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Suggestion for IPS. New Type of Forum: Chat Thread


gabs007

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Hi guys. I don't know if someone has already suggested this in the past. I used the search a bit, but I didn't find anything.
Yesterday I was considering again ways to improve my communities and this idea came again to my mind because I have discussed it with a few friends. I'm convinced it's a good option.


The issue here is,  why do forums are less and less used everyday ? Well, for me it happens the same with photography. Why do bridge cameras are less and less used every day ?
The answer is pretty simple, we are dealing with a new generation of people that use the phone, instead of a full computer. The same way people don't need bridge cameras because they have phone cameras, they don't need forums because they have "messaging applications". How can we make forums look more appealing ? well, let's disguise them and turn some forums into conversations.

Ok, now I know what you are going to say...  "we have the mobile template". Yes, the mobile template is a good step, but it's not enough. IT's a good step to read a classic forum in an easier way. 
IPS is closing chat because people use the chat less and less. Real time chat is not something people need or use in a forum (they already have the applications in their phones), people hate he word chat nowadays anyway. People don't like to think they are chatting. People like to think they are using hte phone to communicate with other people, with friends etc.

you need a new type of forum that looks like a messenger screen, You need to create a forum where you can start topics where people can join and participate the same way the do with their phones:  skype, messenger, sms, line, whatsapp, telegram, etc etc.

This:

phones.thumb.png.26c7644440a1a0b1df329012f2081275.png

Where every line is a post comment. And every topic is like a group. Something that looks familiar.
You could also add a feature where the topic author could join users (followers) to the conversation directly, just like whatsapp. With the correct template, you could turn a forum into a messanger system. Just keep it simple. In fact, I'm sure a skilled template creator could use CSS to do something similar with IPS 4, So why not having something like this by default ?
 

With the mobile template Now we get something like this:

Screenshot.thumb.png.a42d4d1a17feb15f0863aa12694e6c24.png

 

The above picture is taken from one of my communities. Can you see how many useless & wasted white space we have in the mobile template ? But if you disregard many forum options like "likes, edits, quotes, post count, member group, reputation" etcc, you could turn a topic into a simple chat with only names & avatar pics & the message. We just need Avatar, name, message & timestamp. and force people to write less with a smaller text box like phones.

People could use a forum & topics like any other of their messaging systems.
Can you see in this picture how many more comments  skype uses in one screenshot, for example in the mobile device:

sky14_scr_andphone_ver5-3_16to9_port_1to1message_en_72dpi.thumb.png.822035b91718dd5b8ffa992d1ca5f8e8.png

 

I'm not saying convert the mobile template into this. The mobile template has its own purpose. What I say is, the same way we have 2 types of forums now: classic forums & Question and Answer Forums. I'm convinced any Community need a chit chat forum or a new type of topic that behaves and looks like a messaging window for mobile, tablets and why not ? also PC.
It's a new feature, but a feature that makes absolutely sense to people that uses phones. 

Thanks for reading this and sorry for my English, I know it's not perfect :sweat: but I tried to be clear.

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I think he means an alternative "thread template" in the forum app, maximal condensed and with simple minimal functions.

As a display alternative to the classic mobile thread view.

The mobile design of this thread display template should orientate itself to messenger designs and functions like WhatsApp.

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7 hours ago, Cyboman said:

I think he means an alternative "thread template" in the forum app, maximal condensed and with simple minimal functions.

As a display alternative to the classic mobile thread view.

The mobile design of this thread display template should orientate itself to messenger designs and functions like WhatsApp.

Yes, that's it, though the classic mobile thread has its own purpose, there is no need to replace it, but to add a new visual option for selected forums.

If you trick people, if you "convince" them that they are chatting instead of posting, if you make the environment familiar,  you will promote participation.
The success of whatsapp, messenger, line & skype is a sign that it is the path to follow and explore for communities with registered users.
Even Whatasapp has web functions, and people use them more and more instead of the phone. 

