Battlestar Wiki talk:Think Tank/IRC

Ok, I don't know if anyone here regularly uses IRC. I do and I have mIRC installed. I could get us a channel on a server. Though anyone can really, but I have experience in it and even know a helpdesk person of the network.

mIRC is easy to use if you know how, but for newbies probably less so. And it's a hassle to install a program if you only want to talk now and then or just once.
As an alternative to mIRC there are java web clients where you just type in a name and it automatically connects. Sometimes even without registration. But those are worse for experienced users. I often accidently close the window because it runs in the web browser.
Those come in two forms. One than you run yourself and can choose your own server/channel. And another that's installed or linked to on websites and just connects to a specified server/channel. The latter would be a good for a site like BSWiki. You could link to it in the navigation menu and regulars as well as newbies can chat. But I don't know where to get those applets or how to set them up.

Not sure what would be the best option here. --Serenity 17:56, 16 September 2006 (CDT)

IRC: Good, Bad, and the Ugly

I have no issue with an IRC channel as a means to get feedback on how well the Wiki's doing from a fan's perspective... except I think it's a poor way to make decisions that affect the Wiki. Anything that directly affects the wiki should be made on-wiki. Period. (It's an unwritten rule that all of us have pretty much gone by since the creation of the wiki, and perhaps it's time we codified that too prior to the start of S3.)

Here's why IRC is a poor substitute for talk pages: talk pages allow the conversations to be open and permanent. So, at a user's will, they can go back and look through talk pages to find out how something was established. Talk pages are merely instant documentation on how something was decided (or not); IRC doesn't really allow this (sure, you can archive a chat, but that's more hassle than it is worth), also you'll have the same conversation happening in two completely different mediums. This redundancy I would very much like to avoid, since your average user would -- rightfully! -- be flummoxed.

The goal of wiki software is to simplify things in the first place. People who use wiki software don't have to have knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, etc. People don't need to load extra software on their computer to use the wiki; all they need is a web browser. And, in reality, that's all they should need.

Also, while communicating one-on-one is good for certain things, there are many users in different time zones; to get everyone together in a chat medium is, for lack of a better term, a clusterfrakkin headache. Talk pages allow people to converse in other timezones and isn't an incovenience for them. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 19:13, 16 September 2006 (CDT)

Yeah, I' m aware of that and IRC is indeed a bad tool for policy making and any kind of important decision. But it might be a way to talk about small things here and there, like articles. If something really fundamental about an article needs to be discussed, that can go back to the talk pages.
Another thing that might be useful for some is just coordinating and helping each other. Like saying "Can you check out that page" or "What do you think about my latest addition" or "How do I do x?". Things like that

And in my experience times zones aren' t that much of a problem for power chatters. US East Coast to Europe is 5 and 6 hours. So latenight Euros can talk to early evening Americans for example. --Serenity 19:22, 16 September 2006 (CDT)

As long as this is all it's being used for, I really don't have any other objections to note, at least not at the moment. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 19:50, 16 September 2006 (CDT)

My comments are the same for this as for the nforum suggested a while ago. I think its a really great idea and cool to get people talking but it should not be used to discuss issues relating to the wiki. It should be kept primerily talk about bsg the program or about off topic stuff --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 04:42, 18 September 2006 (CDT)

I don't think an IRC channel is appropriate. There are other websites which host forums and chat rooms for discussion of the show. Any official BS Wiki IRC channel would inevitably lead to policy discussions, which as discussed above, belong here, in the Talk: namespace. --Peter Farago 23:44, 30 September 2006 (CDT)

Nobody was interested in a chat anyway so i dropped it for Shane to register. MatthewFenton 04:20, 1 October 2006 (CDT)

Another thing about thing about having an IRC channel for the wiki would be the need for transcripts (or logs) of the chats, since, in my opinion, it would seem to defy the purpose of a wiki if there is no logs. It wouldn't be hard to make a kind of drone or bot that automatically records the chats. That's just my opinion. Moo 16:09, 12 December 2006 (CST)