Update Jan 26, 2009: We’ve run a two week trial and got a mixed review. Most of you loved it. However, some people found it slowed down their browsers. We have turned it off until we get to the bottom of exactly which browser/operating system combinations it is, and how to fix it.

Hey everyone! We launched a trial of a new chat system about 48 hours ago. If you tell us you like it, it’ll replace our old chat system. So far y’all have sent 100,000 messages in the new system.

The old chat system is clunky, standalone, and not well-loved by anyone we talked to. The new chat is built into the bottom of every page of HOT or NOT. This means that everyone in the system is now chattable, rather than the small population who cared to open the old one.

Voila:

Left end of chat bar

What’s so great about the new chat?

• Many more people to chat with because everyone that’s on HOT or NOT is on chat
• Easily see who’s available for chatting
• Chat with multiple people at once
• Simpler, easier to use
• You get immediate notification when people want to chat with you regardless of what page you’re on — you don’t have to open a separate chat window anymore!

There’s a feedback button built into the new chat bar. You guys have been using it with abandon. We’ve been listening to it all and have been rolling out several releases a day with changes based on that feedback.

The top things currently on our list:

• Off Button. Make it painfully obvious how to turn the thing off. There’s a way right now, we keep making it more obvious, apparently we need to go further.
• Performance. We’ve already improved performance a lot, and our tools show page load times are good, but we still get some complaints that it’s slowing down page load. We will keep improving.
• Separate Window. Some of you want chat, but not in the HOT or NOT pages. We’re making a way to pop it out.

Chat Display Options

Here’s some more information about the new chat.

Who’s getting this new chat trial?
Everyone sees the chat bar at the bottom of their screen.

Can I use the OLD chat?
Yes. The old chat works the same as before.

Does new chat talk to old chat?
No. They are two separate systems.

Can I turn it off?
Yes. Click the little green dot at the right corner of the chat bar.

Can I stop others from contacting me?
Yes. Click the little green dot at the right corner of the chat bar. There’s an option to “go offline”. Just like in the IM world, that means you can initiate conversations but other people don’t see you in their list of available chatters.

Feedback
Please try out the new chat. If you have feedback, send it via the feedback button. We’re paying close attention!