Milovana.com

WOW! Great thread you have started JP. *smile*

WARNING: These are the opinions of one member, and most certainly do not reflect the viewpoints of the management.
*giggling* Sometimes I just can't help myself.

Gets serious now..... *grin*

1) Do you use the chat?
Yes, I use the chat rooms, mainly the Lounge, because that seems to be where everyone hangs out.

2) What do you like about the chat?
First, I like the people that I find in the chat room.
I like being able to address people directly when speaking to them.
I like having color and font choices to post with.

3) What do you dislike about the chat?
I dislike it when a person leaves the room, and it changes the "to whom you are speaking to" and "removes the tick from whisper" and can drop the typing from a PM to the main room - so embarrassing!! *blush*

Why can't the tick for "whisper" be added if you want to whisper someone, instead of when you choose that person to direct your statement at?

4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?
First, fix those issues from number three.

Also, I think there should be some instructions posted, or links to instructions, on the "room choice" page. I think the Code of Conduct should be there, and instructions on how to do things, like speaking directly to a person. Sometimes it gets old having to explain that, over and over again.

I wish also, that there was a way for those of us that change up our name, to enter the room, and the sound settings could be saved, so that we don't have to redo it every time we enter the room.

One more thing - I also wish that there was some way to click on a link and get a message to a mod that is online, right away. I have seen this feature in other chat rooms, and I think it's a good one. If you have someone that is out of control with rudeness, or other violations of the code, sometimes we either have to leave chat, or endure the abuse because the mod that is showing online is busy with the forums, or writing a PM or lost to a private scene and are not aware that the members in the room are being attacked.

5) Have you read the rules and do you think they're fair?
Yes, I have read the rules. And yes, they are fair. There doesn't seem to be much, "rules" to the Code of Conduct", but everything in it seems fair.

6) Is our moderation team doing a good job?
Hmm, well I will assume you are speaking of room moderators. These are the mods I know of, that are active and that I have seen come into the rooms.

seraph0x of course.
You, jp, who I believe is a mod over all the rooms.
Mistress Jenifer that I believe is mod over all the rooms.
Sexual Chocolate who only has mod rights over the Kinks room.
Snare, who only has mod rights over the Catacombs.
If there is anyone else, I don't know who they are.

I think that the mods are doing a good job. *Smile*
However, I believe there could stand to be some more of them. I think that with so few mods, that the ones that show up regularly aren't able to just be members very often. There are only two regular mods (and yes jp, since you haven't been around much, I am going to exclude you in this, and SC as well, because he is not around as much as he use to be), that only leaves Mistress Jenifer and Snare as the two mods that are there a lot.
That puts a lot of pressure on them and I would think that sometimes it would be nice for them to be able to just enjoy their submissives or talk to friends.

Being a moderator is hard work and time consuming. It's hard to keep your personal feelings about someone submerged, so that you can make good judgement calls. Sometimes you need a break and just be able to rely on another mod to watch over things and kick up your heels and relax and enjoy things.

Yep, they are doing a damn fine job....I just think we need more people willing to step up and take on that responsibility.

Hope you get a lot of feedback on this.....it's a great thread!!! *Smile*

Do you use the chat?

I used to use chat quite a bit, but lately not so much; and to be quite honest, at this point I've pretty much lost all motivation for reasons discussed below.



What do you like about the chat?

Excluding features that all chats have (userlist, etc), there's not much about it I prefer to other chats. One feature I do really like is the ability to view someone's forum profile. I also love that there's public logs, it makes it really easy to catch up on anything I've missed. Other than that, though...well, my criticisms are below.



What do you dislike about the chat?

I'm not sure what other chat software is available for a price similar to flashchat, but I think there are lots of things wrong with the software that outweigh the few benefits I've listed above.

For starters, the whisper/PM system is IMO sorely lacking. Not only is it a bit redundant with two methods for private chat, both options lack something. The inline whisper feature causes long conversations to quickly become lost in the sea of public chat; while the PM feature causes the public chat to be hidden behind a sea of boxes. I much prefer the way many IRC clients handle private chat - with tabs on the top or side of the window.

There also seem to be some errors/glitches with flashchat - such as the (Available) error and the fake disconnect error.

However, the bigger issue I have is with the state of the community lately. As someone with roughly 7 years of real life D/s experience, I guess the zeitgeist of the online scene just isn't what I was expecting. I've mentioned this elsewhere in the forums - I see so many people logging into chat who are just looking to "get off", with no interest in establishing a relationship with anyone, and it baffles me.