Anyway, reading that IPs is going to remove the chat in May 2017 and put efforts in other areas. I thought this could be a path to explore. 

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  • 10 months later...
On 3/1/2017 at 11:35 PM, gabs007 said:

Hi guys. I don't know if someone has already suggested this in the past. I used the search a bit, but I didn't find anything.
Yesterday I was considering again ways to improve my communities and this idea came again to my mind because I have discussed it with a few friends. I'm convinced it's a good option.


The issue here is,  why do forums are less and less used everyday ? Well, for me it happens the same with photography. Why do bridge cameras are less and less used every day ?
The answer is pretty simple, we are dealing with a new generation of people that use the phone, instead of a full computer. The same way people don't need bridge cameras because they have phone cameras, they don't need forums because they have "messaging applications". How can we make forums look more appealing ? well, let's disguise them and turn some forums into conversations.

Ok, now I know what you are going to say...  "we have the mobile template". Yes, the mobile template is a good step, but it's not enough. IT's a good step to read a classic forum in an easier way. 
IPS is closing chat because people use the chat less and less. Real time chat is not something people need or use in a forum (they already have the applications in their phones), people hate he word chat nowadays anyway. People don't like to think they are chatting. People like to think they are using hte phone to communicate with other people, with friends etc.

you need a new type of forum that looks like a messenger screen, You need to create a forum where you can start topics where people can join and participate the same way the do with their phones:  skype, messenger, sms, line, whatsapp, telegram, etc etc.

This:

phones.thumb.png.26c7644440a1a0b1df329012f2081275.png

Where every line is a post comment. And every topic is like a group. Something that looks familiar.
You could also add a feature where the topic author could join users (followers) to the conversation directly, just like whatsapp. With the correct template, you could turn a forum into a messanger system. Just keep it simple. In fact, I'm sure a skilled template creator could use CSS to do something similar with IPS 4, So why not having something like this by default ?
 

With the mobile template Now we get something like this:

Screenshot.thumb.png.a42d4d1a17feb15f0863aa12694e6c24.png

 

The above picture is taken from one of my communities. Can you see how many useless & wasted white space we have in the mobile template ? But if you disregard many forum options like "likes, edits, quotes, post count, member group, reputation" etcc, you could turn a topic into a simple chat with only names & avatar pics & the message. We just need Avatar, name, message & timestamp. and force people to write less with a smaller text box like phones.

People could use a forum & topics like any other of their messaging systems.
Can you see in this picture how many more comments  skype uses in one screenshot, for example in the mobile device:

sky14_scr_andphone_ver5-3_16to9_port_1to1message_en_72dpi.thumb.png.822035b91718dd5b8ffa992d1ca5f8e8.png

 

I'm not saying convert the mobile template into this. The mobile template has its own purpose. What I say is, the same way we have 2 types of forums now: classic forums & Question and Answer Forums. I'm convinced any Community need a chit chat forum or a new type of topic that behaves and looks like a messaging window for mobile, tablets and why not ? also PC.
It's a new feature, but a feature that makes absolutely sense to people that uses phones. 

Thanks for reading this and sorry for my English, I know it's not perfect :sweat: but I tried to be clear.

Hope Ips can consider point from final and mayority user experience...a better mobile template

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Hi ! :sweat:  I'm surprised this topic was awaken. Since I wrote it in march 2017, I would like to add something else.

The reason why I started this topic and included this suggestion was based on the fact that young people use mobile devices for a lot of things. 
I'm a forum "dinosaur", I like topic, threads, posts, replies etc. I'm quite used to that.  But I'm 44 and I lived those times between 2002 -2007 were forums were developing. On the other hand, my girlfriend is 26 and she didn't experienced those times. She likes using her phone for everything: shopping, browsing etc. She can avoid computers and think of computers like the tool in her job. She doesn't need a computer, she uses the phone and an ipad. I can tell you her friends do the same.
While I prefer a computer with 2 screens ( the bigger the better). She doesn't understand forums very well because she is used to have conversations inside just 1 category ( like whatsapp or skype ) - if you create a category tree with more than 1 level she gets confused with the phones and leaves; not interesting for her. 

