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Originally Posted by Tom
These extra steps would inconvenience some users to the point where they don't participate (at all, or just on a regular basis), but yes I could probably find a way to do what you are suggesting.
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Candidly, adding another (I won't mention inefficient, browser-based, java applet) chat method will certainly inconvenience folks (myself included) to the point of non-participation, as well.
The internet already has a "chat" standard, and it is implemented as IRC. There are clients for just about any computer platform. Then, there are peer-to-peer messaging clients (such as AIM, Yahoo, MSN, etc) that have also wedged in their own brand of "chat" for "multi-person" conversations.
I wouldn't spend $300 on a program that adds chat, period.
I wouldn't spend $125 per year on a program that adds chat, either.
I don't know what kind of horsepower you have on the server hosting this forum, but I can tell you that the IRC server software is fairly lightweight. There are methodologies (via Java applets, usually) that will allow a web browser to connect to an IRC chat server, and that would then allow a casual user to connect from the forum web pages. ...or, anyone could connect to the IRC server using a standard, available, free IRC client program.
For me, personally, I'd have no problem adding another "private network" to my IRC client so that I could chat with folks on FRF. I'd, likewise, have no problem adding another "multi-user chat room" to my Instant Messaging client. Both of those are often running on one of my computers most of the time, anyway. I'm not likely to click on a link that downloads and then executes some Java applet to give me (yet another) method of chatting.