IRC Channel

[Sage]

Here's a thought. Can we replace Flashchat with an IRC channel? It works exactly the same way, with the same /me commands and everything, only it's not cluttered with a bunch of stupid features like crazy backgrounds and color settings which results in a much better chat experience. There is no delay when you type really fast or send a message and there are a lot more tools available to moderators. You can also change your nickname once in there and clicking links won't underline everything and gaahhhh.

Honestly, Flashchat sucks. Can we pleeeease get an IRC channel?

[Aηdy]

I do like IRC. But flash chat is easer to use for some people and integrates with the forum very well.

[mrmcdonaldduck]

i hate it when me or other people get cut out of flash because of flash. i agree entirely.

[madman]

i dont see why users cant have an external virtual teen channel on a irc network. for example if you let users know your on irc.quakenet.org in channel #virtualteen or any channel on the network

[Gumleaf]

moving: vthq >>> suggestions

[Sage]

i dont see why users cant have an external virtual teen channel on a irc network. for example if you let users know your on irc.quakenet.org in channel #virtualteen or any channel on the network

Because nobody is going to fucking use it. The only reason there's anyone in Flashchat in the first place is because it's at the bottom of the page.

[Zero Beat]

I like the flash chat. :P Dont bash me! XD I dont like the sounds on FC tho, and they wotn turn off. Thats all i hate. IRC looks so... blah. XD Sorry.

[Sage]

I like the flash chat. :P Dont bash me! XD I dont like the sounds on FC tho, and they wotn turn off. Thats all i hate. IRC looks so... blah. XD Sorry.

Have you ever tried IRC through mibbit? It's a lot less bland looking than other IRC services.

[RenamedUser]

Have you ever tried IRC through mibbit? It's a lot less bland looking than other IRC services.

Mibbit lacks many of the features that ChatZilla and other clients have, though. FTR, I entirely support migrating to an IRC channel or something similar

[Maverick]

Flash chat is very subpar and as it should be since it only costs $5.00.

Setting up a private IRC channel is a lot of hassle and not really one of my priorities. GovTeen does have their own IRC server so maybe I can ask them if they wouldn't mind us linking to their chat where VT and GovTeen users both can chat or setting up a channel for VT.

If you guys are interested I can always ask but since its entirely up to them there aren't any guarantees.

[Sage]

Flash chat is very subpar and as it should be since it only costs $5.00.

Setting up a private IRC channel is a lot of hassle and not really one of my priorities. GovTeen does have their own IRC server so maybe I can ask them if they wouldn't mind us linking to their chat where VT and GovTeen users both can chat or setting up a channel for VT.

If you guys are interested I can always ask but since its entirely up to them there aren't any guarantees.

I think that'd be a great way to meet new people, actually. I like it. :D

[2D]

I concur. Lets hope GovTeen is friendly. =]

[RenamedUser]

Flash chat is very subpar and as it should be since it only costs $5.00.

Setting up a private IRC channel is a lot of hassle and not really one of my priorities. GovTeen does have their own IRC server so maybe I can ask them if they wouldn't mind us linking to their chat where VT and GovTeen users both can chat or setting up a channel for VT.

If you guys are interested I can always ask but since its entirely up to them there aren't any guarantees.

On Freenode, where I spend most of my time, it's actually extremely easy to set up a private channel. Granted I don't know which network would be preferable in this case.

[Mzor203]

There is a blaring problem with this as I see it.

It's quite easy enough to create your own channel on an IRC network. Your own private channel that, as far as I know, cannot be seen save for the servers' owners.

See where I'm going? It just adds another form of communication that is very difficult to moderate.

[Bougainvillea]

Though Ant's idea was nice, I'm siding with Rex.

Tim, you said yourself that it would be a great way to meet new people.

Isn't the purpose of this site to get help, and join a community, that in real life could not exist. There are more than enough ways of communication. I don't even see the real reason we need FC.

I don't know.

Those are my opinions.

[Sage]

Tim, you said yourself that it would be a great way to meet new people.