When I suggested a forum type with special CSS configuration to look like a chat, was to attract younger people to forums and make them more appealing for them. I can understand why general chats lost their sense, because there were too free and open. People couldn't focus on specific subjects. Whatsapp has groups with a purpose and you can join them or leave them and they work.

In my opinion, the new club feature is another strong asset for this suggestion. Imagine you could add a tab in your club for short or text conversations among members. They could have a tab for topics, a tab for pictures, a tab for events and a tab for chatting. Text messaging makes much more sense for specific or even more niche communities because they have a common goal. 

Probably some widgets can already do that. I  don't know, maybe it's better to have a widget for a club chat and not an official application or feature from IPS.
And this is a suggestion, I could be completely wrong and this could be a terrible idea. I was trying to add another 2 cents to the topic after almost 1 year. :thumbsup:
 

 

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The reduced chat-like topics layout sounds great. I might just try it out on one of my sites. Should be easy to do. 

Not so sure about the actual chat options. Yes, younger people are used to that from social media and messengers – but not doing it this way is what makes our sites more useful. If we do it the same way, why would they want our sites? They got their apps already. The last community I started was opened for this very reason, in a field where people only used Facebook groups and Line chats. So everything was always a mess. Everyone question came up again after 3 days because in a chat the old answers are lost and so on. 

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1 hour ago, trananhls said:

Great idea!!!

Just reduce useless & wasted white space in the mobile template:thumbsup:

For mobile purposal, add botton effect for touch with finger....add ability hiding secundary information, e.g. Below of topic title is "by author Name", many time my members want to touch title but finger is so big and instead go to topic, go to author profile....

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8 hours ago, gabs007 said:

Hi ! :sweat:  I'm surprised this topic was awaken. Since I wrote it in march 2017, I would like to add something else.

The reason why I started this topic and included this suggestion was based on the fact that young people use mobile devices for a lot of things. 
I'm a forum "dinosaur", I like topic, threads, posts, replies etc. I'm quite used to that.  But I'm 44 and I lived those times between 2002 -2007 were forums were developing. On the other hand, my girlfriend is 26 and she didn't experienced those times. She likes using her phone for everything: shopping, browsing etc. She can avoid computers and think of computers like the tool in her job. She doesn't need a computer, she uses the phone and an ipad. I can tell you her friends do the same.
While I prefer a computer with 2 screens ( the bigger the better). She doesn't understand forums very well because she is used to have conversations inside just 1 category ( like whatsapp or skype ) - if you create a category tree with more than 1 level she gets confused with the phones and leaves; not interesting for her. 

When I suggested a forum type with special CSS configuration to look like a chat, was to attract younger people to forums and make them more appealing for them. I can understand why general chats lost their sense, because there were too free and open. People couldn't focus on specific subjects. Whatsapp has groups with a purpose and you can join them or leave them and they work.

In my opinion, the new club feature is another strong asset for this suggestion. Imagine you could add a tab in your club for short or text conversations among members. They could have a tab for topics, a tab for pictures, a tab for events and a tab for chatting. Text messaging makes much more sense for specific or even more niche communities because they have a common goal. 

Probably some widgets can already do that. I  don't know, maybe it's better to have a widget for a club chat and not an official application or feature from IPS.
And this is a suggestion, I could be completely wrong and this could be a terrible idea. I was trying to add another 2 cents to the topic after almost 1 year. :thumbsup:
 

 

Thank you, this is big problem I have too

Recently I try use tabs of clubs for meeting topics...

but right now, desktop stronger....mobile is ugly and missing design point comparing with mobile apps

I have to say, mobile template should be design from modern use habit, and from end user point, not from admins or coder who obviouly choosing big screen for work and play IPS, the end users are ours market. 

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