How Not To Blog ?

Online chat systems could benefit immensely from RSS integration and a different type of hierarchy based on the popularity of user conversations.

The difference between the following idea for a chat aggregator and a regular chat client is not only that you can export conversations via RSS feed and display the topic of a real-time conversation on your website (and a user can easily join a conversation by clicking on a topic), but that conversations take place in organized 'fluid segments', which means that a user can easily move back and forth between multiple conversations with ease. Perhaps most importantly, a user does not have to be in a chat room to participate in the conversation.

This idea is based on three main components:

:::Fluid Segments:::
In a regular online chat, a user joins a chat room and usually experiences multiple conversations if there is more than one other person in the room. A user can also join another room and move back and forth between rooms, participating in even more conversations. In this scenario, a room could have a countless number of topics within a chat period, displaying segments of each conversation one after another with no regard to order or categorization.

In chat aggregation, there is a much greater focus. A user participates in topics, not rooms. Topics are grouped forum-style. Sub-topics automatically graduate to Topic status depending upon popularity. Because this type of chat is more focused than other chat systems it will most likely encourage greater user participation and dialogue. Keep in mind that because of the way this chat system is designed, you don't have to be in a chat system to participate in the conversation. The conversation can be, at times, "undead". Meaning, there's no one actively chatting right now, but the conversation is still taking place.

When opening the chat aggregator, you can select the channel that you want and see a list of topics, listed in descending order by those topics with the most replies. Additionally, clicking on any topic will list any of its sub-topics, again displayed in the same kind of order.

Order is maintained because a user has two choices, start a new topic or reply to the current one. In this scheme, the popularity of the topic is of greater importance than its chronological placement. However, a user can still easily scan new topics and new posts (color coded, alerts, etc). Replies to a topic are, of course, still displayed in chronological order.

It doesn't matter if no one else is currently on the feed, as no topics will disappear before a set time (say, 30 days). You can participate in both live conversations and 'undead' conversations at the same time.

Someone could theoretically, using a chat aggregator, participate in a handful of conversations at once much the same way someone could read 100 blogs in one session using an RSS aggregator - scanning each for interesting posts. There is no need to actively participate in every chat topic one is watching, of course, but I think there is a need to have captured the many spontaneous thoughts or conversations that are lost simply because there isn't a readily available facility.

Tags could also be applied to topics, allowing for easy search through Technorati or using other methods. (When was the last time you searched an online conversation?)

:::Conversational Hierarchy:::
Conversational hierarchy is much like regular forum hierarchy. For example: A user creates the "Games" chat feed in the chat aggregator. She then creates a new topic and posts it to the chat feed. Another user can then select either the NEW TOPIC or REPLY button next to the her topic. If he selects REPLY then his reply shows up under hers, indented.

Should a user select NEW TOPIC then the new topic will show up on the same level as other topics.

The trick is to list topics and sub-topics in order of number of replies underneath it. Any sub-topics can graduate to topic level should it have more replies under it than its parent does (minus the # of replies in that topic). Only topics are listed when selecting a chat feed to participate in.

:::RSS Integration:::
Any conversation can be exported in real-time via RSS to any web page or RSS reader. Chat topics become RSS feed titles. If you see an interesting conversation you want to join instantly, you just click on the topic.

You could also display live conversations on your sidebar from, for example, the "Blog" chat feed in descending order of most popular topics. You would only need one RSS feed, and users could click on a topic in your feed sidebar to join that conversation instantly.

The ability to easily export, archive, and search online chat sessions is something that's long overdue. Though it's easy to see why it has been ignored, considering the reluctance of people to participate in current chat systems in the first place because they're such a waste of time.

The Idea
The many kinks in this chat aggregator idea haven't been worked out. (I only throught of it a few minutes ago.) But I believe that the power of one standard, open-source chat platform with feed-ability will at last revive our long lost friend, the chat room.