Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 1:47 am
I'm a long time veteran of IRC channels.
Basically, we're talking so easy to moderate that it's not even funny. You can implant a Java client about as easy as you can embed a video on the site.
If they want control, it takes about five minutes to read up on IRC chat commands and have it set up to where only certain people with registered and identified nicknames have moderator status (that's the "@" by someone's name). Give that to trusted mods and themselves, and there's no problem.
I know there are plenty of likewise IRC-minded people around, because a lot of them do the "/me runs around" messages. "/me" is an IRC command to signify an action rather than speech (something I'm sure was done for role-players, as it's a very popular medium for online table-top roleplaying).
If it's something they're not familiar with, I can understand why they may be hesitant to do it. But I must stress - this is easier. This is so simple it's not even funny. That's the entire purpose of IRC, and that's why it's been around unchanged since the start of the Internet.
It was made in 1988, and it's been largely untouched since, updated only to keep compatible with changing operating systems (it guarantees to work with Mac, Linux and Windows, from OS/2 to Vista). It's that way for a reason. It works, and impressively so.
I am consistently in awe at how this little sucker can function at such high levels so stable for nearly as long as I've been alive.
While I understand that this adds another division to the site - meaning, now you'll register for the chat (if you require a registered user to be in the channel, which I would suppose to be the case), the comments board, and the forums - I think that this would be worth it. Right now you have a chat that's... let's be generous and say it's functional for groups of less than ten, and about 50% so for those larger than that.
With a Java IRC client embedded into the site (easy stuff to do), it'll be 100% functional, all the time, for as long as the server is working.
Shoot, here, let me show you: http://java.freenode.net/howto.php
Copy and paste the code there to the chat's page on the blog site. Register the #lonelygirl15 channel with the server. Boom. It's done. That's all you do! I'm serious, that's it. You're done, problem solved!
EDIT: If you don't like freenode, here's what you do - find an old computer. I'm talking it could be Windows 95/98 era. Connect it to a stable Internet connection, make a dedicated server. I'm not entirely certain how that's done, but if you really want to have full control, I could probably do this in a week if given the right tools (i.e., power, temporarily, which I know Greg/Miles would be loath to do), max. Probably not even that long.
Hell, I may even have the machine to do it right now. I just need to see if it's working.
Basically, we're talking so easy to moderate that it's not even funny. You can implant a Java client about as easy as you can embed a video on the site.
If they want control, it takes about five minutes to read up on IRC chat commands and have it set up to where only certain people with registered and identified nicknames have moderator status (that's the "@" by someone's name). Give that to trusted mods and themselves, and there's no problem.
I know there are plenty of likewise IRC-minded people around, because a lot of them do the "/me runs around" messages. "/me" is an IRC command to signify an action rather than speech (something I'm sure was done for role-players, as it's a very popular medium for online table-top roleplaying).
If it's something they're not familiar with, I can understand why they may be hesitant to do it. But I must stress - this is easier. This is so simple it's not even funny. That's the entire purpose of IRC, and that's why it's been around unchanged since the start of the Internet.
It was made in 1988, and it's been largely untouched since, updated only to keep compatible with changing operating systems (it guarantees to work with Mac, Linux and Windows, from OS/2 to Vista). It's that way for a reason. It works, and impressively so.
I am consistently in awe at how this little sucker can function at such high levels so stable for nearly as long as I've been alive.
While I understand that this adds another division to the site - meaning, now you'll register for the chat (if you require a registered user to be in the channel, which I would suppose to be the case), the comments board, and the forums - I think that this would be worth it. Right now you have a chat that's... let's be generous and say it's functional for groups of less than ten, and about 50% so for those larger than that.
With a Java IRC client embedded into the site (easy stuff to do), it'll be 100% functional, all the time, for as long as the server is working.
Shoot, here, let me show you: http://java.freenode.net/howto.php
Copy and paste the code there to the chat's page on the blog site. Register the #lonelygirl15 channel with the server. Boom. It's done. That's all you do! I'm serious, that's it. You're done, problem solved!
EDIT: If you don't like freenode, here's what you do - find an old computer. I'm talking it could be Windows 95/98 era. Connect it to a stable Internet connection, make a dedicated server. I'm not entirely certain how that's done, but if you really want to have full control, I could probably do this in a week if given the right tools (i.e., power, temporarily, which I know Greg/Miles would be loath to do), max. Probably not even that long.
Hell, I may even have the machine to do it right now. I just need to see if it's working.
