What a wonderful site!

[WolfeTone]

Pretty much agree with your sentiments, it is improving and there is no where near the same amount of hostility as there used to be, but there are still housing estates that you would not enter, either from a republican or unionist perspective.

I think the real problem in the North was a lack of weed in the 70s!!!!

[nihil]

I think the real problem in the North was a lack of weed in the 70s!!!!

Interesting!................. flax grows there quite well so hemp should do likewise?

[(V)/\><]

Hi Wolfe,

We don't have an IRC, just private messaging. There was IRC in the past, but, as I am sure you understand, it just cannot be moderated 24/7, and some totally unacceptable stuff got posted?

IIRC, IRC was discontinued when Jupermedia purchased the website. There were threads around at the time with discussion on this topic. I remember the main point being made about advertising in IRC, and how it was not really possible, and so no point in spending resources keeping it going.

Shame really.

Also, welcome to WolfeTone!

[JPnyc]

I don't think that was the main point. The company would be inclined to do anything that would make the site more popular, advertising or no. The big problem is there is no way to police it. Anything that is in our name requires that we maintain some type of behavioral standard

[WolfeTone]

Would it not be useful to have an IRC channel that is locked unless one of the MODs or Admins are present, be useful for discussions on the community or lectures.

[nihil]

I do not think so.

1. IRC is very much passe as far as today's net is concerned.
2. There have been numerous attempts to recreate an AO IRC but all have died due to general apathy.
3. This is an international site, so anything that was not open 24/7 would die very quickly.
4. Professional IT sites don't have chatrooms............ this is AO not AOL
5. IRC is ephemeral, and therefore, irrelevant. Professional discussion sites must have some permanence so the contents get indexed and can be looked up.

[WolfeTone]

Yeah fair points.

So if a major change has to talk place for AO, how do the admins/mods discuss?
Just trying to understand the community a bit more.

[nihil]

Hi Wolfe,

Communication is via the forums or PM or the good ole telephone............hey Tyler....... have you forgiven me for waking you at about 03.30hrs your time?

Your questions have made me think about the newer technologies of "webinars", conferencing, and suchlike.

I still see our multinationalism to be a problem............. like when we have 12.00hrs our American pals have between -5 and -8 hours and my Indian mates are +5.5 hours. Australian cobbers would be +9.5 or more?

The only solution as I see it is for JupM to buy me a beach bar in Hawaii?

Then I would be GMT -12 and permanently p1$$ED

[JPnyc]

We use mostly e-mail, unless it's time sensitive

[WolfeTone]

Ok, fair enough point, but I think nihil is on to something with the beach bar!!!