Ning developing new chat - asks for your feedback

http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/chat-coming-and-we-want-your-...

 

CHAT COMING, AND WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

If you've looked at the Ning product roadmap recently, you've noticed that some Chat improvements are on the way. We've started to work on Chat, and wanted to share what we have in mind and get Network Creators an early chance to share their feedback.

The biggest changes we have planned are:

  • Redesigning Chat in HTML and Javascript, instead of today's Flash-based chat. It will work on iPad, can be customized via CSS and will be translated in the language editor.
  • Redesigning Chat into separate "panes," whereas today's chat a single "pane". New private conversations appear as tabs within the Chat pane, instead of appearing as new panes.

Here is today's Flash-based chat:

And here's what Chat might look like (click on the image to see it bigger):

So, unlike today's chat, this new Chat format would mean that:

  • When someone starts a 1:1 conversation, the chat would instantly pop up (and pop open), so it would be very hard to miss.
  • You can talk in 1:1 conversations and in the main chat room at the same time (not possible without changing tabs today)

There's a lot to process in looking at this new design, and there have been a ton of discussions on Creators about Chat. We want your feedback, though, about the overall design and functionality.

A few of big questions have come up that we want to pose to you:

  • Do you think this new overall design works better than today's tabbed chat?
  • Would you be disappointed if this redesigned chat just existed in your network's footer, not in a module or full page as it does today?
  • Are you satisfied with the general size of the main chat window? Do you think you'd still need to pop it out in case the discussion becomes so active you need more screen real estate?
  • How important is being able to pop out the main chat room, or 1:1 conversations?
  • How do you feel about the sounds in chat? So long as users can turn sounds off, should a sound be played every time a new message is posted? Even when chat is minimized?

We'd love your feedback on these issues, as we start to develop chat. Down the road, we'll get into more specific feature additions, but for now, I'd like to keep this discussion focused on the big design/behavior issues I've raised above.

Thanks!

 

Views: 66

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian Fløe on October 13, 2011 at 1:47pm

It looks like they have a winner! If it works as they are aiming for.

 

Sounds:

I think every message needs a sound, yes. As long as users can turn it off.

 

chat module/bottom bar:

I have turned off the bottom bar cause it slowed down the site and there was nothing really useful for me there. I tried all kinds of setups but in the end I just decided my network was better if I hid it away. So if the chat only lives in the bottom bar I'm gonna have to turn it back on again. I would prefer if there were other options like perhaps a "chat" button in the right hand column that pops out the chat in a new window.

Permalink Reply by JenSocial on October 13, 2011 at 1:50pm

I haven't commented yet, but REALLY like what I'm seeing, Brian. Thanks for adding the discussion.

Best,

Jen

Permalink Reply by Brian Fløe on October 13, 2011 at 1:51pm
Me too. I was always telling them to look at facebook chat, looks like they did that. It looks perfect.
Permalink Reply by Brian Fløe on October 14, 2011 at 4:36am

It sounds like they are only about to begin the development, and I have no idea how long time it will take them.

 

I was suggesting last year that Ning develop an HTML(5?) chat and one of the things I think would really make this chat a killer feature would be an RSS feed from the chat.

 

• HTML chat

• RSS feed

• Chat feed, forum category

(the network chat feeds itself into this forum category and creates a new thread for each day). The problem with a chat is that there is no foot print left of a conversation for google or for the other members to search in for information. Lots of hot tips are shared in a chat and lost forever on the network. With this feature we would sort of have a "live forum")

Permalink Reply by Brian Fløe on October 14, 2011 at 4:37am
If anyone likes that idea then please write it on Creators. As you know Ning openly admitted they did not wish to communicate with me. So please pass it along to them. Thanks!

RSS

© 2013   Created by JenSocial.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

Home
VIP Ning Tips