Submitted by mjohnson on

I'm looking for some thoughts and feedback regarding online chat. The ChatBox has been loaded and running on here for a few months now. On a few occassions, some of us have congregated there and socialized. The ChatBox works marginally well but is a bit clunky and featureless.

I've been looking for something a bit better but without spending money that doesn't seem possible. There are a few but they run ads to support the 'free' service. I dislike ads so much, but they seem difficult to avoid these days.

Does anyone use any chat software that they like that I should take a look at?

What about AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, Jabber, GTalk, Skype, Gizmo, some other VoIP solution, or Instant Messenger solution that I didn't list here?

I have accounts with AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, GTalk, and Skype. But I use them infrequently. Frankly, I only have a few people I need to talk to this way. I have not used the mulit-user chat features of AOL or Yahoo!

If you don't use these, is there a reason? Lack of interest or lack of opportunity?

Is chat something you would use with people here? People with common interests and humor?

Anyway, I'm looking for your thoughts on this subject. I know the few times some of us have chatted with ChatBox it has been nice. I'm just wondering if I keep it, find an alternative, or drop the idea completely.

If anyone is looking to try some instant messaging then you can try reaching me at any of the following.

AOL Instant Messenger: mjohnson16
Yahoo! Messenger: mjohnson16
MSN Messenger Service: michael@mjohnson.net
Skype: mjohnson16

Forums: 

Hmmm....

I have used MSN, AOL and Yahoo, but not a big user of them and have not used them for quite some time. This one here on the site is the only chatting I’ve done in recent history.

Yes, this one has its quirks, but is a nice feature to the site.

Honestly...

Until we see more interest in utilizing chat... why screw with it?

Major Eric R. Reeder
CSO, 1st Division ANV, Staff
Liberty Hill Signals

2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder United States Army Corps of Topographic Engineers "Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"

Chat

I use AOL and Yahoo group chat features I have friends and connections that are all over the world. Use the group chat daily They are both about equal.

And yer not....

...chatting with me?

what gives?

Major Eric R. Reeder
CSO, 1st Division ANV, Staff
Liberty Hill Signals

2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder United States Army Corps of Topographic Engineers "Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"

All things come to them who

All things come to them who wait..if your ship doesnt come in you may have to swim out to it, a penny saved is a penny earned, wait that one has no bearing here. thats for the Maj..
Really its been a matter of op for me....most of the time I come on in the wee hours of the morning before work. most ive seen on a week day moring on the board at the same time is three and thats not a regular thing...in the evening I recently have seen 4 or 5 on at a time but either dont have the time to chat or I enter and noone else comes in ......though the other night i did happen to chat with marc. and a few days ago it was marc and cotton... maybe if we set up a night that we could go on at the same time.....test it a bit with multiple users.....
maybe its been tried before.

Seamus

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

PRIMA NOCTA

AOL

The most common form of chat in the nation is AOL instant messanger, Its easy its free, and very common. I think that a weekly set time on aol would be an excellent idea if people want to explore that.

"Up men, up and to your posts..."

AOL Instant Messenger

Hello,
I am pretty new to this site but bear with me... I am a drummer in the Third. All of us young kids in the Fife and Drum Corps all have and use AOL Instant Messanger very much and I think it works well. It is a fast, easy way to communicate with anybody. My screename is tb3rdmedrummer09 for anybody who cares.

Pvt. Thomas Bennett
No. 71 Co. F
Third Maine Volunteer Infantry Fife and Drum Corps
Snare Drum

Welcome Aboard Thomas

And thanks for your input. Do you participate in one-on-one chat with your friends or do you ever get five to ten of your friends in a single chat? I've done one-on-one and agree that AIM handles it very well. But I'm on it maybe once a month.

My wife and I use MSN Messenger from time to time. You will laugh but when i am in the basement working and she is at the other computer then we have even IM'ed and Skyped across the house. :) Geeky I know. But affective.

It sounds like everyone likes the idea of some sort of chat feature on the site. I'd like to give everyone an opporunity to try ChatBox a bit more and then there is another option I am exploring that I would like to try.

So, how about we schedule an online meet-up for Sunday night at 8:30 PM. Right here on MaineMilitia.com, using ChatBox. Any takers?

If someone would like to schedule another time then please feel free to post that date and time as well.

Thanks for the feedback everyone,

--
Michael Johnson

-- Michael Johnson

Chatting...

I might not be here on Sunday night for I have a further engagement but I will probably be home by 8:30... It's a go for me if I am here!

Yes, I've often otten the whole younger section of the Field Music Instant Messanging at once and that can get confussing sometimes but it is also fun to talk to a multitude of people at the same time. I have to say, however, that I am a fan of the one-on-one chat more than chat rooms... I'm on a lot (mostly from either 3:00 to 4:00 pm or 7:00 to 9:00 pm) so feel free for those of you who Instant Messanger to contact me.

Pvt. Thomas Bennett
No. 71 Co. F
Third Maine Volunteer Infantry Fife and Drum Corps
Snare Drum

Thanks!

Thanks for all of the info one and all... I will talk to you in cyber space!

Pvt. Thomas Bennett
No. 71 Co. F
Third Maine Volunteer Infantry Fife and Drum Corps
Snare Drum

Chat

Guys had a thought. A few years ago we had a chat group that where all civil war reenactors. We played a fun game on line. We had a "chat leader" who would ask the chat room civil war trivia questions. We played most of the winter and had a great time and made new friends and gained alot of interesting and some times strange facts about the civil war. Anyone interested. May pass the winter a little quicker. And what ever happened to the kitchen cabinet idea. Come on guys lets do somthing this winter. I have not been North of the Mason Dixon line in 23 years and to tell ya the truth I am not looking forward to the cold hard truth of winter. All is well that ends well. CopperHeadAnnie

Cold hard Winter

there are some that say it might be a cold hard winter, But I d better get out my almanac...Wait I dont have one...better buy one.
have to laugh about michael iming his wife...I e-mail my wife in the morning sometimes to leave notes for her when she checks her mail later in the morning. Sunday night sounds alright...8:30...the 4400 isnt on...not til January...Ill be there If dont forget....
better send me a note..LOL

Seamus

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

PRIMA NOCTA