Website/forum chatbox?

[DarkLegend]

Hello, Has avast given any thought to putting up a chatbox for registered users to use for like an instant chat method? This would be great I think as it gives us the ability to solve problems quicker and possibly be able to get a hold of an moderator if there is one online immediately if there is an emergency. Like this guy that just spammed the crap out of the forums with his nonsense about a Russian site for "adult" stuff... I pm'ed a few mod's, but still... I think this could be useful as well as beneficial for many other reasons.

[Cahya Legawa]

DarkLegend,

I would agree if chatbox is a good option, but do we really need it?

1. Forum lets us to solve problems together, and learning step by step with good documentation. I think the forum now its good enough, and we can search again the previous thread we have read but just forgot what was it said so simply using the search.

2. Is chatbox web friendly? I mean I see some of my friends put chatbox in their site, but most of it go wrong, and even we can access it if we are in a very low internet speed, java still not friendly for all internet user.

3. If the case is emergency, why do not ask support to avast via email?

I think we better consider it together.

Regards,
Cahya.

[CharleyO]

***

I am not in favor of chat boxes as some other forums I visit often, the chat boxes are full of useless crap and arguments ... both of which use up bandwidth for no good reason.

In addition to the above, any good information that might, by chance, happen to be posted in a chat box is lost over a short time period.


***

[DavidR]

Add me to the not in favour group.

What is wrong with the existing system, this is possibly the fastest responding forum I have ever been in.

The suggestion for chatroom help is almost one to one or rather limited in who it helps and that isn't a good use of time for those trying to help. For the same reason I don't use PMs to help on support related matters only in the forums. It is to complex if there are multiple problems being covered making it I feel hard to keep track of what has already been said and suggested.

As  for making it easier to get hold of moderators, lets not lose sight of the fact that these same people are Alwil software developers with a lot on their plates already and chatroom help isn't the best use of their time IMHO.

[Cahya Legawa]

As  for making it easier to get hold of moderators, lets not lose sight of the fact that these same people are Alwil software developers with a lot on their plates already and chatroom help isn't the best use of their time IMHO.

Yup

[cinchez]

Im sorry but Im not into the approve group...

A chatbox is helpful, however, if and only if there are no spammers in the world^^

Off topics are surely to come, then kaboom!

-AnimeLover^^

[DavidR]

Spammers didn't get the off-topic forum closed it deteriorated after many years of useful discussion and that three moderators (not Alwil staff), but it still required input from Alwil moderators, they didn't want to devote time to that and closed it. That is my very general and perhaps not totally correct compression of the demise of the off-topic forum.

Whilst not totally related as it was for non-avast related topics, the point was the Alwil staff didn't have the time to devote to it and any chatroom for avast related issues would require even more input. With the best will in the world this is a total non-started as the manpower just isn't there to staff it.

Perhaps you should start your own chat room offering support and you will get an idea just how hard it is to offer support in a chatroom environment. There simply aren't enough people with sufficient experience to offer support.