best chat addon?

[forcerm]

I'm looking for a decent chat add-on for vbulletin, when logging in they are automatically assigned their logged in username, if they are not logged in let them choose a name (ie., guest)

is this possible?

[iadmirevb]

Over the years, I've used many many MANY type of addons chat that could integrate with vBulletin. From the start, you have to choose what type of chat system you desire for your board. A community type of chat ( chatroom(s) ) or a private chat system (type Messenger) or both.

For my needs, I came up with one conclusion:
-With a private chatting system , type 'Messenger', you will loose many users. They will become addicted and, over time, they will write less and less. Even if there are chatrooms, they won't care. The board will only exist as a tool to chat with friends.

-With a community type of chat, the community grows because of the spirit of community... ideas are shared, thoughts, etc..

- If you go with both types of chat (Community & Private), which i recommend, make sure the point of entry is a chatroom not the other way around. Once the member gets in and sees that there is an interesting conversation going on, your community will ultimately grow.

Isn't the idea of a board to share ideas between members/friends? Again, read your needs and your members needs before you make a decision.

Right now, i'm using Blab chat. It offers a nice and simple interface with the option to chat privately:

http://hot-things.net/shots_b4/blab_vb3.png

But there are many out there ...

[Speysider]

Probably the best chat mod that integrates into vBulletin is the PJIRC hack. It's really useful as it's a java chat. However, you will need to create a chatroom server to work it.