The New TCBF Group Chat Box

The TCBF Shoutbox has been has been replaced by the new TCBF Group Chat Box.

There were a lot of issues with the Shoutbox, the biggest being that it only showed the last 20 shouts before they rolled off.

The new Chat Box is MUCH more powerful and has tons of bells and whistles that I think you're going to like. Here are just a few of the features:
- Private messaging
- Avatars
- Auto embedding of links
- Server storage of images
- Configurable fonts and backgrounds
- Audible announcement of new chat messages (also configurable) - I love this!

Now, the first thing other forum administrators will say is to NEVER install a chat program because it decreases posting on the forum. But this isn't a commercial site, and it isn't monetized in any way (no one earns a penny here). This forum has always been about information, education, and fun. So if it decreases posting, so be it...I don't care. The only thing I ask is that you occasionally use the chat box to advertise interesting or important forum posts, that way it drives people back to it. The best part about the forum is that it is permanent storage of information in a logical framework that can be searched.

I'll let you guys figure out how to use the chat box. It's pretty self-explanatory, but if you have questions, post them in this thread and I'm sure someone will have an answer for you.

To get you started, just sign up for the chat (it's Chatango) with an email addy and password. Check the 'remember me' box (or whatever it's called) so you never have to log in again.

To avoid confusion, I would recommend that you:
- Select a user name that's the same or close to your forum name.
- Keep your forum and chat avatar the same - it only takes a second to update it.