Some changes have been made to our live chat room as of today, these changes are designed primarily to reorient the room from a general off-topic chat room to a destination for topical unexplained related discussion and debate.

The 'General Off-Topic' room has now been dropped and we now have a single room called 'Unexplained'.

We will be setting up regular topics in the room for members to discuss, the topic being discussed will be displayed when you enter. Discussion on topics outside of the subject area of the site are not strictly disallowed but we will be looking to keep the discussion topical as much as possible.

A new entry has been added to our terms of service to cover general chat room ettiquette:


If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanks.

Well Saru I'm not gonna lie, I think I'd rather talk about a specific topic rather than just screw around but let's get real here. There's still gonna be PLENTY of general chatting

The chat room is intended mainly for topical chat, the moderators will be working to steer the discussion away from general chit-chat; anything you can do to help them in that regard would be appreciated.

lol yeah I bet I'll help when I can. Gonna be plenty of things for us to talk about in the not too distant future Im sure

what was wrong with the two rooms?

I haven't been in the chatroom in ages, I'll have to check it out and see the new changes. I agree..a specific topic discussion sounds good

Interesting....


Will in-chat PMs be reinstated anytime soon/in the future?

Most people either didn't know the second room existed or didn't use it, it wasn't receiving enough use or interest.


No, there are no plans to reinstate this feature.

Well I for one won't be in the chat room much. I regret to say it but yeah I will stop coming. I believe two rooms worked fine and this change takes away all the fun from chat. I can't find myself enjoying a discussion that is fixed on one topic. General chat was nice.

The chat room won't be fixed permanantly on one topic, we will cover a large range of topics as well as accomodating at least some level of non-topical discussion. Remember that this site is about the unexplained and therefore our chat room should reflect that, if you are looking for a purely off-topic general chat room then ours probably isn't the best place to go.

Will this apply to the forums at some time to?


General Off-Topic Discussion
Computers, Gaming & The Internet
Writer's and Artist's Hangout
Movies, Music, Books & Television Shows

No, these changes are for the chat room only.

Edited to add:

The vast majority of this site is dedicated to various aspects of the unknown. As such there is plenty of room for off topic areas of the board which do not detract from those interested in the unknown.

I am not a user of the chat room, but this does not seem to be the case there, with off topic conversation dominating the rooms. It seems to me that the aims of these changes is to have a similar balance between the on-topic and off-topic material in the chat rooms as existes in the forums.

I'm sure Saru or one of the chat room moderators will correct me if I am wrong.

You are correct, sir! Please go to the front desk to collect your prize.

The topics in the chat room should first and foremost contain something pertaining to the "Paranormal"/"Unexplained." We are hoping the changes will stimulate and create interest and discussions of Paranormal topics within the chat room.

-Akaebeel

So if the topic is ghost can we discuss psychic?

i think its a pretty big slap in the face to the users of the site.. ppl know that there are two rooms..and putting up a subject for us to talk about? what are we.. muppets..? ppl go to the unexplained room to chat about those things.. and advertise that they are going in there.. why censor what your loyal members have to say and enjoy about the site? why fix something that is not broken?
this is not an aerian race.. conformity is not needed let your members decide what to chat about in whichever room is they chose.

that is my rant.. it is not intended for ill.. i just feel that my opinion should be put forward.. as should others, with out fear or reprimand or backlash or edit from mods

You couldn't be more correct Tigger. That is exactly how I feel. Two rooms worked fine and was quite nice. People should be able to talk about whatever they want.

Very well said tigg

Well, that's disappointing. I've gotten to know some nice people and like shooting the breeze with them. I'll check it out, but honestly, I have a feeling I'm done with the chat here now.

The reality is that you have about 15 regular chatters, that's all. Maybe 5 of them like to talk paranormal all the time. They go to the other room to do that. It's not a big deal.

People talk paranormal on the Forums, they use chat to get to really know the people they're debating in the threads. That's part of what bolsters the community feeling of UM.

And honestly, after running topical Undernet and DalNet channels for more than 10 years, it never works out the way you think is should. It always goes back to general chatter or no one talks at all. That's just the way it is.

What would be a far more interesting idea is to schedule days and times for topical chat and actually announce them and promote them. You'll have a lot more sucess with a guest or host, a topic, and a time limit (90 minutes is about the maximum people can stay on topic, and that's stretching it). Your have to promote it though. From experience, I KNOW that method works.

