No more Chat Rooms ?

[facorsig 36]

The Bariatric Pal chat room was a great source for real-time information while I was making decisions to prepare for surgery. With the relocation of the chat room, it is really dead and difficult to find anyone. I think the veterans know about it, but I rarely see "new faces". Can the chat room be restored to the main menu bar?

Fred

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

The Bariatric Pal chat room was a great source for real-time information while I was making decisions to prepare for surgery. With the relocation of the chat room, it is really dead and difficult to find anyone. I think the veterans know about it, but I rarely see "new faces". Can the chat room be restored to the main menu bar?

Fred

Fred,

Our live chat rooms have died down. We switched over to a new chat platform and it seems like members don't love it. The chat rooms are available within our main site navigation. We plan on adding chat to our mobile apps in the near future. I think that'll help quite a bit. I'm open to hearing and implementing suggestions from our members as well......

[esskay77 785]

I didn't know there were chat rooms. I actually find it hard to find anything on here. I have bookmarked a page and I rarely go away from it because i can't quite find what I am looking for. Note that I design software applications and web sites myself so I'm probably a little hard to please! lol. What I really need to find on here are menu plans for people at various stages and ideas of what to eat for the day. I don't always know what is best to eat so I have been sticking to the same things over and over and am really bored with it. Is there a section on this site for menu plans, food ideas? Also note that even though I don't move away from this page much, I have found it extremely valuable!! I got more information from this site than I have from my doctor and the NUT!!! So true. And I really appreciate this site. Just want it to be easier to find things and navigate around.

[facorsig 36]

Chat appears to have disappeared from the options this evening. I was expecting changes, but not this one! Perhaps this is temporary or transitional!

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

Chat appears to have disappeared from the options this evening. I was expecting changes, but not this one! Perhaps this is temporary or transitional!

I've watched chat this entire week and it's barely used. How often do you use it and how many people are normally partaking in your chat ? Appreciate your feedback, thanks!

[chelly12A 15]

I haven't been able to access the chat room for a few days. I don't see it anywhere. Please let us know if you discontinued it?

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

I've been watching the chat rooms for the last few weeks and members pop in and out of there but there isn't a vibrant chat going on at all times of the day and night like we were all used to previously. It doesn't make sense for us to continue a feature if it's not being widely used by the community. We have other areas we'd rather be working on (food and health trackers etc.) which we hope will be more useful to our WLS community. If you disagree with me, please let me know and I'll consider adding chat back to the site if you feel it's a feature that's widely used and you can't live without.

[facorsig 36]

The difference between the chat and the forums is not the information content, it is how the people exchange. There are probably fewer than ten frequent users. To me, if we help one person who would not have been helped otherwise, we have been successful. I read some threads in the forums and see permanent nastiness. The chat content is gone once it scrolls off the page. I received a note from another chat friend today and see chelly12A here, too. For the chat to be more utilized, don't bury it in the Patients menu. The link we had 4-5 months ago solicited a lot more participation.

[Luvin_Life125 558]

I didn't know chat rooms were available for BP members. I access the site from my mobile device 99% of the time. I am always surprised when I do access from my computer, how much more information is available. Can the mobile site be expanded to match what I have access to on my mobile device? I think more and more people are accessing BP through mobile devices and we don't always know other services are available.

[Dolores33778 248]

Hi Chelly and Fred! Miss you guys in chat as well. My busiest time of the year is the fall, so I have been a little distant, but I hope @@Alex Brecher decides to bring it back.

Alex, you asked how many people use it, that's hard to say, but if just 2 people are active, it helps others to feel like they can jump in. We can easily have about 7 or 8 members chatting off and on. That may not seem like a lot to you, but I know it has been a big help especially to those on the fence or just needing a quick reply.

Let us know how we can help. We're happy to do so.

-dt

Edited January 13, 2015 by Dolores33778

[chelly12A 15]

I have met a lot of people on this chat and I hate to see that end. I go in and out all day long. A lot of people don't know it's there because you don't really make it obvious. The last time you moved the chat to a different location on the site you didn't let us know and we lost a lot of regulars. I vote to keep the chat. It is much nicer to chat with someone then to have to go to the forums and keep waiting for an answer.

Hi Chelly and Fred! Miss you guys in chat as well. My busiest time of the year is the fall, so I have been a little distant, but I hope Alex decides to bring it back.

Alex, you asked how many people use it, that's hard to say, but if just 2 people are active, it helps others to feel like they can jump in. We can easily have about 7 or 8 members chatting off and on. That may not seem like a lot to you, but I know it has been a big help especially to those on the fence or just needing a quick reply.

Let us know how we can help. We're happy to do so.

-dt

[Rach8610 60]

I have met some very wonderful people here in the chat room and it had some great busy days and not so busy days...I myself work during the day so I would stay logged in for long periods of time and I saw a lot of in and out traffic....

I would really like to have this chat room back, it is what set this site apart from other weight loss sites....no one else has an interactive live chat room....

BRING IT BACK!!!

[Lisa00 14]

I really miss the chat room even though I was in and out at times. Was really nice to connect with others in real time and chat about weightloss stuff and give helpful info to others just starting their journey's. Always nice to meet new friends on it as well. I do hope that Alex will decide to bring it back. PLEASE

[Dolores33778 248]

Send him a message at alex@bariatricpal.com.

I get so lost on this site without the chat.

[Marins 0]

I would use chat, but I don't know how to access it. I am new and just learning the site.