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Post by Greg on Dec 16, 2016 10:43:23 GMT -5
The test page Greg mentions isn't open to the public, cc. It is NOT the same chat set-up offered in testing to a handful of our members a couple years ago. It isn't available. It wasn't satisfactory and AddonChat started over. Believe me when I say I'll let you know when it is ready! Celeste, that was the old beta test that we tried but not the current release of our non-java HTML5 version. We scrapped the other version and started from scratch.
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Post by Celeste on Dec 16, 2016 10:44:59 GMT -5
That's what I was trying to say, but it didn't come across, did it?
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Post by nifty50 on Dec 16, 2016 11:28:15 GMT -5
I understand that folks using Chrome are unable to access Java-driven sites, and that phones also have a problem because (at least with mine) Chat kicks you out as soon as your phone goes to dark (screensaver mode).
But what I DON'T understand is -- these issues have been present from the start, and yet there has still been a big drop-off in Chat numbers.
My guess is that there are other issues afoot. As some have mentioned, sometimes it's a time-difference thing, or an alteration in their household that has caused them to not need the chat-challenges. Totally understandable -- our needs will come and go, and so our people will as well. It's happened with me too.
And some folks have noticed that they actually get MORE accomplished if they're NOT logged in to chat, because admittedly Chat can sometimes become less "challenge-y" on some days. Or possibly you're more individually-driven rather than group-driven, and instead of helping you along, chatting actually slows you down. And that's fine too -- whatever works for you is best, whether it's lists, or a group chat, or partnering up with one other accountability person, or whatever.
But I do hope that no one has felt they can't come to Chat because they think they're too "new," or they fear judgement, or fear failure, or are just plain too overwhelmed, or they are comparing themselves to others or to themselves at an earlier time, or feeling like they have been here X number of years and have not made an amount of progress that they can feel good about.
I am not saying that anyone posting on this thread feels this way! I am only saying, when I see participation drop off, and sometimes when I read some posts, this thought crosses my mind, and I go into cheerleader mode and want to encourage people to NOT GIVE UP. This forum (as I understand it) is to provide support for wherever you are in the journey, and Chat is part of that, if you feel inclined to use it.
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Post by lesaulerouge on Dec 16, 2016 12:35:46 GMT -5
Liked your post nifty50, but would have like a love button!
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Post by Celeste on Dec 16, 2016 12:47:30 GMT -5
?
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Post by redheaderin on Dec 16, 2016 13:05:27 GMT -5
I use chrome. I guess that is the problem.
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Post by sidestep on Dec 16, 2016 13:09:10 GMT -5
redheaderin, Chat is the only time I use FireFox, & it works fine for that, otherwise I'm all Chrome too.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Dec 16, 2016 15:38:48 GMT -5
I understand that folks using Chrome are unable to access Java-driven sites, and that phones also have a problem because (at least with mine) Chat kicks you out as soon as your phone goes to dark (screensaver mode). But what I DON'T understand is -- these issues have been present from the start, and yet there has still been a big drop-off in Chat numbers. Re: the statement "these issues have been present from the start" ... No, they haven't been. Effective Sept 1, 2015: Java stopped working in the Chrome browser. Before that, it worked just fine. The drop-off in chat was more noticeable at that time, and it never recovered. This has been the biggest issue, in my opinion. The issues with timing out on phones were somewhat present in the early days ...but not as much as they are now. For one thing, when we started out, hardly anyone used phones to access the internet. Nowadays many people do. The issues with timing out *in general* regardless of computer or device ... were present at the start, but when we switched to paid chat, Celeste adjusted the settings so that timeouts were less (but they still happened with some members).
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Post by nifty50 on Dec 16, 2016 15:52:34 GMT -5
Re: the statement "these issues have been present from the start" ... No, they haven't been. Effective Sept 1, 2015: Java stopped working in the Chrome browser. Before that, it worked just fine. The drop-off in chat was more noticeable at that time, and it never recovered. This has been the biggest issue, in my opinion. Oh!! I did not know that. Thank you for clearing that up!
