FAQ: The Shout Box

Shout Box

Shout Box is a quick "chat" type of communicator that lets you "shout out" to the BB and have live conversations with those who are logged in.

The SB stores only the last 30 messages, and then they are gone forever.

Users can delete their own shouts using the [x] button next to their name. Mods can delete any/all shouts.

You can see when a shout was posted by hovering over the message.

UBB Code does NOT work in Shout Box, so you cannot bold or italics, add images, etc.

You can use the standard smilies by using the keyboard shortcuts for those smilies. You can find out the keyboard shortcuts for all the smilies by looking at the Smilie box ( ) in any text formatting window. For instance, : + ) = or : + cool + : = (no spaces. I'll add a separate FAQ on how to use Smilies later). You cannot use any other image links.

The same rules apply in Shout Box as they do in your posts. Watch the excessive language!

Shout Box (like most anything else) works best with the Firefox browser, but is usable (like most anything else, barely) with IE.

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NEW FEATURE WITH SOFTWARE VERSION 7.3:

If you start a message with /me it'll display it as an action you're performing (just like in IRC)

So typing: /me slaps Blibble around
Would display boldly as: *jgeoff slaps Blibble around

Geoff,

I know you're still getting the "bugs" fixed here on the new BB, but I'm curious..you mentioned the possibility of "live chat" one day. Is it something you are still considering?

The SB is ok, but doesn't go quick enough for me. While in the middle of posting and/or replying there's several more comments that have been posted.

TIS

It's coming, probably in a few weeks. I'll start a Chatroom thread when the time comes...

Cool! You know what's funny. I don't really understand the technicalities of how the live chat is different from the Chatroom (surprise surprise ), but it seems to go quickly and smoothly.


TIS

I don't know if this counts as a "Shout Box" question, or if it's a Firefox issue or what... but I'll ask it here anyway.

A lot of times (not always, but often enough), when I get on the BB, or when I click on a thread, or whatever, once it loads, the Shout Box will take up the bigger part of the page, and the actual posts will be in a little column on the right side. I have to click "Refresh" for it to get back to normal.

Does anyone else have this problem? Is it just a Mozilla thing? Or maybe even the other Firefox users don't experience this... is it just me? Is there anything that can be done about it?

Thanks!

Yeah... refresh the page.

(I've had it happen a few times to me. Dunno why it happens - it shouldn't, but refreshing the page always fixes it).

Sometimes that side of the page loads in before the main section -- let me know if the page actually stops loading altogether and still looks like that.

I've seen it look like that for a second, but never noticed it "finishing" like that. I use Firefox 2.0, and it's been fine for me. Or are you just impatient?

Thanks, SC.



Well I am, yes. But even if I wait, it'll say "Done" at the bottom and everything, and doesn't change until I refresh the page. Guess I'll just keep doing that, then. No big deal. Thanks for the quick responses!

Trying to "shout" in the Shout Box and it won't appear. It keeps saying "sending", but then nothing shows up. I hope that 3 hours from now, it doesn't flood the box with all of my attempts.

I just got home now, but it's working for me... guess you didn't break it after all -- give it another shot.

Just did after I saw your test. It's just not working for me, and I don't know why!! This is very frustrating!!!

Have you tried the usual stuff - restart the browser / clear browser cache / clear cookies / reboot? (not necessarily all those at once)

No. I did log out and log back on. That didn't help. How do I do the cache thing again???

Tools > Internet Options > Temporary Internet Files (empty it)
Restart browser

Then try clearing "My Cookies" at bottom of this page, log back in

Then try rebooting I suppose.

But hurry, I gotta leave soon!

Sorry, I know you need to nap after you GORGED yourself on apple pie!!!!

I did the cookies thing. I'll try the other stuff and see if it works.

Thank you, Don Malta. I pledge you, yadda yadda yadda...

Tried all of that, and it still doesn't work. What can I tell you??

Are you using that piece of shit IE7 by any chance?

I HAD downloaded IE7 and then my laptop crashed, and I don't THINK I have it anymore. It was with the IT guy for 4 days. But the ShoutBox worked for me last night, so I don't know why it won't work tonight!!

If you don't have an aversion to it, I'd like to see you try Firefox... you may end up liking it better, too!

After the whole laptop crashing fiasco, I'm a bit leery of downloading anything. Can you guarantee my safety??

It's safer than anything Microsoft has ever put out.

safety first

No firefox no shoutbox

I'm taking the plunge and downloading Firefox from this site, JG. Here goes nothin!!

She fell for it!! LOL!!

Hey, I just read this!! Talking about me while I was downloading. I feel so used.

Is there a way to make this a larger number? Sometimes there is a long discussion on there that I would love to scroll up just a tiny bit higher to see how it started, but I can't. I have no clue how you set up a BB so that's why I am asking, but can you possibly add a link that has some sort of an archive with the last 100 or so shout box posts?

Unfortunately, no... that's how it's built in... sorry...

I still don't get why people don't use the chatroom. If I chat, I'd much rather be in the chatroom. I guess I'm sensing more "cyber leg room" or something.


TIS

BTW, there's a new Shoutbox feature:

If you start a message with /me it'll display it as an action you're performing (just like in IRC)

So typing: /me slaps Blibble around
Would display boldly as: *jgeoff slaps Blibble around

Of all the examples you could choose

Well I wasn't gonna slap TIS or SB -- you were the next one

Your mama didn't raise a dummy.

Why do we sometimes have to scroll to the side in the shoutbox? Was it always like that? I didn't seem to notice that I had to scroll over to read what was being said until the update.

Sometimes the text is too long for a line. The limit for a line is about 25 characters and I think only about 20 show in the box itself. The other five characters create the need to scroll.

Cool, well, gotta go.............. peace out

Watched Crime, Inc., now have to get up in two hours for work/college (again) WOW

For the last day or so, the Shout Box has enlarged to the point where it now takes up one-third of my screen, measuring left to right. Doesn't matter what forum page or thread I go to, the box looks like its usual skinny self for around one second, then suddenly expands.

I've tried logging off and back on, expiring my cookies, but nothing helps. Have the GBB's default viewing settings been changed on the Administration's end?


Signor V.

No changes have been made to any settings here. I don't know of anyone else having this problem. Have you tried using a different browser?

I just tried Chrome (which I never use) and it seems to be unaffected. All these years I've used IE without a problem. I wonder what's going on?

I have Chrome also and the shoutbox is NORMAL but when I go to IE it is bigger. I swear Google Chrome is faster and much better than IE. I am glad I downloaded it.




TIS