Young Writers Society

I think closing it would definitely be a good idea.
When it comes to weekends, and having mods able to open it, I would personally prefer that it was one or the other. The problem, or the benefit, of having mods open it is that people will rarely if ever know when it's going to be open, and might not notice that it's open. That would be especially true if you move the link to another spot (which I definitely agree should be done, whether you change when chat is open or not).
It's funny to remember that when I joined YWS, I never entered the chatroom for probably almost a year. It was still on the front page back then (it's not that I didn't see it), but it was in a less conspicuous spot.

Also. I miss the announcements. I was actually going to ask if you were going to put something like that up again. So, I would love it if you replaced the chatroom link with announcements.

Also. I miss the announcements. I was actually going to ask if you were going to put something like that up again. So, I would love it if you replaced the chatroom link with announcements.

I just went to the My YWS homepage, and there are announcments! They're at the bottom of the box on the My YWS homepage. I had a weird thought run through my head when I saw that, lol. The chat is on the homepage, first page you see, and the announcments are in the 'My YWS' section, and at the bottom of the page, where very few people will atcually read them. Just switch them. Announcments will be shown on the homepage, and the chat will be slightly hidden away.

I really like the idea of taking the chat off the homepage. It'll give new members (the crazy ones that make older members pull out their hair) a chance to get the feel of YWS first before they go into the chat, screaming in all caps and using chatspeak all over the place, and then asking why not. And it won't be one of the first things you see anymore. The chat, that is.

One thing to keep in mind is that if it were open only on weekends, we'd probably revert to the old chat. The current chat costs $30 a month, and it's only worth it if it's open every day.

Fortunately, I think the old chat would run much better on the new server. For those who don't remember, the old chat would slow to a crawl when more than 20 people were on it. And since it was hosted on the same server as YWS, the entire site slowed to a crawl. But, weekends are the slowest time on YWS so it shouldn't be that bad. Plus, the new server is leagues better than the old server.

Except for the fact that the new server conveniently kills YWS for about ten minutes near midnight when I should, ideally, be in bed.

Maybe you should have a chat room up all the time that mods are on to answer questions only. I have gone on the chat quite a few times to ask questions, and I always get a helpful answer. However, it would probably be hard to have a mod there all the time, because they have lives like the rest of us :)

It's a good idea wolfie, but not possible. It'd be impossible to man a help-desk 24/7. All of YWS' staff (including me) are volunteer only. So requiring mods to be in the help-desk would not only be impossible, but unfair to the mods as well.

Before the chat was open all the time, people would just PM one another. You can always PM anyone for help, and there's even a "Questions" thread in the Welcome forum. Just use those methods instead.

I'm for closing it too. Even though I hardly ever go in there, my avoidance has come from it being open all the time. It's not just the same old topic; it's the fact that stick anybody knowledgeable about writing in there and soon three people are asking them for help on three private chats. (This has happened to me once in an extreme case. Usually it's just one person demanding all my time for a writing question)

I'm not even sure I'd go into Chat more if it was only opened by mods. I'm not sure if Chat should be removed completely, but between PMs and MSN I don't know if I'd miss it. (This, again, might come from my experience at how many people ask me questions when I walk into Chat and take up two hours of my time I was planing on using to relax)

Well, Nate, obviously the answer is to pay us. I demand a 42% raise from my current salary, plus a moving bonus so I can be closer to the office.

Wolfie2 wrote:Maybe you should have a chat room up all the time that mods are on to answer questions only. I have gone on the chat quite a few times to ask questions, and I always get a helpful answer. However, it would probably be hard to have a mod there all the time, because they have lives like the rest of us

If you need any help, just PM a member in green or red! We're here to help.

That's an awesomesauce idea! :D The only people I ever see in chat are the ones who are there 24/7. But I would definitely go for opening chat on the weekends instead of a mod opening it, if only because the intervals in between may be a long time, or sporadic, and that would make people want to go on more. The chat would be virtually flooded with a bunch of people trying to have five different conversations at once, and it's bad enough as it is, short of going private with multiple people. But maybe you have a certain time in mind that mods open the chat?

Another thing: I definitely support the idea of having a time limit regardless of anything else changed. That would just be better for everyone, either way. Less time in chat means more time doing more constructive things. ;)

I once did look into a time limit on the current chat; that is, if you were inactive for 30 minutes, you got automatically booted. But, it's not an option, and there's also no way to impose an absolute time limit.