Furthermore, I also have some issues with the non-D/s aspect of the community lately. I'm not going to name any names, but I see more than a few people being arrogant, deceitful, or both. The general feeling I get nowadays is that of a social pissing contest, where everyone is constantly trying to 1-up everyone else. It causes so much petty infighting and drama that I don't even want to log in anymore.



Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?

I would, for starters, love to see a different chat software implemented. The social problems I have with the chat, though, are going to be difficult if not impossible to fix.

One cool feature I just thought of while writing this would be a feature which allows you to search for and/or do a webtease through chat (maybe a "media" chat tab, similar to a P2P client video player or web browser), although I'm not sure how hard this would be to implement. Just an idea.


Have you read the rules and do you think they're fair?

I have read the rules extensively. I think they are for the most part fair, although a little more detail never hurt anyone. The only thing I might want to change is the rule against posting chat logs in the forums - this creates a bit of a divide between the forum and chat communities, which I assume are meant to be strongly linked (because of things like being able to view forum profiles from chat, and forum posts about chat games).


Is our moderation team doing a good job?

This question is tricky for me, as I've been a mod or admin of several online communites in the past; so I'm worried about potential bias in that I might subconsciously compare the team members' way of doing things to the way I've done things. But anyway, here goes....

The good - First, I'd like to commend jp for a great job. While he isn't around much anymore, when he was, he was always 100 percent objective. I'd also like to give props to snare for his effort in trying to improve the community. Although he's only a mod of one room (which is unfortunately rarely used), he's often put a lot of effort into making new users feel welcome into the community as a whole.

The bad - I'm sure it's no secret that I'm not a fan of the way Mistress Jenifer practices her admin duties; I've been vocal about it a few times in the past. as I said in chat yesterday, I think she could be doing a much better job than she currently is. The most pressing issue here is that she's often not available, even when logged in. I view being a mod/admin as akin to volunteering in a soup kitchen - it's fine that you can't do it 24/7, but if you're around, keep spooning out the soup.

The ugly - First, I'm fairly neutral in regards to the other two members of the team who log in at least occasionally (Dream_On and SexualChoc), although I think they could be following Snare's example a bit more closely.

As for Seraph0x, I think he's gotten himself into a difficult situation where he can't even hope to please everyone, and so he has to make some very difficult decisions on things. For what it's worth, he's doing a great job given the things which are currently part of the site. But you can only tack on additions and tweak things so much - eventually, sweeping changes are necessary (think of software life cycles here). I've thought of a few possible options - burn everything down and start over with new software and policies, hire a few co-admins, step back completely and let "nature" sort itself out - but since I'm not in his position, I can't really say what's best.

In a more general sense, though, I think the team should be bigger. While there's quite a few members, most of them haven't logged on in a long while (some in over a year!). I think some new blood, as well as improvment in some of the current active members, would go a long way toward making the site better.


Anyway, there's my long, rambling thoughts on the matter. Take them or leave them. :)

1) Do you use the chat?

Very much so, most days I will be in there either chatting, lurking or doing tasks for Miss Tashi.

2) What do you like about the chat?

The Chat is a very open and free roaming environment, the relaxed (common sense) rules make it very welcoming, and vibrant part of the community. Of course there are many users who log on and just lurk, and sometimes those who pester you for play time or whatever. But there was a very good help thread written by Snare and Allit I think, and this pops up in the chat automatically occasionally. I think it would be helpful to pin this at the top of the general forum, and also to have a link to it on the login page.

3) What do you dislike about the chat?

As is the same with any Internet forum or chat room there are always people you disagree with or don’t get on with. This is part of life. But everyone in the chat needs to remember that it is mean to be a fun place, people go there in their down time for recreation. It is especially important when new users come on I think, as sometimes people can be a bit harsh and a little cynical with them, we are all guilty of this at times. But it is better to educate than to berate.

4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?

I think the basic interface is very easy to use, and the little bugs are often what give it character. Sometimes it can be a little unreliable though as was evidenced by the recent problems with Lag, and picture loading.
However, I believe Seraph did all he could to rectify the problem the other day.

5) Have you read the rules and do you think they're fair?

The rules are very straightforward and easy to understand. They are fair and make sense. I do not believe adding any more rules to the forum would be at all helpful; it would complicate things without need. We are all Adults on this website and really should be able to treat each other like human beings without the need for Mod/Admin action.

6) Is our moderation team doing a good job?

