A caht suggestion

I don't think caht will ever take off as long as it's accessed only by a widget in the sidebar of the homepage that you lose as soon as you scroll. I know it can be opened in a popup, but nobody's going to bother with that unless there's traffic, and there won't ever be traffic unless it's in a more top-of-mind place.

If we want it to be active, I think it'll have to work more like the chat option in Facebook -- a collapsible popup in a corner of the screen (though hopefully with some kind of subtle visual indicator of activity so it doesn't automatically pop up after being hidden anytime somebody says something).

What about this? http://www.footerchat.com/

I agree, something like that would work better. I don't see Xenforo on the compatibility list, although it's script based, so it might be possible to integrate. Somebody with better tech knowledge will have to weigh in.

I emailed them. They don't support Xenforo officially, just yet, so anything we would do would be unsupported for the most part. If you guys are looking for a pay solution, there's always these guys: http://www.cometchat.com/xenforo-chat?r=AD104&gclid=CNen5pLY_bwCFUcV7AodPAEAnQ

And as you can see, their setup is quite similar to Facebook, and the pricing starts at $49 for the basic package, and that price is a one time fee, whereas footerchat is roughly $15 a year. CometChat is also made specifically for Xenforo 1.2 and higher. Now, I'm not saying get it, but having looked through many chat options, that's likely the best pay chat service. What I have set up right now is the best free arrangement I could put together. I realize it's not the nicest, shiniest option, so whatever the big guys want is fine with me.

Any places that have the different setups we could check out?

Here's a list of sure-fire 100% Xenforo compatible chat add-ons:

ENVOLVE: https://www.envolve.com/ (Free, though the free version is somewhat limited. Basic pay "Pro" service starts at $24 a month)
ARROWCHAT: http://www.arrowchat.com/xenforo-chat/ ($45 one time for the basic package)
TAIGACHAT PRO: http://xenforo.com/community/resources/taigachat-pro-realtime-chat-shoutbox.1224/ ($33 one time fee)

Full disclosure: We use a chopped up, modded, and slimmed down version of TaigaChat Pro.

As for websites with different setups to check out, I'm not certain. I'll look around.

It's been a week since the last response, but I'm gonna leave this here for now because I don't think the discussion is over.

Let me know if it is.

Good call.

Coming back to this, has there been any decision regarding future chat options?

Has there?

I haven't been told anything yet. As it stands, I'd like to modify the chat program before this does get released into the general public, since there are a number of flaws in it that I'd rather not get out before I can fix them. Unfortunately, the program I'm currently using is a watered down version of another program, and so it has severe limitations, and obviously buggy programming.

What do you need to make it go?

I look for things to make us go.

What I really need is your approval of my recommendation (which is Arrow Chat), and the $45 it takes to purchase it.
That is, if that's what you want to do. Just to lay it all out real quickly, here's why I recommend Arrow Chat:

* It has pop-up chat, like Facebook.
* It can be easily customized, and has full features.
* The Starter Version (the $45 package) gets 6 months of free updates and tech support.
* The license itself never expires.
* The chat is hosted on our own board, and not on a cloud server.
* The price is a flat fee, no monthly subscriptions.
* It's easy as hell to install and maintain, so in the odd event that I ever leave due to some pants related mishap, the software can be easily ran in my absence.
* It has notifications, sounds, and all kinds of neat little doo-dads that members may like.

I'm getting some last minute details from Arrow Chat, so if you're not sure yet what you want to do, I have a day or so before they get back with me.

I'll kick in if you want to solicit donations to help buy it.

I'll leave it up to you guys to fund it, I'll just be here to duct tape it to the carburetor when everything is ready.

Chat is live. You can see it at the bottom of your screen, in the right hand corner.

It works like Facebook chat. You click on the word "Chat" and you can choose from anyone who is online.
If you wish to chat in a room instead, there is the CAHT! room, which you can access by clicking the people button next to the Chat bar (it's between the word "Chat" and the green slidebar).

That's all there is to it.

Wow, it totally looks like Facebook! Nice job. Works so-so on my phone, I wonder if there is any kind of chat app client that would work with it. Is there a protocol or brand I should search?

If you're viewing it on a mobile device, you're seeing their mobile version of chat. I'm looking to see if there is a compatible mobile app for it, so I'll let you know.

Cool. I should say, it works fine, the only issue was that the available users list shows up half on screen, half off. Might be a problem with a larger user base, but not really a big deal at Wordforge.

I'll see if there's a patch or update for mobiles. If not, as soon as there is one, I'll update it. That said, I like the way it looks. It's very well integrated, and even makes sounds when someone you're chatting with responds.

Yep, it's a very smooth integration.

Done with this one or should I pin it for future Chat discussion?

Seems we essentially implemented the suggestion. I say it's done, unless @tafkats wants further discussion.

Nothing that would prevent release. In fact, data from more people might be useful.

It would probably be easier to get and keep conversations going if the behaviors of both systems were merged -- the popup functionality of the new one combined with the way the old one showed stuff that happened before you began your session -- but I would have no idea how to accomplish that.

There's no real way to integrate them. I see the box on the main page as more of a shoutbox, and the chat room as the de facto chat system.

Edit: To add, as of this moment, the only chat room is the CAHT room. It is possible, with the software, to let users create their own chat rooms. What do you think about that?

Nothing against it, but as far as I can see, no-one is using the chat anyway. Or perhaps I just don't know because I'd only see what they post while I am online? Either way, I think tafkats is right that we would have more activity there if we could see what was previously posted.

That's true. Like I said, it's just an option that is available.