I think it's a good idea for this site and at least worth a try. But I agree that using the chatroom to just relax and talk about anything and have fun will feel more resricted. It doesn;t have to be, though...I mean they did say there can still be general chat as well. So I imagine it might go something like this, perhaps?
Hi everyone!!
Hi Bob (7times)
oh, I just got a new kitten, it's so cute!!
Oh kewl, do you have pics?
I could post some...
(some other conversation going on)
So, what's the topic today? I forgot to look.
Ghoulies
Ghoulies??? What the... what are they?
wierd ghosts, maybe
Does anyone know specifically what a ghoulie is?
How's the wife and kids, Bob?
Oh, they're fine, thanks. Mikey lost his first tooth today.
According to wiki, a ghoulie ie (explanation of ghoulie)
Oh. Has anyone ever heard of them before or know of any experiences?
Hey, I uploaded my kitten pics, here's the link linky linkety link
Once my brother was beat in a game of chess by a ghoulie.
Oh, that's a really cute kitten, Bob!!

Ok, something like that, but with more people chatting. I'm tired and don't feel like using my imagination tonight. But yeah, just chat about anything as usual, PLUS whatever knowledge one might like to share abt whatever the topic is. It can't be that much of a strain to at least give this a shot. I'll be the first to admit that whenever I have used the chat room, it was always to relax and have fun. But it was also nice to talk about some posts sometimes or discuss someone's paranormal experiences/abilities/knowledge as well that never did seem to interrupt the natural flow of chat anyways. At least give it a chance and if it still feels too restricted, then maybe start a thread so the mods can know how everyone feels. On the one hand, it;s a good idea, but on the other hand, if there's 6 people in at 3am and all they want to do is talk about their goldfish, just let them. If someone comes along and wants to talk whatever the topic is, then it should be obliged by whoever can...which has always been done anyhow. Well, I haven't been in chat for a long time. I do hope we're not expected to participate in the topic chat just because we're in the chat, as well. If the topic is of something I don't know about, or don't agree with, yet I choose to watch just to learn, or keep my opinions to myself, yet chat to Suzy abt her new dress, then I wouldn;t want to be chastised for it. Anyhow, its got its pros and cons, and is a good idea to at least try, at the same time I don;t think it will last in the long run. Perhaps it might be easier if the chat mods made an effort to keep the chat going along about anything paranormal, weird, unexplained instead of forcing a specific topic. That would help keep the chat more relaxed as well as cater to more different people at different times. You never know, someone might be attacked by a ghost (which happened alot when I frequented chat!) and, well, oh darn, the topic is cryptozoology.

I don't know the point of my post anymore LOL I just went with the flow of my thoughts. Oh yeah, we can at least try this..

I do have a question though. If the topic is Ghoulies, but everyone would rather chat about UFOs, could the topic be changed if there's a chat mod about? If there's no chat mod about, then I assume whoever is in chat would chat about whatever they wanted to anyhow.

Here's the problem.

I go to chat nearly every evening. Sometimes, I don't say much, whatever the other folks are generally talking about might not interest me. I can read the forums or surf the web, or work, and keep an eye on what's going on in chat, and respond when someone says something interesting.

But honestly, if it's only topical chat.... there are MAYBE going to be one or two topics a MONTH that interest me, and I'm not going to be able to join, because the topics are a complete BORE. Like tonight for example.

I hate to tell ya, you do this, and you're going to find within a week (maybe a little longer, but not much) that you won't have more than one or two people in chat at any given time. Right now, you have a few people in there who are just seeing how it will go. Don't expect them to hang around for topics they don't like, or when people stop talking all together.

I was in support of turning off the PM's in the chat room... PM's are always problematic in chat. (not that turning off PM's solved anything, people just added each other to their MSN and Yahoo IM's) But this, this idea is chat death. I've seen it too many times. I mean, you remember what happened when you switched the General room to the secondary room. Chat died momentarily until it was changed back. New users came in, looked at the current topics of chatter and ..... left.

I tell ya... create a forum for Chat topics, schedule times, days, a topic, and maybe even a cool guest. Announce it a week before it's going to happen. Put up system message in the general room and Unexplained room and announce it there too. People will show up for a scheduled topic that's interesting to them. Use the power of your forums and threads to announce cool topics and guests. Schedule a start and stop time. That will actually drive traffic TO chat, not away from it.

