The Shoutbox is gone...for now

[Matthias720]

As many of you know, the shoutbox is gone. It is not gone forever. Let's get that out of the way right up front. This is NOT the end. The shoutbox is currently undergoing evaluation and we are working on a better implementation of it to try and suit everyone's particular preferences. We may not meet that for everyone, but we will try our best. This is just another period of change and growth for the forum, and we want to see how the community dynamic works at the moment and figure out ways of improving it. That being said, I do want to address a couple of points.

First off, I've logged in many times to see the box being utilized in a manner that I believe is a detriment to the forum. It seems unhealthy to see a string of repeated nonsense, page-stretching images, and non-inclusive conversation to the exclusion of others. The shoutbox was supposed to take day-to-day conversation and streamline it into something constructive and fleshed out. Instead, with every menial thread being transferred into the box, order was swiftly lost and trampled in a stampede of chaos and "lol, so random" chatter. That content is fine, but having 17 repetitions of the same phrase posted at the top of the main page is unacceptable. That content belongs in the Cellars.

Second, I have seen general discontent with James Gryphon as the instigator of this takedown. While he was the one who pulled the plug, he only did it with my explicit permission. I made the decision; me and only me. He asked, and I said yes. I did so because we can do so much better than what we have. And if any of you don't think self-improvement is something that is to strive for, I want to point out that the original implementation of the shoutbox was such an improvement not that long ago. I want better for you, and you should want better for you. So give us time to figure out the next step, and hopefully it will be a smashing success.

Finally, I appreciate any and all feedback you give me and James on the future of the shoutbox. We want to ensure that your forum experience is the best that it can be. Without constructive feedback, we only have our intuition to try and find a workable solution. Give us what you can in feedback, and we'll do our best to take all input into consideration.

And if for some reason we decide to not reimplement the shoutbox, there WILL be an announcement topic talking about exactly why we chose to do so. At this time, however, that isn't in the cards. Let us do our job and you'll be able to play around with new features and toys soon (some of which are being implemented as I type this). Thank you for your understanding, patience, and cooperation in the matter. You're thoughts and opinions matter.

[Matthias720]

UPDATE: After much serious consideration, the Staff has decided to not reimplement the shoutbox. But, before any of you can cry foul, read further down, as there's a lot to unpack on this subject.

There has been a notable increase across most of the forum boards since the shoutbox was removed. We want to have the community involved in the day-to-day activities that go on here. The 'box definitely took some portion of attention away from more serious discussions. For a smaller community such as ours, that just isn't healthy for our long-term survival. When guests wander in and see so few posts, they will be less inclined to join when we, in their eyes, have little to offer in terms of engagement. By moving much of the shoutbox conversation back onto the boards, we boost our numbers and encourage growth within the community.

All that being said, I know many of you miss the immediacy of contact the 'box provided. We are looking into other avenues to give that same experience without compromising the boards and their importance. If there are any developments, they will be announced here. In the meantime, the Skype group, Discord server, and, to a lesser extent, the Steam group can support live chat functionality. Those avenues are not under the same umbrella as the forum, but you are free to use them as you choose to.

Finally, some of you may have noticed when you aren't logged in, that there is a message saying that the shoutbox cannot be used unless you are logged in. The staff is currently using the shoutbox and evaluating if it has other functionally for the forums. If anything is determined and decided on, it will be announced here, as well.

We thank you for your patience as we work on improving the forum and providing you with new features. As always, your feedback and comments are appreciated and very important to us. With your help, this community will grow and thrive. Thank you for your contribution!