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Post by angela on Dec 17, 2016 20:54:49 GMT -5
Celeste, is there a technical reason to enhance our current Java-based chat? If not, would the fund-raising money be better spent on moving to the HTML5 chat and perhaps enhancing that? I am not at all familiar with any pricing structure for the new HTML5 chat so that might not even be an issue. Is there anything any other member can do to assist you with this project?
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Post by Celeste on Dec 17, 2016 22:32:19 GMT -5
The issue is less "enhancing" the Java-based chat and more to do with rescuing graphics and audio currently hosted with AddonChat and finding a new host for those elements, then keying it all into the HTML5 version of AddonChat. It should be easier to copy with a version of the old chat handy.
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Post by Fivecat on Dec 18, 2016 2:04:06 GMT -5
I've been following this thread and at the risk of starting a brewhaha, I'm going to tell you why I stopped going to chat.
I used to love chat, but I haven't been for at least 2 years.
First, my last chatting was done on my phone and it was difficult, but I could. Phone is my only internet for several years. I've gotten a new phone but I've never even tried to chat with it. I can't keep it plugged in to keep a charge like I did my old phone and chat drains the battery quickly, at least on my old phone. But, even with technical problems on my end, I haven't even tried because......
I stopped going because there was someone who I would classify as a bully in chat. This chatter seemed to be in there all the time and I saw several people, some new, who were pounced on with criticism and antagonized by this person instead of getting support. Not only did I witness this with others, I fell victim to it myself. At that point, I thought " life is too short and I don't need this in my life". I left and I've never been back. I suspect this circumstance ran others off, too.
Also, I found when I went to chat, I couldn't just "chat". I don't work well in the construct of the challenge train. I'm glad it works for others and I applaud what they accomplish, but chat was always my reward. If I had an hour to kill, I loved being able to go in chat and just talk to people, about whatever we wanted for as long as we wanted, but last I was there, it was so regimented that whenever the chat train left, the conversations had to stop. Also, the conversations could only be about challenging, which I found to be very constricting.
Chat was also my inspiration. Even though I don't work well with the challenge train, I would often get inspired to "do things". I might only work 2 minutes, 15 minutes, 22 minutes, 36, 48, an hour and a half, whatever. I'd like to be able to chat at the odd off times with whoever's there instead of waiting for the challenge train to come back and we were allowed to talk again. For me, chat evolved into something so rigid that was more trouble than it was worth.
I have more in my life than just squalor. I used to love chatting about all the different things in my life and hearing about the things other people have going on. I've made some friends through chat that I'm closer to than anyone, some I've even met, and those people will be my friends for the rest of my life. But its hard to get to know people if you can't just talk. Also, there are those times when I just want to talk to people and NOT think about squalor! I need a mental vacation from it and chat used to be that for me.
I don't know if I could even use chat now, changes to how it operates or not, so all I've said might be for naught, but for me, I feel like there was at least one elephant in the room that nobody was talking about regarding why nobody is going to chat. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way and if so, that's OK. But I suspect there are others, maybe some who quit us altogether because of a bad experience in chat or the rigidity of the rules.
Sorry if I've offended, and I wouldn't have said anything at all had this topic not come up. I am a LONG time member here and I love this site and many of the people on it. My intent is to be helpful and Im only speaking out because I want chat to be a lively, thriving, integral part of this community. I know how much I've benefitted from it in the past and I'd like to see all our members do the same.