Anyhow, to be honest, when I first proposed this idea, I wasn't entirely serious. But, it looks like enough people support the idea that maybe I should. If anyone is opposed, speak now or forever hold your peace!

Nate wrote:One is that this is a community site, and I think the chatroom detracts from that somewhat. It ends up reinforcing cliques (I know many will deny this, but it's very true),

Elaborate, please. I have found the opposite to be true; the chat reinforces the sense of community on the site. People are more eager to meet new people in the chatroom and it becomes much easier for YWS newcomers and older members alike to form acquaintances when they talk face-to-face (or at least the closest that chat can come to actual contact). I have not seen cliques form, least of all unbreakable ones that are cold or hostile to outsiders.

and not enough interaction in the forums.

What is the benefit of people talking in chat over spamming the Randomness board and making frivolous posts in the Lounge?

Two is that this is a site for sharing literary works. The more time people spend in the chat, the less they review.

This is a valid point, but even so, if people wanted to talk to friends rather than review, they have many places to do it (instant messaging, Facebook, etc). I do not believe that the chat is a major player in the decrease of reviews made by members as of late.

But most importantly, spending a lot of time in the chatroom just isn't healthy. It's not good for school, it's not good for socializing, and it's not good for developing oneself as a writer.

I do not understand this at all.

Not good for school ----> So you'll be closing YWS, then? After all, sitting on the site at school, which I know many members here do, is equally unhealthy.

Not good for socializing ----> Again, please elaborate, for this does not make sense to me. The chat is one of the primary and effective socializing tools on the site.

Not good for development ----> This is just a blatant generalization. People do discuss literary topics on chat, and quite often.

The Lounge, Entertainment, In The News, and Randomness might as well be closed too. By your logic, these also are places where people spend a lot of time on non-writing related subjects and people possibly can spend too much time in those forums.

EDIT:

Anyhow, to be honest, when I first proposed this idea, I wasn't entirely serious. But, it looks like enough people support the idea

Most of that is, at least partially, just an eagerness to please.

First off, I like the idea of the chat being opened by mods more than I like the weekend idea. The chat can be addicting, and if you've got kids going all week without it, and then you have it open for two or three days straight, I'm fairly certain the activity level will spike in it. If only because is a thing that's only available on certain days. If mods are opening it, once that mod's done, it's done, the chat is closed and everyone's out. It can be for whatever length of time, at any time, any day of the week. If you log on and see the chat's open, you could go in, or, knowing that it'll be open again later tonight or tomorrow sometime, you could hold off. Or, if you go in, again, it's only for however long that mod is willing to be there. If they aren't willing to spend more than an hour, then you won't be spending more than an hour, either. The other way, if you're a chat addict, you might be squandering your entire weekend sitting at the computer talking to people you've never really met before.

Not good for school ----> So you'll be closing YWS, then? After all, sitting on the site at school, which I know many members here do, is equally unhealthy.

Not good for socializing ----> Again, please elaborate, for this does not make sense to me. The chat is one of the primary and effective socializing tools on the site.

Not good for development ----> This is just a blatant generalization. People do discuss literary topics on chat, and quite often.

Fallacy. For some reason, people find chat more appealing than they do the Lounge/Randomness. Probably has something to do with actually holding a conversation with a group of people in real time. So they spend more time in the chat than they do in the forums. Last time the chat was closed, posting went up, yes, but not to the level of spamming, haha. Even though they were using the forums more they still weren't using them like they had used the chat.

Also, there's some weird culture deal going around now that you're lame if your only friends/the only people you know are on the internet. :P Sorta like if you read books instead of play sports, you're a nerd. Even ignoring that, though, there's definitely something to be said for some face-to-face interaction. :)

As for the last one, I can't defend or attack it, but I can say that I can agree with what it says. Sitting at the computer all day isn't good for you, physically, mentally, socially... even if the time spent is in the chat room socializing, it's just not the same. I think that's what he was saying there, anyhoo.

Yes close the chat, don't like the weekend deal so much, but either way.

I'm growing more and more fond of the mods-opening-the-Chat-when-they-have-time idea.

My vote's for that, and I'm too lazy to offer any more insight.