I believe they are yes. They cannot be everywhere at once though. And it may be useful to have some mods from different time zones, as I believe that currently most of the mods are based in the USA. This would allow for more coverage. But as far as the current team go, I have no problems. I am of the opinion that mods should not need to interfere in problems unless they are needed. If trouble gets out of hand, I believe they have the tools at their disposal to deal with it. I have never seen large problems arise in the chat room, and I think only once have I seen a mod intervene with an issue.
This is how things should be.


Addendum

I would like to add a couple of thoughts that are not addressed above. I believe due to the nature of the site, that the chat rooms should remain a free and open place, welcoming to both serious discussion, and frivolous banter alike. There is a relaxed atmosphere, and as far as I can see, most of the regulars enjoy spending time there. I have noted on occasion that people take "breaks" from the site because of disagreement with others. I urge you all, and I think you know whom you are, to just deal with each other like adults and not bring your arguments into the public. I find this attitude both selfish and rather rude. Do you realise you may be spoiling other peoples enjoyment of the site?

I have tried to be fair with my opinions here. I hole we can all continue to have a free and open chatroom where we can all be ourselves.

Thank you all for your hard work, and your help with any problems I have come to you with.
Keep up the good work!


Banquo

1) Do you use the chat?

Not as much as I used for family and medical reasons.

2) What do you like about the chat?
the instant response

3) What do you dislike about the chat?
the wannabes butting in for a quick jolly.
private and whisper chats being bounced public when someone leaves the room.


4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?
I would like to see in the lobby who is in chat.

5) Have you read the rules and do you think they're fair?
They are OK

6) Is our moderation team doing a good job?
I think the mods should have powers in all rooms.

les wrote: 4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?
I would like to see in the lobby who is in chat.

Oh that is a good one!!! I vote yes for that change! *Smile*

agreed, good call Les

les wrote:4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?
I would like to see in the lobby who is in chat.

The server provides that data, but it takes a while to load it:

http://www.milovana.com/chat/status.php

Feel free to bookmark the URL above if you think it's useful and feel free to share if somebody wants it, but I don't think I can make this an official feature.

                                 



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les wrote: I think the mods should have powers in all rooms.

I do agree with this thought I am not sure what it requires for implementation.

I truly hate the bug that when I am talking in PM/PC
and someone leaves the room my conversation, or a piece of it
ends up in public chat
this can be Quite embarrassing.

private and whisper chats being bounced public when someone leaves the room.

I have not had any problems with the chat rules as they are.

I do prefer the chat to <log-out> as opposed to massive lag that we had last moth
rather Knowing I am <reconnecting...? rather than having chat freezing (my personal preference)
I love the ability to be able to post pictures in chat, and even the Minigames.

I don't think it's possible but it would be truly awesome if we could link video in a regular or flashtease.

Indigo™ wrote:I have a question with regards to how it gets the data ... when a user is in the chat for long periods, sometimes Milovana logs them out of the site - is this reading information directly from the chat server, or from Milovana, as to who's directly accessing the chat? Depending on which side the data comes from, wouldn't this create an issue of the information being displayed being inaccurate?

From the chat server API. The info should be accurate at the time you access it.

Indigo™ wrote:Also - does it display users running in "hidden" mode, ie: the admins?

Good question, I did a quick test: Invisible admins don't show up.

SexualChoc wrote:I don't think it's possible but it would be truly awesome if we could link video in a regular or flashtease.

Added. See here: http://www.milovana.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8416

Anyone willing to aid with testing, please check out that link - there are three simple things that will help a lot!

seraph0x wrote:

Spoiler: show

les wrote:4) Do you see room for improvement with any aspect of the chat?
I would like to see in the lobby who is in chat.

The server provides that data, but it takes a while to load it:

http://www.milovana.com/chat/status.php

Feel free to bookmark the URL above if you think it's useful and feel free to share if somebody wants it, but I don't think I can make this an official feature.

Ohhhh...this is cool. *smile* Can a link of this be posted on the choose a room page?

@shell;
adding it to the room description would do that. But you wouldn't be able to click on the link since attempting to do so will I believe connect you to the room. So you will still have to type it into the browser's url bar.

shell wrote:Ohhhh...this is cool. *smile* Can a link of this be posted on the choose a room page?

I could add the link on the Chat page outside of the chat window. But it loads very slowly, even when the chat server is not under high load. So I'd rather keep it as sort of a hidden feature for those who understand and accept the caveat with it.

Another alternative would be to try and make it faster. The most obvious way of doing that would be to make it a static page that automatically updates every two minutes lets say.

Would that be preferable? Make it non-realtime, which will make it load much faster and would allow me to link it from the main chat page without worrying about QoS issues or putting too much extra load on the chat server?