As I'm sure you've noticed, it's been a busy month for us here at Empire Avenue HQ.
In the last little we've been busy introducing new features, moving to a new support system, and improving the experience for our growing user base by tweaking and improving our servers.
But wait, there's more!
And, while we've been doing all that, we've also introduced a new layer to the Empire Avenue website -- the Chat functionality.
Previously on-site interaction was limited to shout-outs and forum-like activity of our city, brand/interest, and personal communities.
Now, we've added a very cool 'live' dynamic to the Empire Avenue website with Chat.
Basically, it's a jump back in time to the old-school special-interest chat rooms hosted on sites like CompuServe, AmericaOnline (before they became AOL) and The Well.
Seek and ye shall find
One of the challenges in managing chat services is finding the right mix of engaging and dedicated chat moderators who willingly volunteer their time and passion (no, they're not Empire Avenue staffers), and I'm happy to announce that we've found some with our current crop :)
And we’re seeing results! We’re happy to say, that since our moderators have started managing the chatrooms, during the times they’re ‘on’, room activity and engagement has increased over periods when the chatrooms have been un-moderated.
They've got style!
Yes, they're all seasoned Empire Avenue vets, with lots of information and experience to share. While all Empire Avenue chat room moderators work from common set of guidelines, each has their own particular style of 'working the room'.
Some prefer to act as bouncers, staying in the background and assisting when needed, yet watching for trouble and giving warnings (or evictions) as the situation warrants.
Others prefer to join the party, acting as any great host would, engaging in conversation with any and all, directing EAv newbies to good reference or conversational resources, and basically working hard to ensure a good time is had by all.
They all have their own 'way' of managing a room, in an unbiased and fair manner, and each is responsible for one simple thing -- keeping the chat rooms warm and welcoming.
So what do they do when they're doing that thing they do?
Among other things, the role of a chat room moderator is to support activity in the chat room by:
Evolution / Revolution
Some of you may know this already, but just in case you didn’t, the Empire Avenue development team didn’t write the chat code and we don’t host the chat servers -- that’s the result of a great partnership with our friends at Envolve.
Our team have been managing the implementation of their chat service -- which also means that we’ve been taking notes as you’ve mentioned problems and offered suggestions to improve Empire Avenue chat. And we’re working with Envolve to implement some of them as fast as we can, so watch for Empire Avenue chat to continue to evolve.
On with the show!
That's pretty much it. We've got chat. We've got new mods -- and more are on the way. Interested? Ping us through Support!
So remember, these folk are volunteers who are passionate about Empire Avenue, and are there to help -- feel free to give them a 'Thanks for being there...' from time to time. As some would say, "...being a chat room moderator is a thankless job."
Give them some thanks :)
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