What you've done here will drive every one away. Or is that the idea?

Excellent idea here. I dont think though that the Mods wanted to drive people away. It would be amazing to have George Nory here for a few hours. Surely this site could make a request. There would be dozens in the chat room to talk with him about UFO's and Ghosts etc..

You might be glad to hear that this is how it has been running. We aren't forcing people to stick to the one topic at hand, quite the opposite. The chat mods are there to keep chat going along the lines of what the site/forums is about. If people wish to bring up topics for discussion that is fine, it's something we have been encouraging by asking if anyone has anything they would like to discuss. The point is to allow these kind of topical discussions to get off the ground and flow, allowing for decent and interesting conversation.

On the contrary, I believe it will help to encourage new members and participation.

If you were a new member who'd come to the site and decided to try out the chat room, what would you be expecting ? Would you be expecting to find other people to chat with about your interest in the unexplained or just a group of people talking about nothing in particular ? Which would be more likely to keep you interested ?

We realise that some of the current regulars in the room are opposed to this change however the chat room has always been and always will be intended first and foremost towards discussion on the subject area of this web site.

mhm. Exactly Anvil. THe point of the daily topic isn't to force people to discuss Poltergeist activity or whatever the topic is. Its to encourage any paranormal chat.

If the topic is Ghosts and you want to talk about big foot thats fine. But if the topic is Big Foot and you are just here to talk about your favorite brand of beer then quite frankly its not really the right chat room.

This move has basically been prompted by the total lack of meaningful chat of late. The chat room has been nothing more then a social hangout, and while we certainly don't want to kill that completely we do want to return the chatroom to a state in which it complements the site rather then as a small side part that very few people are aware exist let alone use.

Anyhow I hope that it becomes more lively and I as well as the rest of the chat team invite all members to the room, Those of you that have been here for years and never used it and those who have recentally joined. I hope it can benifit you and in the end improve everyones UM experience...

AR

Right. If we want to talk about the news?

Again, we're not looking to completely disallow off-topic discussion nor to force people to discuss any one thing; the news is a sensible and constructive topic for discussion so that wouldn't be a problem.

Ok. But the first time I came into the chatroom, Almost a year ago, the chatroom was like that right? The topic would be given and all that. Right?

One year ago there was one room I believe but no specific set up apart from that.

There was a specific set up

im ure greatest fan but i dont agree with what ure doing its controling.

Hello all-

I was the point person on working with Saru to get the second ((paranormal)) room originally started. Initially, the second room was a "passcode protected" room which then later turned into a open room for specific paranormal/unexplained discussions.

I know many of you may NOT agree with me but I prefer paranormal/unexplained discussions.

I have been in the chatroom lately and have thoroghly enjoyed my experiences.

I think others need to know the room is not "nazi" controlled. There is crosstalk and personal/funny interjections. It has been run quite well by the Moderating team and only is brought back to topic if "chatters" start rambling about something that is either either nonsense, immature or inappropriate.

I ask all to try it out and give it a chance. Let's just see what happens. Change is good and change is constant. It is the ones who can "roll with it" that will gain the most benefit.

To be honest, I have met 5 to 6 members on UM who have NEVER been in chat before!! I have heard their paranormal/ unexplained stories and I am thrilled. It has made me (personally) feel better to have open discussions about these topics.

Also, I need to say, the Mod's to not FORCE members to stay on certain topic's unless the chat gets out of hand. For instance, yesterday's topic was tarot, ouijia and basically divination tools, however, many of us spoke about ghosts, spirits, exorcisms and hauntings. We were NOT told we could not discuss that because it was NOT the actual topic given. Indeed we were encouraged to speak freely about another topic as long as it was constructive and everyone was intruigued.

I have to tell you some of the "regular" chat members, WOW, I had no idea of some of their paranormal experiences and I love the fact that I've learned a different side to their persona. Some of the younger members blew me away with their awareness and knowledge. I so enjoyed my experiences and it has shed a light AND a higher respect towards some of our younger members in that regards.

So anyway, I know not everyone will agree, but hey... give it a chance. It's open and casual. It's a positive thing NOT a negative. We still "catch up" with each other as members and friends.

Well, anyways, those are just my feelings; for what they're worth.