Isn't the purpose of this site to get help, and join a community, that in real life could not exist. There are more than enough ways of communication. I don't even see the real reason we need FC.

Someone used my name! I'm actually flattered.

A community isn't a community if you don't meet people. I'd much rather get help or advice from somebody I (at the least) know a little about than a wall of disembodied words.

[Bougainvillea]

Kudos.

I didn't think about that.

Nevermind then. :P

[Sugaree]

If we do link to GovChat, then you all do realise that guests can join in to right? So it would basically not only be a chat for Gov and VT users, but also some unsavory people. Gov has mods in the chat around the clock, so that might help, but it might double the intake of chatters.

[Commander Thor]

Bump in favor of an IRC channel.

IRC is where I spend a greater portion than 50% of my free time, IRC channels are VERY easy to set up, and EXTREMELY easy to maintain.

And with the ability of log keeping, Admins & Moderators can have PROOF of what was said in the chat (If punishments need to be handed out).

And if you know how to script (Such as I), you don't 24-hr surveillance in the channel. Just walk away, and let your scripts take care of the annoyances (Such as spammers, flooders, code abusers, script abusers, and advertisers). One thing that has worked for my channel, is, not letting people know when you're watching, and being active during different times of the day. So they never get used to a certain schedule of Operators watching, so they're not tempted to do 'bad' things.

And regarding the 'Guest' issue, simply password protect the chat, and have the password in a topic or announcement in 'The White Padded Room' or something only accessible to members, so we're sure only members are in the chat.

[Kahn]

I am in favor of IRC. I have used them before and are very much more effective than PM's.

[The Batman]

And with the ability of log keeping, Admins & Moderators can have PROOF of what was said in the chat (If punishments need to be handed out).
We can do that with flashchat too mods can't see it but if we tell an admin they check the logs and see what's been said.

And if you know how to script (Such as I), you don't 24-hr surveillance in the channel. Just walk away, and let your scripts take care of the annoyances (Such as spammers, flooders, code abusers, script abusers, and advertisers). One thing that has worked for my channel, is, not letting people know when you're watching, and being active during different times of the day. So they never get used to a certain schedule of Operators watching, so they're not tempted to do 'bad' things.
Or just have let the good members report them so that we can effectively take care of them if we arent' there. Besides they don't know if we are a mod or admin if we don't tell them or they don't know the names of all of us.
And regarding the 'Guest' issue, simply password protect the chat, and have the password in a topic or announcement in 'The White Padded Room' or something only accessible to members, so we're sure only members are in the chat.
Someone could just as easy give out the password to their friends who could give it to their friends and so on and so forth. IRC is hideous and it sucks IMO. Things are fine just the way they are.

[Commander Thor]

We can do that with flashchat too mods can't see it but if we tell an admin they check the logs and see what's been said.
This wasn't a reason as to why IRC was supiror, just a response to an ealier comment made about the staff not knowing what was said in the channel.


Or just have let the good members report them so that we can effectively take care of them if we arent' there. Besides they don't know if we are a mod or admin if we don't tell them or they don't know the names of all of us.
But that takes time, and the longer you let someone misbehave, the better chance of the IRC host finding out (The actual owner of the servers), and they can warn/lock your channel out.

And I would hope no one (Besides maybe one of the admins, or another mod) knows ALL the names of the staff members here, seriously, you guys have a TON for a forum of your size.
Also, the '@' next to a name is of fair certainty that they can be trusted.
And besides, who said the channel had to be staff run?
The IRC channel for our site, only has 1 staff member in a high-ranking position in the IRC, the rest is run by the members.
Things run by members for members is WAY better than things run by Staff for the bettering of the staff.

Someone could just as easy give out the password to their friends who could give it to their friends and so on and so forth. IRC is hideous and it sucks IMO. Things are fine just the way they are.

And question, what's wrong with guests?
What's so wrong with someone who hasn't joined the forum, to pop in and ask a question?

