences, does it not list you when you're in the chat room?

I can see going there while waiting for someone else to show up, but that doesn't seem to account for all the times I've only seen one person in there.

What am I missing?

RAH

TCO · June 12, 2002, 14:45

yes.

You are missing the ability to open multiple windows of your browser. Thus, one can go into the chat room and wait while surifing the rest of the net. You have to check back ocassionaly of course. If the system had a bell/buzzer like IRC, you wouldn't even need to check back. You'd be notified when someone joined the chat.

It's amazing to me how amny people don't undedrstand this. (You can tell they don't understand this when they show up in the chat room, say hello (expecting an instant reply) and then get frustrated and leave, rather than opening an extra window, and checking back.)

rah · June 12, 2002, 14:48

Then what's the point of going there, since you seem to have reduced it to a glorified PM. It's supposed to be real time, and if you're experience isn't, why go there WAITING. You're right, even after you tell me, I don't understand.

RAH

DarkCloud · June 12, 2002, 14:48

Replies can take a long time in the chat room- and almost inevitably someone at work will leave the chat on hidden under other windows, go to lunch, then return... since many people donàt turn off work computers.

thus even if someone is listed as being in the cahtroom, heàs not really ,there,.

Asher · June 12, 2002, 14:53

It's not too hard.

People go there waiting for someone else to come chat, they surf around Poly and they notice at the top of the page when someone else enters so they go back to the chat window and chat...

If nobody went in there while it's empty no one would chat at all.

DarkCloud · June 12, 2002, 15:00

Well, rah, thats what it is, it IS a PM... it is merely a realtime PM... that can be done between multiple people.

TCO · June 12, 2002, 15:03

Quote:

Originally posted by rah
Then what's the point of going there, since you seem to have reduced it to a glorified PM. It's supposed to be real time, and if you're experience isn't, why go there WAITING. You're right, even after you tell me, I don't understand.

RAH

The way I described is how chats work out, Rah. If you expect to magically have someone else walk in right when you do, you will be out of luck. If you enter the chat and just check back every few minutes (as you surf Poly or whatever for an hour or so) than you will often be able to work out a decent conversation.

Is this really such a tough concept to work out?

Immortal Wombat · June 12, 2002, 15:15

The only thing that bugs me about loners in the chat room is the thing on the top of the page saying:
| Chat (1 people) |
aaargh!! 1 person!

DarkCloud · June 12, 2002, 15:23

How do you know what constitutes english in greece

If you send markos 20 emails a day for a month he may fix it eventually

spartak · June 12, 2002, 16:36

Panag · June 12, 2002, 16:49

Quote:

Originally posted by rah
Every now and then the chat room participants catch my eye. But most of the time there's only one person in the chat room. Who is he chatting with? Am I missing something?

If you choose the invisible option in your preferences, does it not list you when you're in the chat room?

I can see going there while waiting for someone else to show up, but that doesn't seem to account for all the times I've only seen one person in there.

What am I missing?

RAH

hi ,

Rah , sometimes your sreen say one person in , because you have just visited the chat , its like the line to the chatroom stay's open , ....
however when you check this from an other comp you have left , ...
and sometimes you are gone , and yet an other person still "sees" you , ......

Solver has a thread on it ; ID52519

have a nice day

Dauphin · June 12, 2002, 17:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
The only thing that bugs me about loners in the chat room is the thing on the top of the page saying:
| Chat (1 people) |
aaargh!! 1 person!

Just go into chat yourself to make two people, or leave to make no people, if you want the grammar to be more pallatable.

rah · June 13, 2002, 15:58

I still think it's silly. On can count on one hand how many times i've seen more than one person there.
Most of the time it's only one.
Must be like some of the debates in the OT

Do people make appointments to meet in the chat room?
(like women at the beauty parlor.)

RAH

Skanky Burns · June 13, 2002, 17:24

No, people just feel like chatting so enter the chatroom. They sit in there, hoping someone else will enter (seeing as there is now someone in the chatroom).
Apart from the Candle'Bre chat, I don't think anyone has made appointments to meet in the chatroom.

Immortal Wombat · June 13, 2002, 17:38

I'll go in if others are in there (usually Finns or CtPers) or if there is someone online I would vaguely like to speak to, and try and lure them in

rah · June 13, 2002, 17:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
No, people just feel like chatting so enter the chatroom. They sit in there, hoping someone else will enter

Somehow that just reeks of desperation.

I guess I'm spoiled by ICQ. I can see who is available, and who I want to talk to. (as I get older, that list get's shorter

) Waiting for some random person to come chat seems a bit spooky. (yes my age is showing again)

Then If they're paying attention I can just use ICQ-phone and actually talk to the person. It's great to use during CivII MP games with another player in the game.
I've been known to icaphone chat with another player for over 6 hours, (if the game takes that long) It helps pass the time inbetween turns.

But the big thing is if someone is looking for me, I'll be notified and I can decide if I want to answer.

RAH

IW, that at least makes sense.

Immortal Wombat · June 13, 2002, 18:29

Ah, but rah, surely logging on to ICQ even when nobody else is online is somewhat the same thing?

JohnIII · June 13, 2002, 18:47

It should be persons, not people. See Strunk & White.

TCO · June 13, 2002, 18:52

Rah, you just don't get it do you. If the person who comes in is worth chatting to, than you do. If not, not. Similarly if the topic interests you chat, otherwise not. It takes a few seconds to scan the conversation to see if it is interesting. There's no downside to having another browser window open, while you surf.

Skanky Burns · June 13, 2002, 23:37

It uses a bit of memory

But true enough, theres no real downside.

rah · June 14, 2002, 09:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
Ah, but rah, surely logging on to ICQ even when nobody else is online is somewhat the same thing?

Not really. My ICQ list is customized with just the people I'd want to chat with. Personally there are a heck of a lot of people in the OT that are a little scary. Stewies in the CHAT ROOM, Oh boy

And In ICQ (or other chat software) I have the option to be invisible, listed as away, or NA.

I have never and will never seek out truely random chats.

And Finally GP, If there a few people in the chat room that you don't want to chat with and a few you do, your options are limited.

And I guess that sums up the differences. There are much better chat software packages that offer more control then the one here.

I'm sure quite a few people agree with me on this one based on the low number of people I usually see in the chat room. Considering just how many people post here, It's really a very low percentage that have used it.

RAH

Chris 62 · June 14, 2002, 11:45

Well Rich, somebody has to be first in, so I think that's why you see just one guy in there.

I agree with the other stuff, on ICQ and other IMS I'm never "there", simply because I'm either busy or really don't feel like talking to everybody.

I personally don't see the point of chat on a message board, but hey, if people dig it, who am I to object?