Alright, for those of you that have may have been in chat, yesterday we were having a bit of an issue and had to disable our integration. In the light of such an error, we've decided to try something.

"Are you kidding me?! I just got used to having the other chat sorted! Now what?!"

I'm glad you asked, random voice inside my head!

Instead of having it user-integrated, we've now got the chat on a log in/log out system. That means that, in order to chat, you must register a name. You do so by putting your name in the "name" slot, and clicking "profile" to set up a password! If you had a username prior, the chances are, that user could still be in the system already and you'll just have to remember your password (for those who can't, we'll help reset it for you, or delete the name to allow you to re-register it).

"So I can use my nicknames galore again?! I don't have to use my full username and match it to the forum?!"

No...no you can't. To keep confusion down and to keep the chance of username nicknames matching actual usernames on the forum, you must register with your full username. Any user who is found to be using a nickname or a username that is not their own will be deleted and asked to re-register. If you do not comply and continue to change your username, it could result in a temporary ban from chat. This isn't to be a killjoy, but to keep things as organized and easily understood as possible.

"Wait, what's that by your name?! WE CAN HAVE THOSE NOW?!"

Yes, yes, the return of chat avatars is a thing. All you need do is put a direct image link in the box that says "url/email" and voila! However, there are stipulations that go along with them.

1.) No gifs. Gifs are generally annoying as avatars, especially when the chat is flooded, so we ask that any images be static jpgs or pngs.
2.) No changing your picture a billion times because you're bored. Obviously, testing is one thing, but to change it every few minutes and continually draw attention to it is kind of obnoxious.

"What if there's a name I don't recognize and they aren't registered?!"

My my, voice, you're being awfully helpful with these prompts!

The chat will now be guest-user friendly! That way, if they have questions they need answering prior to registration, we're able to accommodate that in a prompter fashion. All that we ask is that you leave site-related questions to staff; again, this is a matter of confusion and mixed signals should a member give the wrong answer to the fresh face.

"Alright...so, log in with my forum username and set a password, we can have avatars, and it's guest-friendly! That doesn't sound too complicated!"

I didn't think so either, random voice. Just be wary of any stipulations we've got in place and you'll be golden! You still cannot pop the chat out, so following on the mobile browser on the CF page will have to suffice there, but everything else is pretty standard.

Any questions, comments, concerns? Let us know below or write me and I'll be happy to address them!

Happy chatting!
-Asteria

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