[The Batman]

This wasn't a reason as to why IRC was supiror, just a response to an ealier comment made about the staff not knowing what was said in the channel.
And I was just responding to it


But that takes time, and the longer you let someone misbehave, the better chance of the IRC host finding out (The actual owner of the servers), and they can warn/lock your channel out.
That's why VT owns and runs flashchat we don't have to worry about some other person coming and locking us out.

And I would hope no one (Besides maybe one of the admins, or another mod) knows ALL the names of the staff members here, seriously, you guys have a TON for a forum of your size. We actually have a decent size of staff members if not to little considering that there are times where there is no staff online at all.

Also, the '@' next to a name is of fair certainty that they can be trusted.
And besides, who said the channel had to be staff run?
The IRC channel for our site, only has 1 staff member in a high-ranking position in the IRC, the rest is run by the members.
Things run by members for members is WAY better than things run by Staff for the bettering of the staff. We have members forums run by members and since all of it is public it's not hard for a senior staffer to go in and mod it if they need to but with things like this where there can be private chats and such and the members will be given full power then it will be harder for them to go in and mod if they can't directly see it. Just because it works for your site it doesn't mean it'll work for ours.




And question, what's wrong with guests?
What's so wrong with someone who hasn't joined the forum, to pop in and ask a question?
It's easier to ban a member from there and the forums since we have all of their information but with guests it'll be harder we can't do an IP ban becuase they can easily use a proxy or change it so it's not like here where everything is accessed only by members so if they act up we can punish them on both spots if we see fit. Also it opens it up for older members and possible pedophiles which puts a huge danger on the members here if they want to chat then they'll have to go somewhere else

[Sage]

Bump for great justice!

The main reason I'm in favor of IRC, to be honest, is simply because messages and text appear on screen instantly and there isn't that nasty delay you get when typing or sending messages really fast that is present in Flashchat.

Run on sentence, go!

[Commander Thor]

So question, since at least some of us (At least the ones that even notice this section of the forum) are requesting an IRC channel, is there anything preventing us from setting up #VirtualTeen on say, Freenode? And having a simple link in our sig, like "Un-official VT IRC room" or the like?

---In response to Kyle's post---
We have members forums run by members and since all of it is public it's not hard for a senior staffer to go in and mod it if they need to but with things like this where there can be private chats and such and the members will be given full power then it will be harder for them to go in and mod if they can't directly see it. Just because it works for your site it doesn't mean it'll work for ours.

(Don't hold me to this but...) I believe on Freenode (Haven't used freenode in YEARS), if you're a ChanOP (Basically owner of the channel, one step above regular OP) you can be granted access to the on-server logs of PMs sent between users of your own channel, so if something's suspected, you can have full, un-edited logs of what was said.

Also it opens it up for older members and possible pedophiles which puts a huge danger on the members here if they want to chat then they'll have to go somewhere else
Because we know that an 'Are you 18+?' question will /really/ stop the pedos from joining. </sarcasm>

[The Batman]

Because we know that an 'Are you 18+?' question will /really/ stop the pedos from joining. </sarcasm>

What the hell are you on about?

We can not effectively maintain something that isn't directly owned and operated by the forum admins and only accessible by the members on this site it's just a safety risk that isn't necessary for us to take seriously if you want an IRC channel for your vt friends then set one up yourself and invite them but we really don't need one for the whole site IMO flash is good enough.

[Commander Thor]

What the hell are you on about?
What I'm 'on' about, is, how you made a point as to where, having a IRC channel would open the window for older members or pedophiles to talk to the underage members of this site, whereas, there's no effective way to prevent older members or pedos from joining THIS site (Meaning yes, I'm almost positive pedos and 'older members' are members of this site 'posing' as 13 & 14 year olds).

[The Batman]

What I'm 'on' about, is, how you made a point as to where, having a IRC channel would open the window for older members or pedophiles to talk to the underage members of this site, whereas, there's no effective way to prevent older members or pedos from joining THIS site (Meaning yes, I'm almost positive pedos and 'older members' are members of this site 'posing' as 13 & 14 year olds).

