NANFA Chat

I've been working with tglassburner regarding the requested Chat function. Thanks to Tom, we have a free chat function that I'm currently working on implementing.

For now we will only have Scheduled Chats with a pre-chosen topic.

If you'd like to host a discussion, please PM me with a topic and a preferred time slot.


Note : Topics must be related in some way to North American native fishes.

I've been working with tglassburner regarding the requested Chat function.

I've been waiting to see this post.

In the interest of seeing this chat succeed, I've got a bit of a mixed response.

First, THANK YOU for setting up this chat. I think it has the potential to be a very nice complement to the mailing list and the forum to help build community within NANFA.

The critical part of my response: I would highly recommend loosening up the reigns more on the live chat function. This should be the one area where being on-topic isn't so rigidly enforced. Just leave it up 24x7 and let members organize their own scheduled chats, or just hang out there for impromptu unscheduled chats. Building those friendships doesn't always have to be about native fish, and we'll never know what potential best friends are right under our noses if we are stuck to discussing things rigidly on-topic within a very narrow scheduled time frame. If the forum is going to be ruled with an iron fist, then consider the chat room as a relief valve. Maybe just keep the scheduled chats on-topic & moderated if you must, but leave the chat room open the rest of the time for more casual conversation.

The critical part of my response: I would highly recommend loosening up the reigns more on the live chat function. This should be the one area where being on-topic isn't so rigidly enforced. Just leave it up 24x7 and let members organize their own scheduled chats, or just hang out there for impromptu unscheduled chats. Building those friendships doesn't always have to be about native fish, and we'll never know what potential best friends are right under our noses if we are stuck to discussing things rigidly on-topic within a very narrow scheduled time frame. If the forum is going to be ruled with an iron fist, then consider the chat room as a relief valve. Maybe just keep the scheduled chats on-topic & moderated if you must, but leave the chat room open the rest of the time for more casual conversation.

I agree, I think it would be nice just to pop in to the chatroom and hang out. Topical and scheduled chats should be moderated, but a 24/7 chat room would be a nice thing. I'd be in there a lot.

Tom

As was said before, there are other chat rooms out there if you want to just chat.

In the best interest of the organization, we feel this is the way to go.

As was said before, there are other chat rooms out there if you want to just chat.

In the best interest of the organization, we feel this is the way to go.

True, but they are not a NANFA chat room. I like having everything all together, like how Google bundles a lot of things.

In the best interest of the organization, we feel this is the way to go.

Is that the "royal we"? I didn't see any of this being discussed by the BoD.

Is that the "royal we"? I didn't see any of this being discussed by the BoD.

"We" as in the Forum Staff.

Therein lies the rub.

The forum staff is deciding what is best for the NANFA organization behind closed doors. The elected BoD of NANFA should be deciding what is best for NANFA, out in the open, no?

Therein lies the rub.

The forum staff is deciding what is best for the NANFA organization. The elected BoD of NANFA should be deciding what is best for NANFA, no?

Although this should be privately discussed, I'm sure there are others that are interested...

When the NANFA Forum was established, the forum staff was given authority to operate the NANFA Forum and it functions.

That answer your question?

When the NANFA Forum was established, the forum staff was given authority to operate the NANFA Forum and it functions.

I'm probably urinating into the wind at this point, but it's fair to say I think that policy ought to be revisited for the good of the organization.

excuse my technological ignorance, but how does a "chat" differ from what we are currently doing on the Forum?

I agree, I think it would be nice just to pop in to the chatroom and hang out. Topical and scheduled chats should be moderated, but a 24/7 chat room would be a nice thing. I'd be in there a lot.

Tom

If someone wants to B.S. with someone else on the board that they do or don't know they can PM them, give them a call, or use an instant messager.

NANFA Chat...chatting about North American Native Fish just like the NANFA Forum....a forum about North American Native Fish...

excuse my technological ignorance, but how does a "chat" differ from what we are currently doing on the Forum?

Chat is more "live". A bunch of people are sitting in a virtual room. You can type a line of text, hit Enter, and everyone in the room sees it instantly. The discussions in chat rooms tend to be a lot faster-paced, more lively. Think of it like the old "party lines" on the telephone.

If someone wants to B.S. with someone else on the board that they do or don't know they can PM them, give them a call, or use an instant messager.

...or they could just use the chat system outside of scheduled moderated chats.

Why should that be the responsibility of NANFA or a NANFA volunteer to provide and maintain that service (as well as assure that things that could reflect upon NANFA poorly or be it worse illegal) in leiu of those other direct services that are widely and readily available.

Why should that be the responsibility of NANFA or a NANFA volunteer to provide and maintain that service (as well as assure that things that could reflect upon NANFA poorly or be it worse illegal) in leiu of those other direct services that are widely and readily available.

So you're saying we should close the forum then?

Give me a break. The forum is used entirely differently. It provides topic based discussions which are referencable by any person at any time. What you are talking about is direct dialouge that can and will have nothing to do with native fish.

I think this has probably been debated enough here. As drewish stated, the forum was created and developed outside of the auspices of NANFA. Once it became established, we offered the service to be the forum of NANFA as long as the orginators could maintain control and ultimate say as to the goings on of the forum, as long as they were within the bounds of what we felt was best for NANFA. I was, and still am, a member of the BOD and have been on board from the beginning and could not be more proud of the service that has been created and made available. Currently, three of the forum staff are on the BOD and I can assure you we all want what is best for NANFA and want to make the best use of the forum we can to further our goals of education and conservation.

This being said, we are not going to be able to do everything to suit everyone. The chat is a new feature and I think, as such, needs to be taken on with baby steps. Once we get out feet wet with this, we may be able to loosen the reigns a bit as far as when the service is available, but not as to the topics discussed. As has been stated numerous times in this thread, this is a native fish forum and a native fish organization and the chat must be native fish oriented. There are many other avenues out there if you just want to discuss various other topics. I am not saying that every sentence typed must contain the words native fishes, but the gist of the conversation must be natives oriented.

Therein lies the rub.

The forum staff is deciding what is best for the NANFA organization behind closed doors. The elected BoD of NANFA should be deciding what is best for NANFA, out in the open, no?

I assure you the BOD is following this. If they think they need to step in, they will.

I don't necessarily agree with everything the forum guys do, but they created the forum, they are responsible for maintaining NANFA's image, and they work for free. Y'all wanted an "official" NANFA chat - you got it! Now you don't like the rules. Somebody can start an "unofficial" NANFA chat where anything goes, if somebody wants to. There are lots of free chat services out there. Post it up !

Feeling quite irate today...