The Town of Odyssey

In light of the ToO breaking (hopefully temporarily) in the near future, I created a Discord server to maybe keep in touch while the forum is down.

You can join here @ https://discord.gg/uNkRrFJ

Does anyone have ideas for it? Let me know in this thread!

Why aren't we using the Chatroom?

bookworm wrote:Why aren't we using the Chatroom?

I knew that would come up!
Basically the reason I don't use it is because:
1. You can't see/read messages from when you weren't active.
2. I think it's kind of dated.
3. There aren't many people usually on it that are active.

Feel free to contradict me

When we're having trouble maintaining users of the communities we already have in place we shouldn't be further dispersing to new ones.

I agree, I just feel like we are splitting the community further. I like the modern function of Discord (I've barely used it though), however, I would prefer we use an already established place (such as Odyssey Chat).

I'm an old lady, so adding a new thing to my list isn't likely. If there are people who want to communicate that way, I think that's up to individuals to decide what works for them and the people they're staying in touch with.

A2Z wrote:

bookworm wrote:Why aren't we using the Chatroom?

I knew that would come up!
Basically the reason I don't use it is because:
1. You can't see/read messages from when you weren't active.
2. I think it's kind of dated.
3. There aren't many people usually on it that are active.

Feel free to contradict me

Discord is better on mobile devices as well I think--which is probably maybe what most people are usually using? Plus then its like an app on the phone and not a URL you have to track down. Although I SUPPOSE you can save the address to the chat room. And there are probably mobile chat clients that save all that.

I'm willing to give it a shot. Some might pefer discord over chat.

It sounds like I may have started something that might not have been a good idea. But seriously, is it actually that bad of an idea? I think IRC is kinda old... (1988??)
Does everyone actually prefer IRC or is it just a tradition thing? The last thing it want to do is tear apart this community.

Tear it down!!!!!!!

I'm just going to go with the flow. Whatever the majority of users decide, I'll go with it, whether it be discord or the ToO chats.

I personally think the discord could have potential during the time of forum darkness. There are people there right now that rarely even come in the chat.

Monica Stone wrote:I'm just going to go with the flow. Whatever the majority of users decide, I'll go with it, whether it be discord or the ToO chats.

You can come check it out instead of just talking about it!

A2Z wrote:Basically the reason I don't use it is because:
1. You can't see/read messages from when you weren't active.
2. I think it's kind of dated.
3. There aren't many people usually on it that are active.

Feel free to contradict me

I'm not going to contradict since nothing you said is really incorrect, but I am going to counter.

1. That's by design. It's a chatroom, for passing conversation. If something is supposed to be a long running discussion we put it on the forum. And maybe some people don't want their chat messages archived forever; a real time chatroom is an entirely different dynamic than a message board.

2. Technically true, going by age, but I think you may be conflating datedness with simplicity. The IRC protocol is old, but the age has no affect on the user experience. It does exactly what it's intended to do. Functionally there's nothing making it feel dated or perform in a lacking way unless you're looking beyond the actual usage of the service to something additional like not having fancy features, but those are something it was never meant to have in the first place.

3. I don't mean this to be rude, it's a genuine question: If the reason you don't use it is because there aren't many other people using it... doesn't that make you part of the problem? People who feel that way specifically should start using it more precisely for that reason. Otherwise it's just circular reasoning that will never change the situation.


Additional reasons I support using the established Chatroom over starting something new that are more substantial than 'it's already there' (which is still a very valid reason):

Discord is a third party service and the functionality is entirely dependent on how another organization wants to operate. Aside from the deeper implications that come with that kind of arrangement (data privacy and that kind of thing) it's not insignificant that by being reliant on their platform we have no real control over the functionality of the chat server. Things work the way Discord decides to work until they change their mind about something which can happen at any time. On Tim's IRC server we have full control over functionality and confidence operations will continue in the way we want.

Relying on an underlying platform also brings in availability issues. For a Discord channel to be functional the Discord service needs to be working. In the very short time since I've begun using Discord for school projects and for my job there have already been at least two outages. I don't recall that there has ever been an unplanned outage of the Chatroom in the over a decade it's been in place. IRC is its own service reliant on nothing but the server it's installed on, if it's up and running the Chatroom is working.

