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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vempyre" data-source="post: 4158235" data-attributes="member: 3892">The interface, mostly./slash commands are so yesterday <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Lack of a visual environment in which you can visualize the ones you chat with. (I guess I am getting used to chat in a 3d environment or a graphical one). But this is more of a flavor thing and has nothing to do with usability. Ever though I grow older and older, I am the type of person that keep switching to the new stuff as it comes out, mostly. That's why I guess to me IRC feels outdated and yesterday <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />... It's just that comparing to today's possibilities in technology ... (there is such wonderful videoconferencing software existing today all over)To resume, I wish Cyberspace was already existing, hehe.But my personal wishes aside, the interface is very important to help make chat easy to use even for "non-geeks". I feel regular IRC with it's usual interfaces doesn't connect with the world at large, but only to an handful of "know-how" or "nostalgics".A few years ago still, the internet was mostly populated with geeks. These days everybody is using it. My grand-mother in her mid eighty's is using internet to play cards with her daughters 500 miles away and uses MSN and checks a few web pages. She also uses gaming web sites (card games, mostly) with logins and integrated chat (and even voice chat) while playing. I don't subscribe to cable TV anymore but get my news, videos or written, from the net. I watch my favorite TV shows (and anime!) from the net. I buy e-books from the net and put them on my pocket-pc (which happens to also be my phone end portable video and mp3 player) to read in my bed at night.It is an example to reflect that all kind of ppl use the internet nowadays, for everything. The internet and this site should change and adapt to offer better interfaces that doesn't require geek knowledge or obscures /slash commands to use.The same is/has happened to DnD. More and more "less geeky than before" ppl are playing these days with the regained popularity from 3e and I feel 4e will continue that trend even more. Many of those ppl are potential ENWorld newcomers.Therefore for the future (either immediate or in a few years) I think ENWorld should ensure to have the best Interface possible in all of it's components for the most pleasing and ease of use experience while consulting and using the site. Us geeks don't mind a few kinks, we sometimes even "like" it, hehe. But the rest of the crowd doesn't.All of this is theoretical of course and I have no direct suggestion for technologies or platforms to use. But I think such values should be considered when using platforms and interfaces for all components of this site (or any site these days).Why not replace chat with videoconferencing? *wink* Or integrated voice chat? (Ok I am going way too far, hehe)Last edit : a better resume of my thoughts would be "there's a reason windows replaced DOS".</blockquote>

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