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Post by lesaulerouge on Dec 18, 2016 4:36:03 GMT -5
Fivecat, I'm heading in to chat now, to chat as I think you would like to, in between pottering through jibs I have to get done. Would love to see you try it out sometimes. Unless I'm unaware that I'm the bully, and I do hope not
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Post by lesaulerouge on Dec 18, 2016 11:38:04 GMT -5
Where did everybody go - I left to fetch dd from Scout camp came back and you'd all left chat
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Post by creativechaos on Dec 28, 2016 16:10:51 GMT -5
i don't know who is bullying in chat, if it's one person or several, but it hurts my heart to think that people have left even trying to use chat because of it. if people feel that someone is bullying them, or have experienced this type of behavior from someone who is regularly on chat, they need to tell the moderators! if enough people complain about a person to the mods, that person will be warned- and if it continues, they will be banned - perhaps just from chat, i don't know what the mods would do, but the transcripts are there for 30 days and the mods can review them. chat should be a safe place for one and all. also, we need to call out any bullying behavior we see - if possible, to the person while they are doing it. as lesaulerouge has said - and i second it - i would want to KNOW if i was the one being a bully! someone may or may not be aware that they are bullying. by calling this out, they have the opportunity to change and grow, along with those of us who are loath to confront these things. confrontation doesn't have to be a fight! i hope it's ok to talk about something else that i'm struggling with in chat, since Fivecat had the courage to do so with the bullying issue and the other issues with the challenge train and chat challenge room. (please come back, Fivecat!) this is more an issue with myself, and no one else, but it ties in with what fivecat talked about, so i am asking for help and suggestions. i hear what fivecat has brought to the conversation, and want to address it. i think it's a fine line between too regimented and too loose re: the challenge room ... how do we meet that middle ground and make chat a safe place for everyone? where and to whom do the rules and guidelines apply? i am pretty badly A.D.D. and distractible, and also resistant a lot of the time to working - because i am so depressed, baffled, and overwhelmed i don't even know where to start. i love chat, the company, the people, the deep thinking and caring that goes on there. i love how people rally around someone having a bad day or a bad spell in life. i'm probably a codependent myself, as many of us may be - there are so many big hearts in here that just want to help someone out, and will drop everything, including their own work load, to be there for someone. this is how friendships are forged and i am grateful for it. i appreciate the tender hearted caring that goes on in chat, when someone brings in an issue that they can't talk about on threads - perhaps due to safety issues or privacy needs. i love that in chat, we can learn more about how amazing we are as people with our rich and complex lives and skills and passions. i love that you can ask for a cleaning tip or a recipe link, and i love all the things learned, and done together in challenge, that make our home lives much better than they would've been if we had kept sitting in limbo and fear. i love how we can go into chat and feel better and lifted and inspired to work again, to try again! i love how we see that getting things done in small bites can add up, if we do them every day! these are just some of the reasons why i go to chat! i have also felt distracted or overwhelmed in chat, and have found it hard to focus on work in chat at times. i blame on myself - no one else! AND - there are times in chat, mostly in the evening when others are done for working or challenging for the day, when i need help! i need people to challenge with, or at least to encourage me and yes, give me some kudos, when i work. i need not to get distracted in conversations which don't lead to any challenging - because my ship is sinking and i need to WORK - yet i also need NOT to stop those conversations! i get it that they are important too and have had many of them myself! i'm a big girl, so again, no blame. i need to learn to ask for what i need - not expect it - but at least ask. at those times, though, i feel lost - and too unsure to even ask for what i need. perhaps i should ask for what i need, but that seems controlling and kind of domineering. i'm on pacific time so by the time i come on at night, the east coasters are either in bed or winding down - can't expect them to be all gung ho to challenge! i just know that the chat challenge room is for challenging, and i need help and accountability in doing that. there are private windows where two people can converse in the chat challenge room (private chat window). i and others often use this to either support each other in challenges, if the main room is just about people unwinding from a long day, or to have a private personal conversation with a friend, or have or be a listening presence for life matters that arise that maybe we don't want in the chat challenge chat room or in "public." it's all good! i just wonder if there are other people like me, and what some solutions may be. sometimes i'm in such a deep funk, nothing works, even chat. sometimes i just go onto a list thread and putter aimlessly but keep trying to get something done. when we have the paid chat version back up and running, there are social chat rooms - i don't know how often they are used. at night in pacific time, there are so few people on chat that we all just use the challenge room and do private window as needed - as stated above. i'm just so grateful to find someone on there at night! i often don't get on til night time. i wonder if people actually use the social chat rooms. something to think about when we transition over; do we need them? if not, how do we both support those who need to do challenge work, and those who simply just want/need to talk or de-stress? thanks for listening. if i have hijacked this thread, mods, please feel free to move or delete this post. thanks
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