Galeeerius wrote:

Nate wrote:One is that this is a community site, and I think the chatroom detracts from that somewhat. It ends up reinforcing cliques (I know many will deny this, but it's very true),

Elaborate, please. I have found the opposite to be true; the chat reinforces the sense of community on the site. People are more eager to meet new people in the chatroom and it becomes much easier for YWS newcomers and older members alike to form acquaintances when they talk face-to-face (or at least the closest that chat can come to actual contact). I have not seen cliques form, least of all unbreakable ones that are cold or hostile to outsiders.

I think what Nate means by forming cliques is this: With the chat up and running, you have the group of people who are in there all the time (aka chat junkies?) and know each other so well that they form their own posse of pals. Then you have the rest of the site who are here for the forum part of the site. There's an unintentional line dividing the two: chat vs forum. And there's enough people on either side that haven't stepped foot into the other's territory. Some members haven't visited the chat, and therefore, they aren't as good of friends with those people as they could be. Same with vice-versa.

You're also correct in saying people are more welcoming in there and it's a great tool for community services, which is a reason why it's not permanently gone. No one here is dissing chat 'cause honestly, chat's been a great help to us! But I think if people are going to live solely on the internet, they may as well visit the rest of YWS and meet some more people.

Galeeerius wrote:What is the benefit of people talking in chat over spamming the Randomness board and making frivolous posts in the Lounge?

It takes time to carry an everyday conversation in a forum rather than an interactive chat like ours. There's usually a few minutes between each person's post, and therefore, they can spend those few minutes looking in other places on the site. They even could be inclined to review a poem while they wait.

And do keep in mind that mods are still active. Spam will not be tolerated.

Galeeerius wrote:

Nate wrote:Two is that this is a site for sharing literary works. The more time people spend in the chat, the less they review.

This is a valid point, but even so, if people wanted to talk to friends rather than review, they have many places to do it (instant messaging, Facebook, etc). I do not believe that the chat is a major player in the decrease of reviews made by members as of late.

You're right in that there's still FB and IM to distract members from the purpose of this site. That's something we can't help; however, chat is a third distraction, and taking one of the three away could increase activity, no matter how slight.

I'm detecting that some people are forgetting mods could still possibly open the chat if the decision comes down to it.

Galeeerius wrote:

Nate wrote:But most importantly, spending a lot of time in the chatroom just isn't healthy. It's not good for school, it's not good for socializing, and it's not good for developing oneself as a writer.

I do not understand this at all.

Not good for school ----> So you'll be closing YWS, then? After all, sitting on the site at school, which I know many members here do, is equally unhealthy.

Not good for socializing ----> Again, please elaborate, for this does not make sense to me. The chat is one of the primary and effective socializing tools on the site.

Not good for development ----> This is just a blatant generalization. People do discuss literary topics on chat, and quite often.

I don't think Nate was thinking about students being on YWS during school hours; rather, he was probably mentioning the procrastination. You may or may not have noticed members coming in chat and saying they have homework, so they'll just sit in chat and procrastinate a bit longer. That's something we would like to prevent. School is an important part in our lives; neglecting schoolwork would affect grades, and lower grades would affect future education, and said education could further affect the career ahead of the student.

With social lives, I always think about going to a doctor's appointment. My pediatrician used to always ask me to list five friends right off the bat, and later in the years before I had to switch, they were careful in saying list friends that aren't on the internet. Having social lives in the real world helps your speech and comprehension more than people may realize. You have to think on your feet during any and every conversation you could have. The more you talk, the easier it will be, and school presentations or interviews or anything of the sort become much easier. With online chatting, you can think before you say something -- and this is good! However, there's no healthy balance between the two.

I can't speak for Nate on the development of a writer point. XD I'm not quite sure where he was headed there except he was further elaborating on his earlier points as well as the site rules (i.e. correct grammar/spelling rather than chatspeak). Chat plays a wonderful role in literary reasons; however, chat hasn't earned such a defense. Too often has topics such as dissing Twilight/Eragon or height comparisons come up that it's rare to find a healthy discussion in the literary department.

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I would very much like to see chat closed but allow mods to open it out of their generosity. Dreamer nailed this for me, so I won't elaborate further; but basically, the chat is still an important tool to YWS, and I'd hate for it to be permanently closed five days a week. Giving the mods power over the chat could probably mean it's open at a decent hour of the day/night for the general population on that side of the globe. It seems a bit mechanical to have it just open on the weekends. I can already see members staying up Friday night, waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they can get into chat.

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Jabber, the One and Only!

I can already see members staying up Friday night, waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they can get into chat.

God... I can't even begin with how pathetic that sounds. XD