Take care ♥ Jody

I can understand both sides of the issue at hand,and I see good points being raised on both sides.

Having spent a lot of time in the Chat for a while when I first started coming to UM,I had the opportunity to discuss several subjects with others in Chat which were of the paranormal/unexplained type.I've also been involved in a few which were along the lines of conspiracy theories,politics,evolution...etc. The only problem that I see with having a specific topic at any time is that some do lead to arguments,which then leads to the Mods having to take some form of action against the chatters who are having the overheated discussion.

Too,there are times when the Chat can be fun if it's just a free-for-all.Like some have mentioned,Chat can be an escape from the same old arguments/debates/discussions going on all over the forums...but only if everyone is able to freely interject a topic which is on their mind (which isn't always along the lines of the paranormal/unexplained).

Now,I do not believe that Saru or any of the Mods would like to "guide" or "force" those in Chat into a particular discussion,nor do I believe that it's an issue of control.They just want to see the Chat being used for real time discussions on the many topics which are found here on UM.As I said though,this can lead (and has led) to overheated discussions.The opposite,the free-for-all,also has it's problems...with many different conversations going on at once.

I have had experiences in the Chat where several of us were just talking about general stuff,when in comes another member of UM who wishes to ask a question regarding a certain subject of the paranormal/unexplained type.Many of us,if it's a topic which we are familiar with,will get onto the topic and have a good discussion with the person who brought up the topic...while the rest either continue on their previous train of thought...or they too read the ongoing conversation and interject their ideas and thoughts into the conversation when they have something to say.In fact,some who go into Chat will enter in any casual conversation until a topic is brought up (of the paranormal/unexplained type) which interests them,which they will then enter.

Basically,I see a way to have it all without resorting to any extreme.Keep the Chat as a General Discussion,yet allow the Mods who are in Chat see if anyone wishes to discuss a particular subject regarding the paranormal/unexplained.Have the Mods ask which topics are interesting to those currently in Chat...and go with the one which the majority are interested in.But,allow for plenty of time between discussions for the general free-for-all.In this way,you will be able to please pretty much everyone with a minimum of fuss.The only other viable option would be to keep the two rooms,but make the Unexplained Discussion the primary and the General Discussion secondary.This way,any new members who check out Chat will be sent directly to any paranormal/unexplained discussions going on...while those who want a break from those discussions can socialize freely with others in the General Discussion.

It's just my two cents,but I hope that it helps in some way...for I like both the general discussions and the topic discussions.

This is where I'm concerned. Some of the all time BEST conversations on chat have been about ... music, travel, pets, computers, and food. They're completely non-paranormal conversations, and very good social fun.

I'll try chat again, but honestly, last night, I popped in there and there was a conversation going on that raised my hackles... I wanted to challenge a few folks and be the skeptic I am. I didn't feel that would have been welcomed at all. I had to self-censor and leave; I like to think before I post to someone, live chat requires an immediate and not necessarily well thought out response. The forums allow me to quote people and think carefully about my words before posting. I can also go back and edit a forum post if I realize that my comment may have crossed a line. It's MUCH harder to do live time, and in fact, sometimes impossible. I chose to leave because I'm not really interested in being banned because I accidentally offended someone.

i dont see why you cant give ppl the choice.. when they log into chat they go into a lobby where they can choose which room they want to be in.. and then you can direct them in paranormal what they are going to speak about.. (if they chose that given room)
this way they dont feel like big brother is constantly keeping his eye on them.. and prodding them to talk about the weird and wonderful... there is only so many topics related to the paranormal.. pretty soon you'll run out and everyone will be talking about the same ol palava.. and it will get old and boring..

edit: added a little bit more

I agree Tigger. I think a lobby that lets you decide which room to go in is a good idea. I enjoy general chat and do not see why all of the sudden why it is so bad.

I'm a skeptical believer. I'm skeptical of a majority of what others say. There is nothing wrong with being skeptical, nor trying to challenge/debate someone's point of view. Just keep it tactful. I do this in chat often.



Nothing "Big Brother" about it. We put up topics for discussion, but other people can bring up other topics as well. It isn't like we're saying 'You must talk about this, if you deviate in any way, you're banned from chat.' No, we're saying, "keep the majority of the talk on Paranormal topics." We're keeping the personal drama out of chat. And since we've changed the format of the chat room? A lot of serious conversations have taken place, a lot of people are coming in taking part of it, quite a few people are happy about this. And no-one has really offended one another in chat. I am aware some people are unhappy with this change, but all I can say is, give this a chance. If you don't like it, sorry to hear that.