There are also side matters, such as Discord not having our really neat Gamebot which is created specifically to operate on IRC.

The Top Crusader wrote:Discord is better on mobile devices as well I think--which is probably maybe what most people are usually using? Plus then its like an app on the phone and not a URL you have to track down.

If you're using IRC on your phone by going to the URL and using the in-browser client you're definitely doing it wrong. Frequent mobile chatters should install an IRC app. See this thread for recommendations of the best options and details on how to configure them for the ToO Chatroom!

A2Z wrote:It sounds like I may have started something that might not have been a good idea. But seriously, is it actually that bad of an idea?

It's not specific to Discord, I'd have the same objections to starting up any new additional platform. The concern is splintering the community, it doesn't matter where to. We already have established communication channels: the forum for primary community and the chatroom for just hanging out. There simply isn't a need to bring in something else that doesn't supply something that one of the things already in place doesn't provide. All it does is cause the community to get spread out even more. We've lost members to other forums over the years, depending on how long this outage lasts it will probably happen again now to an extent, a new chat system just creates one more place where some people will go to and others won't.

It's no surprise to people who know me, but I agree with bookworm and snubs in this matter.

I'll also note that IRC, by virtue of its age and simplicity, has the advantage of broad compatibility. You can access #aio from virtually any machine that can get online; I've taken advantage of that a number of times on my Power Mac G4. This might not matter to most people, but it is an advantage and something that could come up occasionally.

I've never used it myself, but it seems most of the 'cool kids' these days are using IRCCloud, a popular service that seems to be a Discord-like IRC client, offering drag-and-drop image hosting, and periodic server trouble, just like Discord*.

* To be fair, I only remember one Discord outage, but it's had other problems over the last few years to make up for it.

The fact of the matter is that as the incoming shutdown makes clear - ToO is a relic of a different era. And for all the mini-bursts of activity it is very much dead compared to what it once was. Discord is by far a superior life raft to preserve community communication vs irc to get through the downtime.

After that? ToO keeps on being what it is. An internet harbor that you occasionally run into people at.

Knight Fisher wrote:The fact of the matter is that as the incoming shutdown makes clear - ToO is a relic of a different era.

The shutdown doesn't reflect anything on the actual forum, only that this particular installation is technologically outdated. But your general point is taken, no message boards are not as standard a messaging platform these days as they once were.

i'm ngl i've never used discord although i've seen it for months. the ToO is a nice relic and i don't think i'd get on to any of the other things like discord or the chat (maybe once in a while). i've always liked the role this forum has played and it'll have such a special place in my heart--i've been here for over 10 years and while i haven't been so active in the last few years, the ToO will always be the place for some of my fondest memories, don't know if i would move on elsewhere

I just jumped into the ToO Chat (last time I used that my default name was jellyfish11 ) and chatted it up with Dan a bit. I was trying to remember what it was that I never found appealing about the chat. Now, comparing it to Discord, I know what it is.

As has already been mentioned, there's no way for me to see any activity prior to the beginning of my current session, which makes it seem like the loneliest place in the world unless I happen to be on at the same time as others. But if I close it out and open it back up: gone. That complete lack of history or sense of deeply imbedded community takes away pretty much the entire appeal of the ToO for me.

Discord doesn't have that, either. (Although there's at least a chance to build up something new there if people were inclined.) Any place that is not this current iteration of the ToO will lack a big part of what so many of us love about this place. And that's okay.

I'm apart of another forum that also has a long history (20 years) and has spent the last several years struggling against the tightening grip of irrelevance. Similarly to the ToO, current activity never really justifies the cost of keeping the place alive, but there remains that handful of people who pop their heads in every few months or so as if to just make sure it's still there; that their entire backlog of memories haven't been deleted.

so, basically to echo marvin: nostalgia.

I feel like there's been several very valid points made here; I don't have much to add except that as someone who's rarely active at the same time as other people, the idea of being able to add my weird takes to everyone else's at 4am your time is appealing to me. Get on Discord babeee!