The Conspiracy Room

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Lovely Ladies (and Gorgeous Gentlemen, if you're out there) of the Court of Queen Rowana, it appears we have a problem.

Chatzy has decided to block our conspiracies from our view, namely by cutting off the backlog and refusing to allow access without us paying at least nine dollars to see it again.

It appears to me we have a few options:

1) Pay the nine dollars, retrieve the backlog, then search for another chatroom service.

2) Pay the nine dollars, and keep paying it whenever Chatzy decides to make us pay again.

3) Don't pay anything, and search for another chatroom service.

4) Don't pay anything, and stick with a backlogless Chatzy.


From what I understand, the reason the comm uses Chatzy is for the backlog.  I think the chatroom is a great thing (and not just because it keeps me far, far away from my homework), and I think the comm would be seriously bereft without it.  But right now we have a problem, and I think it needs solving.

Plus, this is a matter of life or death for the crackfic!  Crucial pieces of future chapters are contained in the backlog!  The story may never end without those crucial plot points!

I thought I'd raise the issue for discussion, other ideas, and solutions.  So...comment and plot away!

Edit:  You guys are fantastically brilliant.  Special thanks to Nutmeg for giving Chatzy money to rescue the backlog (now we all know who to ask for bail money, ~_^).

Comments

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

Wasn't this already a problem, and we were supposed to have been looking for another chat service? I totally don't remember. I'll ask 'Costis'; he might have a good idea, or even be able to make us one because he does have witchlike powers of html and so forth.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

Well, before, the chat room was the free one. If I understand correctly, it was upgraded for a while as a sort of courtesy because it didn't work for so long. So I'm not sure we use Chatzy because of the backlog, but someone else might be able to verify that.

I would go for options 1 or 2, except my vote really shouldn't count, because I have no way of contributing at the moment without trying to explain the whole thing to my parents, and I doubt they'd approve. So... consider me an observer without a vote. I'll make myself useful by looking at other chat room services.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

Can I steal your icon, Jade?

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm perfectly willing to throw down the nine dollars to retrieve the backlog, but my parents still have access to my bank account, so I'm kind of in the same boat you are.

And yes, you may steal the icon that I stole from someone else on the comm but didn't know who to credit. (if the real Gen icon will please stand up)

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

I don't do the chats, so I don't know if this is possible or okay or what, but why doesn't everyone who wants to chat get AIM or YM or a similar free IM service? And then everyone could go online at the same time, and one person could start the chat and invite everyone else. It makes things slightly more difficult, but also doesn't rely on a webservice.

I think MSN Messenger automatically logs everything.

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

AIM dosen't have a backlog, and the chat rooms are only temporary. Also, any new users would have no way to introduce themselves without being invited. I think that's why we don't already use something like AIM or MSN.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to throw in a few bucks to get the backlog back while we decide how to move forward. Just tell me how.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

PS - Great icon. You just can't trust that Gen, LOL!

[fizzko.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to be unable to really have an opinion either way--I have little understanding of how the chats work--but could you please credit me for the icon you're using? Thanks. I was happy beyond words to see someone else using it. :)

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

OH YAY! I didn't know who did it, so I couldn't credit! Thanks for speaking up!

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

YO!!

Nobody needs to throw down any cash just yet. Costis says he can make us a room and host it off my site. Or something. I don't know how long it will take or anything, but he says he's going to start tonight =)

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Too late. But at least now you (or someone) can rescue the backloog.

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

Anyways, if Costis does create a code, you guys are welcome to use my webspace like yuo do for the read-aloud files. ^__^ So that's not to be worried about.

[(Anonymous)]

I emailed fabricalchemist with a suggestion: you guys might try starting an IRC channel. It's free, and pretty easy to get used to. If anyone wants to get in touch with me, I'm on IRCHighway with the nick FekketCantenel.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

Jade-- the new usage limit will last a lot longer without our insane backlog, I think. Do you have IM? Is that convenient for you for plotting?

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

it's fine, though I'm not on it as often. I emailed you my screenname.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

OK, I've got the backlog saved up to 1690 KB (current for now). We'll have to keep an eye on our usage limits and keep saving. It wouldn't hurt to have redundant copies, either.

[(Anonymous)]

Or we could stick with Chatzy and make our own backlog by copy and pasting the chat and posting it on livejournal.

Three cheers for Nutmeg!!! Hip-hip HOORAY! Hip-hip HOORAY! Hip-hip HOORAY!

emerald ;)

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

that takes SO MUCH TIME. I tried to do it once, but you have to reformat it--if you just copy and paste you ended up with a huge deluge of stuff and lj won't let you post it. Rowana's a saint for doing it.

[jyms.livejournal.com]

oh yay! so is the crisis sort of over?
copy and paste would be the most 'direct' thing to do though it's pretty tediousish; but hey it works.
don't ask me about chatroom thingies because i'm netblind.i've never been in a chatroom ever except the conspiracy, and even then no one was there =/
btw,today was first day of the new term of school so i am feeling very dead.
and i'll give a =D to anyone who can guess what my icon is...

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that one thing I like about Chatzy is that the backlog goes away after awhile. I feel freer to blather on in there than I would be if I knew everything I said was going to be copied and posted to Sounis.

Chatzy is a pain, but the room stays there whether anyone is in it or not, which isn't true of AIM and others. And no one has to be invited; as long as you know the password you can get in. You can even chat by yourself as a way of leaving messages for others.

Thanks, Nutmeg, for picking up the tab. :)

We tried YM first but a lot of folks didn't want to download the program, and once we left, the room went away. We've been saying for months that we need a better chat room, but I have no suggestions as to what else is out there.

[rowana.livejournal.com]

Huh. Looks like I'm late. :) Thank you Nutmeg for offering to pay!

I have to admit, I am rather fond of chatzy for the same reasons as Checkers - I do like the idea that anything idiotic I say will be gone eventually.

I've done a little searching for something better, but couldn't find anything that would be permanent, and give us the same advantages that Chatzy does.

[arthurfleming.livejournal.com]

I would be the "Costis" mentioned by fabricalchemist. I'm probably going to end up getting my own IRC server for my own personal amusement anyway. It's going to run the same software as dal.net, so if any of you use that irc network you pretty much know what to expect. It's a bunch of software to set up (and learn), so it's will probably be a bit before it's up and running.

If I get this going relativly soon I'll pop back in with the details. There's alot I've got on my plate at the moment as far as setting up websites go. :D

[(Anonymous)]

Why not just use an existing server, like IRCHighway?

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

Is this a one-person/one-computer job, or is there anything I could help with?