Try out the new Instant Messenger (IM) and Group Chat

We are excited to announce new updates to our Instant Messenger and Broadcast Viewer . They are now integrated into a single application that is faster, more stable, and makes it easier to connect with other members. We added a group chat feature for broadcasters so they can interact more with their viewers. Group chat also has private messages so you can have control on who sees what you say. Broadcasters have a toggle to choose to have group chat or only private messages.

Next week, we will be rolling out an update to the mobile version of this site that will let you view both member and model webcams from your phone!

We appreciate your patience as we roll out these new features incrementally. As it’s difficult to fully test the IM before making it fully public, we are always prepared to roll back to older versions if there are problems. We are also still working on the product and have a few more updates to go live in the new few weeks.

Please let us know about your experience with the new IMC/Broadcaster as well as suggestions for improvements in this survey.

Here are some help functions related to the new IMC/Broadcaster:

• 1. Starting the IM or broadcast app

  When you launch either the IM or start broadcasting your webcam, you’ll get a new window to popup. If you don’t get a popup window, it might be that your browser is blocking it (you may see a message toward the top of the screen asking if you want to allow the popup).

  This popup has 4 tabs in the upper left corner… 5 if you are broadcasting your webcam. In general, any tab that is not grey has information for you.

  
  
  
  

  	Who’s Online – displays the number of members currently online. If you click any member in the list, you will see a chat window on the right. If you send a message to a member, they will get notified in the “notification” tab.
  	Friends Online– shows which of your friends are currently online.
  	Incoming Chat or Notification – this lists all the new messages from other members BEFORE you accept to chat with them. To accept a chat, just click on the message and reply. To decline a message, just click on the decline icon
  	Active Chats – this lists all the chats that you have. To chat, simply click on the member you want and start typing.
  	Broadcast & Group chat – this shows all the members who are viewing your webcam. If you choose to broadcast publicly, you will get a public chat room where you can type to all your visitors at once. More about this feature later in this document. We are currently working on an option to let public broadcasters turn off and on the group chat.
  	Buzzmode - indicates the broadcaster is in Buzzmode. Click the viewer window to vibrate the broadcaster's toy.

• 2. Manage all your incoming and active messages in one place

  We found that many members send lots of IM chat requests to users. The previous system required each of these requests be in separate windows that tend to clutter up your computer screen. We now let you keep track of your conversations in one place – the active chat tab. To send a chat request, just click on the username on the left panel of the “Who’s Online” tab. and type and send your message in the panel that shows up on the right. If someone accepts your chat request, you will see the chat message either directly (if you haven’t left the panel) or in the active chat tab.

• 3. Start broadcasting your webcam in public or private mode.

  As before, members have the option to broadcast their webcam privately to one (or more members) or publicly to all members. We made it more clear which mode you are broadcasting by giving you the option to pick the mode at the very beginning of your broadcast. You can also switch modes at any time by clicking the “private/public” button on the lower left corner of your webcam window. To start, just pick the option as shown below.

  
  
  
  

• 4. Group chat with public broadcasters

  Many of our broadcasters wanted a way to better interact with their viewers – especially to know what they’re thinking of the show. We added a group chat room for every broadcaster that has built-in private messaging and block/ban controls. Note: We are currently working on an option to let public broadcasters turn off and on the group chat.

  To send a private message to anyone in your chat room, just click on their username in either the Viewers list or in the chat room itself. Then click the private-message icon as shown below.

  
  
  

  You’ll see their username just above your text field at the bottom of the chat room. You can send a private message to more than one person by selecting more than one at a time.

  To block people who misuse your group chat room, click on their username in the viewer (or click on their name in the chat window) and select the different ways to block them as shown below.

  • Ignore – User’s messages will not appear in chat
  • Kick – User is kicked out of the broadcast session
  • Ban – Kick user out of the session and prevent him from joining any future broadcasts by the broadcaster
  • Report Abuse – Report user behavior that is against site rules
  
  
  
  

  Notice that when you are broadcasting either publicly or privately, you will always be able to see your webcam as you switch between the different tabs. If you switch tabs while publicly broadcasting, people can still chat in your chat room but you won’t see the chats unless you go back to the group chat tab.

  Switching between private and public broadcasts can be a bit tricky. We suggest that if you’re broadcasting publicly, you avoid going “private” unless you’re finished being “public”. This is because when you go private, all the people watching your public broadcast will be bumped out of your room. Likewise, if you have a few private broadcasts going and switch to “public”, those private broadcasts will turn off. We are working on ways to avoid bumping people and will release it in a few weeks.