It's pretty easy to find who's lying on this site and ban them since just about everything is pretty out in the open and the collective staff can see it and monitor that person. Whereas on an IRC channel they can easily change their name and IP address and it'll be hard to follow that one person. Like I said above it's just a safety risk that isn't necessary to take.

[Commander Thor]

It's pretty easy to find who's lying on this site and ban them since just about everything is pretty out in the open and the collective staff can see it and monitor that person. Whereas on an IRC channel they can easily change their name and IP address and it'll be hard to follow that one person. Like I said above it's just a safety risk that isn't necessary to take.

But it's nearly impossible to change your IDENT without changing clients/systems. And almost everyone doesn't think about that. (Which means, even if your nick and IP change you can still be identified, and your ban will still hold.
Most OPs (Including me) ban/recognize by IDENT, not nick OR IP.

[The Batman]

But it's nearly impossible to change your IDENT without changing clients/systems. And almost everyone doesn't think about that. (Which means, even is your nick and IP change you can still be identified, and your ban will still hold.
Most OPs (Including me) ban/recognize by IDENT, not nick OR IP.

Hmm good point but still it's a waste of time and unnecessary why fix something that isn't broke? IRC is like downgrading IMO

[Commander Thor]

Hmm good point but still it's a waste of time and unnecessary why fix something that isn't broke? IRC is like downgrading IMO

Why? Because a portion of your site's members are requesting it.

What you could do, run both an IRC channel AND the flash chat concurrently for a month or so, and have a global poll asking which the members like better, and which they prefer.
Sort of like a 'test drive' of the different chat vehicles available.
If we vote flash chat, we'll shut up about the issue, if we vote IRC, VICTORY IS OURS!

[AllThatIsLeft]

Victory is yours?
since when was this a fight.

[The Batman]

Why? Because a portion of your site's members are requesting it.

What you could do, run both an IRC channel AND the flash chat concurrently for a month or so, and have a global poll asking which the members like better, and which they prefer.
Sort of like a 'test drive' of the different chat vehicles available.
If we vote flash chat, we'll shut up about the issue, if we vote IRC, VICTORY IS OURS!

Um only like 5 or 6 people want it out of 1,239 active members.

[Commander Thor]

5 or 6 that /actually/ read the suggestion forum.
I would assume that most members skip over this top section, and actually start looking at the main content of the site, suggestions don't appeal to most members.

@Paula, not a fight, just a bit of dry-humor (And a slight reference to Family Guy, that I'm watchin' right now. :p )

[AllThatIsLeft]

5 or 6 that /actually/ read the suggestion forum.
I would assume that most members skip over this top section, and actually start looking at the main content of the site, suggestions don't appeal to most members.

@Paula, not a fight, just a bit of dry-humor (And a slight reference to Family Guy, that I'm watchin' right now. :p )

Darling you assume wrong, as many members take this section very seriously.

[The Batman]

5 or 6 that /actually/ read the suggestion forum.
I would assume that most members skip over this top section, and actually start looking at the main content of the site, suggestions don't appeal to most members.

Nope that's not the case people post in things that appeal to them that's why some of the threads here have a lot of posts and others have close to none it just looks like IRC isn't appealing to the majority of the members.

[Viral Death]

I approve!

[Hyper]

IMO IRC isn't downgrading..

Flashchat is horrible fail, constant lag, random disconnects for many members & annoying sounds that you have to turn off every time you go in the chat, even though you saved the settings 200 times before.

I'd be far more in favor of IRC

[Sage]

IMO IRC isn't downgrading..

Flashchat is horrible fail, constant lag, random disconnects for many members & annoying sounds that you have to turn off every time you go in the chat, even though you saved the settings 200 times before.

I'd be far more in favor of IRC

Not to mention the underline problem whenever you click on a link.

[Modus Operandi]

I completly agree that a IRC channel is what we need. Flashchat is insanely slow for me sometimes.

[Uprising]

I'm in favor of the IRC Channel.

[overcome.]

I used to use IRC for gaming, I was on Quakenet. I'm in favour of a channel though, I'd reinstall IRC on the correct network and join the channel for sure. Would be nice to get to speak to a range of people, I like variety.