Chat on blogs

[ses5909]

I've seen more and more blogs that add some kind of chat capability to their blogs and now you can even add google talk to your blog. To me, this just doesn't seem like it would work well for most blogs.

Has anyone else seen it or thought about doing it?

[jMcQuarrie]

I've not seen it live anywhere, but I've heard of it.

I'm not sure it is something that would work for everyone, but it could be a really good idea for businesses that use their blogs to communicate with customers; it would add a richness to the interaction and support options I suppose.

Don't think I'll be adding to my blog though :)

[shyflower]

I don't think I'd want to communicate with my customers through a blog chat. I don't usually even do so with IM. I've found with some clients, the more accessible you are, the needier they become and it's hard to tell them their project isn't finished because they've taken up all your time with talk.

[jMcQuarrie]

Hi Shyflower,

I was thinking more along the lines of customer support but I see your point. Some clients do get too needy.

[shyflower]

Hi Shyflower,

I was thinking more along the lines of customer support but I see your point. Some clients do get too needy.

Yes, and I've seen plenty of sites with those online support thingy's. Problem is, no one is usually home. :sigh

I think if you used that, you would need to constantly have a window open to your blog or site... otherwise, to me the support looks like a half-baked attempt to get clients (and prospective clients) to contact you by email.

I do have to add that one site had someone on line once. Every click I took I got a message asking if I needed help. I finally just clicked out of the site. It was reminiscent of those store clerks that follow you around the store, constantly answering questions you haven't asked.

[goldfries]

I've recently placed a chatbox on one of the blogs I handle.

It's purely for my group of friends who are playing the same online game.

So when there's a football match going on (The game is Hattrick, online football management) we could all just hang out instead of waiting for match update.

[Jessi]

I don't think it'd work well on my own blog, but I've seen it work well on others, so to each his/her own, I suppose.

[calvynlee]

there was some benefit puting a chat box our blog, some how my visitor will give me some comment or opinion directly in the chat box...

not neccessary related to your post, some time they just drop me their comment or suggestion about my blog layout, or just warning me my blog comment have problem(some time server problem) and they unable to post comment

or some time their comment did not apear due to drop in to spam section, after they inform me, i will unspam their name

[Bob!]

Never seen it on blog, but have seen it on forums and it always distracts from them as users will use it instead of posting. Will probably be the same on a blog in that every use of the chat will be a comment missed. Besides it's just another security hole on your site especially if it's not done by a company that can afford to have it checked out properly for holes.

[Dan Schulz]

It has a use that you all probably aren't thinking about - moderated blog chats. Set aside one day of the month for a public chat with your readers so that they can ask you questions and interact with each other in real time. You'll need to be consistent about this (like "the third Saturday of each month at 10am Pacific Standard Time" for example), but it could work, depending on the blog, its audience and how willing you are to weed out the spam comments (hence a "moderated blog chat").

Sara, would you be willing to add something like this to TBE as an experiment? ;)

[ses5909]

It might be something to try, although my issue would be finding a time to be consistent!

[tater03]

I have seen them but never used them before myself. Would they slow the loading of your page down though?

[ghing]

I have a cbox on my dvd site..
nope it doesn;t slow down sites..
I just put it for those who want to leave some comments on my blog.. but don't want to leave comment on my posts.. i think that's a one way link for those who'll leave some comments.. well, that's my opinion..

[goldfries]

a public chatroom might not be suitable for support cases. It's not nice when other people are reading your customer facing problem.

[berlinlife06]

I rather keep the blog comments. I don't think I would have the time to participate in blog chat.... Besides, my blog is a small thing... so I can't imagine people wanting to "chat" too much.

[Dan Schulz]

a public chatroom might not be suitable for support cases. It's not nice when other people are reading your customer facing problem.

Which moderating a public blog chat would eliminate. You could simply open a private chat window with the person in question and deal with it right then and there. The other chatters wouldn't know that the conversation was even taking place.

[goldfries]

Which moderating a public blog chat would eliminate. You could simply open a private chat window with the person in question and deal with it right then and there. The other chatters wouldn't know that the conversation was even taking place.

constant moderation would be needed, which i find pointless for support purpose.

:) private chat is the way to go. a lot of companies are using that.

[Dan Schulz]

My whole suggestion for moderated public chats was not to support people who are having problems. It was to allow the blogger and his/he readers to connect and interact with each other in real time for a set period of time each month (like my "third Saturday of each month, starting at 10am Pacific Standard Time" example). :)

[goldfries]

ok ok. :) i was just mentioning about chat for support role.

chatbox is good but i believe it depends on the blog type and purpose. i have 1 blog with chatbox but the rest, i prefer not to.

i think personal blogs work fine with it. casual chatters make it fun.

[Cedric]

What I really don't like about chatbox is that people love to comment in there. And I hate it when some bloggers who want some links would go around leaving messages in your chatbox without reading your post and say, "hey, nice blog!". To me it's like a spam. Nothing much to appreciate.

[malique]

i have one, but its a shoutbox. i think its ok, as it adds another form of communication with my readers and vice versa.


but sometimes some people take it as a helpdesk. Urgh.