Chat Rooms (Policy)

[Chris Lott]

>With the banning of chat, I don't think the decision is
>really content based, I think it's more about allocation of resources.


So people that are using clients that are not resource intensive (many
clients are not particularly demanding and much less demanding than
streaming media, java applets and other goodies found on "legitimate" pages)
should still be allowed to chat?

>I will say though that there seem to be a lot more legitimate uses for
>e-mail than there are for chat. I have yet to see a chat session that
wasn't
>idle chatter.


I have engaged in many substantive chat collaborations. I have had peer
editing sessions as a student in  a chatroom, meetings with  groups of
editors that have shaped the course of some zines both print and web, my
co-editor and I perform much of our submissions debate using ICQ chat, I
have been part of an awards committee determining cash prizes with other
judges using IRC-- the list goes on and on.

Whether passive viewing or not, most of the surfing people do is not "worth"
anymore than chatting-- it should be up to them to decide what they want to
do with their time as long as it is not adversely affecting the network any
MORE than java applets, quicktime movies, shockwave, flash or whatever else
one allows.

c
--
Chris Lott -- fncll at uaf.edu -- (907)474-6350
Instructional Technology Specialist
Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks