View Full Version : Chat room on the AT?
Blacksmith
01-30-2014, 23:23
Just lamenting out loud that I wish this site had a live chat room. :rolleyes:
coach lou
01-30-2014, 23:25
Warning Warning Will Robinson!!!!
Teacher & Snacktime
01-30-2014, 23:26
LOL Coach.....I do believe I see robot arms flailing!
rocketsocks
01-30-2014, 23:27
Danger Danger Danger
...kick it off brother, hehehe
was just thinking the same thing...
hikerboy57
01-30-2014, 23:30
there are groups here that you can join,but you have to look for them.click on the submenu community, and you will see groups pop up.
or click on the link below my signature for some entertainment.
welcome to whiteblaze.
the den mother should be along shortly.
Time to pull up a stool...
HikerMom58
01-30-2014, 23:34
Welp.. we have a Non- AT forum where we could start a place to chat. This is a privately owned site so we need to ask the ones running the site if they could suggest something...
Alligator? Any suggestions or input? We have jukebox where you can post music on the Non- AT forum. :)
hikerboy57
01-30-2014, 23:35
Time to pull up a stool...
and join the conversation.
hikerboy57
01-30-2014, 23:35
Welp.. we have a Non- AT forum where we could start a place to chat. This is a privately owned site so we need to ask the ones running the site if they could suggest something...
Alligator? Any suggestions or input? We have jukebox where you can post music on the Non- AT forum. :)thats what the groups are for. you can start one yourself
HikerMom58
01-30-2014, 23:39
thats what the groups are for. you can start one yourself
Actually I think it's better if Whiteblaze would start a thread or group b/c that way it's not tied to any one person. It makes it feel more inclusive. No one has their name attached to it... that's the BEST option, IMHO
thx, hikerboy...I signed up on this site quite awhile ago, then putor was down...finally got registered today..am looking to gain some info on the AMT...very interested in doing thru' hike...am planning to drive down and kinda scope it out and then hike back north...how much of it have you hiked, if I may ask
what's the warning all about
hikerboy57
01-30-2014, 23:47
thx, hikerboy...I signed up on this site quite awhile ago, then putor was down...finally got registered today..am looking to gain some info on the AMT...very interested in doing thru' hike...am planning to drive down and kinda scope it out and then hike back north...how much of it have you hiked, if I may ask
everything but damascus to mid pa. i'll be filling in the blanks this spring, starting at springer on the benton mackaye trail and meeting up with the at after the smokies, heading towards maine.ive hiked the northeast since 76, first hiked the southern part last year from springer to damascus, and now ive gotta finish it.i love life on the trail
HikerMom58
01-30-2014, 23:51
what's the warning all about
Well, we had a chat room on the main page of this site. It was on here for a about 1 year.
Ahhh.. it was taken off the main page b/c the owners of the site wanted their site to be for information not so much for socializing.
The group area was created for socializing but it never really took off like the one on the main page. The moving process off the main page was kinda painful. That's about it.
coach lou
01-30-2014, 23:59
Well, we had a chat room on the main page of this site. It was on here for a about 1 year.
Ahhh.. it was taken off the main page b/c the owners of the site wanted their site to be for information not so much for socializing.
The group area was created for socializing but it never really took off like the one on the main page. The moving process off the main page was kinda painful. That's about it.
That about sums it up!
atmilkman
01-31-2014, 00:07
..........
Blacksmith
01-31-2014, 00:55
Rut Roh! Has the noob just inadvertently stepped off the trail into a pile?
I did a search for "chat" before making my post but didn't come up with anything. Sore subject?
Rut Roh! Has the noob just inadvertently stepped off the trail into a pile?
I did a search for "chat" before making my post but didn't come up with anything. Sore subject?
There are no "chat rooms" on WB. It's all in a "fourm" format. There are some private forums that you can join that can seem like a chat room sometimes but they are still forums in format. I think the one being referred to in post above is "the meeting place" . It was a long long thread here in the main forums until the ADMINs put it in the "group" forums. Some agreed with the move and other didn't and guess that's where the disagreements come from. I didn't join "the meeting place" because I didn't understand their jokes and they didn't seem to understand mine :-) . Anywhoo . Did I make that clear as mud?
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 09:14
Rut Roh! Has the noob just inadvertently stepped off the trail into a pile?
I did a search for "chat" before making my post but didn't come up with anything. Sore subject?
I can clear that mud up for you a lil bit too. This thread took on a life of it's own, almost. It has some of the best comedians joking in it. It was quite entertaining. :)
Towards the end tho, it had problems with drama. It really did. Friends turned enemies & individual post counting problems/confusion. IMHO, it was time for a change.
I, personally, don't have any hurt feelings toward the admins for moving it off the main page. Some still do. As long as those dynamics don't come together again on a thread started by a random newbie, I don't see a problem with this thread you started. It up to the admins, tho.
It could be a nice thread to "chat" on every now and then. Nice to have you around, Blacksmith. :)
Pedaling Fool
01-31-2014, 09:28
I can clear that mud up for you a lil bit too. This thread took on a life of it's own, almost. It has some of the best comedians joking in it. It was quite entertaining. :)
Towards the end tho, it had problems with drama. It really did. Friends turned enemies & individual post counting problems/confusion. IMHO, it was time for a change.
I, personally, don't have any hurt feelings toward the admins for moving it off the main page. Some still do. As long as those dynamics don't come together again on a thread started by a random newbie, I don't see a problem with this thread you started. It up to the admins, tho.
It could be a nice thread to "chat" on every now and then. Nice to have you around, Blacksmith. :)Wow, where was I for all this? I've been here ~5 years longer than you, yet you know so much more about this site, I feel stoopid:)
hikerboy57
01-31-2014, 09:41
I can clear that mud up for you a lil bit too. This thread took on a life of it's own, almost. It has some of the best comedians joking in it. It was quite entertaining. :)
Towards the end tho, it had problems with drama. It really did. Friends turned enemies & individual post counting problems/confusion. IMHO, it was time for a change.
I, personally, don't have any hurt feelings toward the admins for moving it off the main page. Some still do. As long as those dynamics don't come together again on a thread started by a random newbie, I don't see a problem with this thread you started. It up to the admins, tho.
It could be a nice thread to "chat" on every now and then. Nice to have you around, Blacksmith. :)
its not what happened.
where the heck is alligator?
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 09:48
its not what happened.
where the heck is alligator?
That's how it appeared to me.. you tell your take on it, then. There was drama.. you and driver8, me and Rasty and Illabelle's posts. Then, the political posts... lots of deleted posts etc...
hikerboy57
01-31-2014, 09:52
any explanation will come from alligator.
rocketsocks
01-31-2014, 09:54
Wow, where was I for all this? I've been here ~5 years longer than you, yet you know so much more about this site, I feel stoopid:)hey, don't feel bad, I use to spell st00pid with three zero's
Rowdy Yates
01-31-2014, 10:56
NWHikers.net has a chat room. You will have to join (free) . I have used it a few times. You might check it out.
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 11:03
Wow, where was I for all this? I've been here ~5 years longer than you, yet you know so much more about this site, I feel stoopid:)
LOL!! You gotta stay in "the loooop"... :D
its not what happened.
where the heck is alligator?
Sleepin in the sun, son. Shhhhhh......
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 11:25
Sleepin in the sun, son. Shhhhhh......
aficion -clear ur inbox please. :)
Tennessee Viking
01-31-2014, 11:33
Do you know what half the people do in chat rooms today? And its stuff never on the topic of the chat room.
aficion -clear ur inbox please. :)
Yes Ma'am Mom.
coach lou
01-31-2014, 12:31
Do you know what half the people do in chat rooms today? And its stuff never on the topic of the chat room.
....and you know the crazy thing about the Dirty Dozen and the rest of the regulars at The Cafe'.................most of us hiked for real....and a lot of us hiked together..........just sayin':)
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 12:44
....and you know the crazy thing about the Dirty Dozen and the rest of the regulars at The Cafe'.................most of us hiked for real....and a lot of us hiked together..........just sayin':)
Yes, Coach... definitely had a huge benefit to the ones that posted in the thread, regularly. We became really good friends & that's something that I will be forever grateful for.. :) It was far from perfect, tho. Nothing ever is....
Too much bandwidth used
egos were battered and bruised
politics...oh my!
Moderator's nightmare
Thread drift de riguer of course
A laugh a minute
Mountain Dog
01-31-2014, 13:21
If we could vote, I'd vote against a chat room.
If we could vote, I'd vote against a chat room.
we can vote....set up a poll thread...non-binding of course
Teacher & Snacktime
01-31-2014, 14:06
FWIW....I don't think it would matter what the vote would be as I don't think the site is equipped for that format. Otherwise, a chat room is one of those places that "if you don't like it, don't go". Sometimes they're fun, sometimes they're confusing, sometimes they're offensive. They are what you bring to them, and much like each of us, the "room" has its moods.
Blacksmith
01-31-2014, 14:41
NWHikers.net has a chat room. You will have to join (free) . I have used it a few times. You might check it out.
Thank you, Rowdy.
What I had in mind was a chat room where folks can gather and speak to each other live with the use of a headset and mic. I was not referring to a thread format with printed posts, in my estimation that is not a "chat".
Most live chats that I have been in are not actively moderated. Adults are presumed to be able to act as such but if someone gets their knickers in a twist they can call on a mod to sort it out. In my experience this doesn't happen often but when it has more often than not it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. This is precisely the reason why chat rooms tend to be self policing. Anyone who would like to join in can do so any time (or not). Participation is never mandatory.
Forum posts are not chat. Live chat is just that, people speaking to each other in the here and now and when it's over it's over. Those involved part ways and there is no transcript recorded. Forum posts last forever and can be read by anyone anytime, happily or unhappily ever after, if they are offended by the content and whether or not they were "present" when the "conversation" was "live" (which it never was anyway).
Being new here I couldn't have known the history behind chats on this site and a cursory search didn't warn me off the subject. A site with as much traffic as WB could certainly support a live chat and would be well received in my humble estimation in light of the shear size of this community. If a few people had disagreements or feelings got bruised in the past, well, that's a few people and it's in the past. A live chat can be open to all and at times controlled by mods to present live shows from time to time with audience participation. Gear reviews, how-tos, guest speakers, etc. etc.
I guess if I have a notion to suggest a live chat with someone I'll simply invite them by PM to a well known room elsewhere which is open to anyone anytime for free.
HikerMom58
01-31-2014, 15:03
Thank you, Rowdy.
What I had in mind was a chat room where folks can gather and speak to each other live with the use of a headset and mic. I was not referring to a thread format with printed posts, in my estimation that is not a "chat".
Most live chats that I have been in are not actively moderated. Adults are presumed to be able to act as such but if someone gets their knickers in a twist they can call on a mod to sort it out. In my experience this doesn't happen often but when it has more often than not it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. This is precisely the reason why chat rooms tend to be self policing. Anyone who would like to join in can do so any time (or not). Participation is never mandatory.
Forum posts are not chat. Live chat is just that, people speaking to each other in the here and now and when it's over it's over. Those involved part ways and there is no transcript recorded. Forum posts last forever and can be read by anyone anytime, happily or unhappily ever after, if they are offended by the content and whether or not they were "present" when the "conversation" was "live" (which it never was anyway).
Being new here I couldn't have known the history behind chats on this site and a cursory search didn't warn me off the subject. A site with as much traffic as WB could certainly support a live chat and would be well received in my humble estimation in light of the shear size of this community. If a few people had disagreements or feelings got bruised in the past, well, that's a few people and it's in the past. A live chat can be open to all and at times controlled by mods to present live shows from time to time with audience participation. Gear reviews, how-tos, guest speakers, etc. etc.
I guess if I have a notion to suggest a live chat with someone I'll simply invite them by PM to a well known room elsewhere which is open to anyone anytime for free.
Cool Blacksmith... thanks for the clarification!! Sounds like you have a good plan in mind. :)
Obviously you didn't realize what you stepped into! ;) I've moved on, already. Having said that, I'd be lying to ya if I didn't admit there are still some "feelings" to work through.
As far as I'm concerned, I work very hard everyday to let everything go. I can honestly say that if I met anyone, in person, that I've interacted with on WB, I would give them a big warm hug. We may not be best friends or anything like that but I refuse to hold on to bad feelings toward anyone. Sometimes, it takes time to work through it all. By golly, I'm going to get there. :)
I found AOL's backpacking chat room in the mid 1990's, and I was hooked! I had done a lot of day hiking in the Northern VA area, including the Shenandoah, but the chat room introduced me to the concept of backpacking and the AT. I met so many folks who were experienced, kind and patient. When AOL and Backpacker Mag. hosted an AT Tag Team Hike, I volunteered with a friend to hike a 50 mile section in SW VA. I made so many mistakes back in those days, but the number of friends I made and met on weekend backpacking trips was phenomenal. The opportunity arose for me to take an early retirement from work in 1996 and I jumped at the chance, and prepared to thru hike beginning March 2, 1997. I met a few duds in that chat room, but for the most part the folks there were great. BTW, I like the idea of typing in a response because it gives me the opportunity to consider what I'm saying as opposed to the live Mic. I would love to find an chat room with an emphasis on backpacking anywhere in the U.S.
Alligator
01-31-2014, 16:12
Sorry, this is not something I would expect ATTroll to have an interest in.