There are only so many topics about life, period. Whether it be movies, books, cooking, what you did last weekend, music, childhood experiences. There is a finite amount of topics that people who routinely talk to one another have to talk about. It is inevitable that conversations will be repeated, just like they were back when we had the General and Unexplained rooms. Having said that, however, the world is a huge place, the unseen world is even bigger. We also have new members coming in, with their own experiences, opinions, questions and answers. I don't see us running out of topics to talk about any time soon. And this is coming from someone who has dedicated his entire adult life and career to the 'paranormal.'

-Akaebeel

Any idea why I got disconnected from chat?

We all did, the server must be experiencing technical difficulties.

sigh. They must be checking again.

Well the chats up again now Spork.

So hop in

Being in chat on a continuous basis, the room was constantly being overrun by personal conflicts, drama, and role playing, pointless and idle conversations.

New members joining were excluded and left.

The topical room was rarely used, most times it was used for personal chats, and the general room followed interrupting any ongoing conversations with more pointless chatting, causing those there for topical discussion to leave as well.

The combination of general and topical conversations, ensures a balanced chat.

Having a topical theme, all participate, and no one is left out.

Instilling paranormal topics is an effective guide to keep chat UM reflective.

I haven't not been is chat for 6 months. And will not be back. To much stupid stuiff. To many kids that wouldn't a ghost if they saw one.

For your infomation, in these past 6 months, there are no believer talk going on.

I know

If you haven't been in the room for six months how do you know what's been going on ?

I must say, I agree with MissMels.

I first came to UM because of the forums, but I actually stayed in UM because of the friendships I built in chat.

I have found myself spending less and less time in there because of all the changes which have been made to increase control in there. I think the problem you are trying to address with this new change is a problem which was caused by all the other changes which have been implemented. People enjoyed being able to PM each other WHILE also participating in a general chat, but because a few users abused the feature every user was punished. This has been the ongoing way to address issues in chat: someone abuses it, the other users duly report it, and then all get punished by having things taken away or having generalized rules applied to everyone. Yes, dealing with the individual problem children is time-consuming, but it's the correct way to deal with issues. Setting up rules that punish everyone is the easy way out.

When I first joined chat there was a regular group of responsible adults in there who worked out of their own maturity and sense of responsibility to control the actions of the "wilder" people in there, as control was added, those regulars dropped out slowly, and so now you have a chat room which is mostly dead or given over to inane chatter.

A really good community was destroyed. I still miss the chat room I joined when I first came into UM and miss the great conversations and friendships I built there.

We're not going to risk the safety of our members for the sake of allowing a handful of people to use the private chat, I can't stress enough how important it was for that feature to be removed. The chat room is an environment for live chat with other members in the open, it is not intended as a live private messaging service.


No feature of the chat room has been removed due to abuse apart from the private messaging system.

Dealing with an individual problem and not implementing any changes to address that issue as a whole and to stop it from disrupting the room again in future would be the 'easy way out', in my opinion. We've never implemented any chat room rules that 'punish' anyone, nor anything that wouldn't be expected on any moderated forum or chat room service.


I beg to differ, the community was never 'destroyed'. The room is still there, it's always been there - people come and go all the time as they do in any chat service. There has never been anything to stop you or anyone else from using the chat room, you don't need to be able to send private messages to people in there in order to make friends , take part in a conversation or have fun.

The changes made in the chat room have been purely aimed at benefiting our members even if the exact reasoning might not be apparant to some. We can't please everyone, but those that do give it a chance should find that the chat room is still a friendly and interesting place to visit and well worth a look.

Saru, we all know it's your site and you have all the power and authority to do what you decide is best for your site. I was merely posting my views based on my personal experience. When I joined the chat room there were usually anywhere from 14 to 20 people in there and the conversations were lively and did get out of hand sometimes, but there was also a feeling that the people chatting enjoyed the company and like I said, tried to insure things stayed on a "family friendly" basis as much as possible.

People tell me what is going on.

To be honest I don't need chatroom to enjoy this site. I like the forums much better. The topics are lots more interesting.