Forums » Suggestions & Development Discussion » IC Character Messaging widget

What I had in mind was a feature that would function similarly to the guestbook widget feature, but be for IC interaction instead. So when a character A texts/mails/messages character B, they can just go to B's IC Messaging widget and leave one there, instead of leaving one in the guestbook to be eventually buried with OOC comments. And gifs.

Umm.. why? I'm not sure what the benefit would be?

I've actually done this with the guestbook myself for a couple of characters, using it as an IC message center (voice mail, texts, emails, &c), which hardly bothers me because I don't get enough messages OOCly or ICly to flood either side. To try to answer Sanne's 'Why': because it's fun, I imagine! That's why I do it, even if I don't get more than one or two messages every few months.

That being said, Decollate, there are other developments with more priority and desirability (I wasn't even aware others do this beyond myself and a friend or two!), but that doesn't mean Kim can't put it in for a little food for thought further down the road. *thumbs up*

It has the potential to be as beneficial as, say, the journal widget or the relationships widget. No one has to use them, but they're useful tools to have instead of just relying on filling out information in separate text widgets. Such use could also come from an IC Messenger widget. One such use could be if a character wants to meet with someone, they could ICly mail a note that could actually be written out rather than hand-waved or passed through some private means.

Yeah, I understand that things are more vital to RPR's development, but seeing something like this done down the line would still be pretty sweet to see.

It would delight me to have several guestbook widgets available to every character--at least two. If such were the case, one could certainly use the first of these to handle usual guestbook fare, and the other to receive messages that have been sent by other characters. One could also use guestbook 1 to allow players to make appointments, and guestbook 2 for them to leave silly comments, or 1 for a cork board outside of the character's door and 2 for their answering machine.

I don't know how plausible this is, because I am assuming that there is a technical reason for the availability of only one guestbook. Even so, having a way to save and store two separate sets of guestbook activity (or even just adding a 'guestbook 2' widget) would be pretty great. On that note, multiple journals would also be pretty awesome.

Naturally, it is not a priority, but it is something I, too, would like to see some day.

I personally don't want another guestbook widget because I would never use it. I also think the purpose of multiple guestbooks will be lost on a lot of members and only create more confusion.

Isn't the issue essentially the fact that IC and OOC comments are joined into one widget? Wouldn't a filter to the current guestbook widget (on the live profile page, right at the top of the widget, something like "Character Messages" and "Player Messages" and "All Messages") be more efficient and achieve the same purpose? It would keep the guestbook the same and just give the viewer the option to filter out the comments.

But what if the owner of the page wants the OOC comments to remain on a page that is exclusively for OOC information, and the IC comments to likewise be held on a relevant page? Since we now have a kudos system, I have always wondered if the name 'guestbook' was really the best to use for the widget in question, since it has many associations with the sorts of things we use the kudos system for. If that were to be changed to something more general, I am sure there'd be little or no confusion.

How many people would realistically use it though? Copper is right, there are a bunch of things Kim always prioritize because it will benefit the majority of the site's members. If a feature is pretty specifically coded to cater to just a handful of people, it's not a useful addition overall, even if a few people will use it thoroughly.

Kudos are definitely not like guestbook comments though! Kudos are a recommendation that are displayed outside of the widget as well, not just on the profile. Their purpose is not for chatter and banter, or leaving fun messages. They are meant to be a review of what makes that person or character stand out and help them find RP partners that are looking for those qualities. They also must abide to the standard site rules about PG-13-ish content. In that regard they are vastly different from guestbook comments which can have anything in them as long as the profile is tagged properly, and they can be replied to. So comparing the two as being similar doesn't really work, in my opinion.

I have already acknowledged that the suggestion is unlikely to pass. What I have been doing is examining the feature from the perspective of how it could be used, since it was so quickly shot down on the grounds of being pointless, which is not true. Certainly, if only a few people use it, it isn't worth Kim's limited resources, but that is an altogether different matter from declaring that the feature itself would be redundant if implemented.

The way I stated my comparison to the kudos feature was possibly erroneous, I apologize. Still, not everyone uses their guestbook in the same way, and there are associations between guestbooks and leaving kind and detailed comments. Indeed, that's what they were often used for before the kudos system was implemented. Off of RPR, as well, the term 'guestbook' usually has similar connotations. In any case, my purpose in making that comparison was not to say that they are the same thing--they certainly aren't, I know that--but instead to suggest that if one changed the name of the widget, the possibility of confusing members about the purpose of the 'guestbook' would be severely decreased, since you brought that potential up as a point of argument.

I had not meant to incite a debate so much as leave my two cents with the rest. I apologize for inadvertently wasting your time.

Personally, I would use the hell out of this for rumors (rather than messages). I can definitely see the worth.

It is unfortunately very low on my list, as people have guessed. But I do like it!

I actually use it on Donna's site, here, as her phone! I'd love to be able to have an OOC spot, too, since she's my 'face' for modern RP.

Here's to if it ever happens!

The DnD character stats only caters to a few characters in general, if they want to use it. It's one widget that I've only seen used for no more than five characters in the years I've been on RPR.

If a small widget like that can exist, then I don't see why this proposed widget can't, someday down the line, especially if people are already voicing their intent to use it for RP.

I would love to see something like this implemented down the line, even if it's a bit of a wait to get it/a low priority. I could see it coming in very useful for more modern day characters who have alternate means of communicating with each other - text, email, etc etc - and want a way to incorporate that on their sites.

I'm surprised by the number of people who want to use this!

I've personally seen this being used on dozens of profiles and they pop up regularly. A large portion of the site does tabletop or creates characters from DnD based games. It's something that directly relates and is used in roleplay overall, so having a widget for it makes a lot of sense and it's likely to be used by people.

I'm sorry if I made it sound like this widget can't exist. All I said was that I would never use it because it never comes up in my roleplays, and I've never heard anyone use the guestbook in this fashion before. If only 5 people end up using this out of the thousands on the site, it just isn't worth it. That's why I asked how popular this idea is among members. It wasn't a rhetorical question or a dismissing of the idea! It's good to see both sides of the coin - plenty of ideas just don't generate enough interest, but plenty of ideas are also surprisingly popular. You never know until you open up debate for it.

The reason I touched upon multiple guestbooks being confusing is because kudos and guestbooks are already a source of confusion. Many people don't know how to distinguish between them, and another widget that does similar things could very well make things even more difficult to figure out. This is not meant to dismiss the idea, but it's a genuine concern to take into account should this feature be implemented. If it indeed is easily confusing, then the widget needs to be setup in such a way that it's distinguishable from kudos and regular guestbook comments, right? That's why I suggested a filter for the existing guestbook, to make it less confusing overall. There might be other ideas for that, it would be interesting to hear different ideas. That's how several issues have been solved in the past, by user input!

I have the feeling some of you misinterpreted my posts. I hope this clears some things up!

Honestly, if I could have multiple guestbooks, that would suit my purposes. I, and the majority of my guild, are prone to in character discussions and Gif wars, and it peeves my pet to have IC and OOC side by side. Just allowing multiples of the same kind of widget (iirc you only get one guestbook), would be minimal effort to essentially create a new feature. Might be a lovely perk for epic members...?

I would definitely make use of an IC messaging widget.

This, in particular, strikes me as an idea with a good deal of potential. I could also see something of this sort used for IC letters and notes, contracts, negotiations, and so on. It might not be liable to happen any time soon, but I'd certainly be pleased if it eventually did.

yes 10/10 would use the hell out of

great idea