CB Updates --

Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket

CB Updates --

CB Updates -- We Need Your Help!

Hey Chatterbox, it’s the admins. After the CB went down earlier this year, we’ve been working with the Webmaster to get the CB a shiny new upgrade. We’re in the early stages of info gathering right now, and we need your help!


Please share in the comments anything that you hope for in a new version of the CB. You can suggest brand-new features, but also include anything you really would like to stay the same. We want to consider all possibilities (even if we can't use all of your wonderful ideas) to create the best possible place for you! Comment by May 31st any new (or old!) things you might like in a fresh CB.


We can’t wait to hear from you.


--Admins

 

PS. An updated CB does not mean an update to our guidelines, so please know that suggestions that explicitly go against the guidelines will not be considered.

submitted by Admin, Cricket Country
(April 30, 2024 - 10:58 am)

All of these so far sound really great, especially Main Street, multiple images in one post, a pronoun box, and a picture thingy instead of a word Captcha! I also agree with keeping the colors the same :)

submitted by Darkvine
(May 1, 2024 - 8:02 am)

Tho topping glitch is often annoying when you can’t figure out where your new thread went, but the act of topping itself is a very important part of the CB to me and I’d rather not remove it. It would be nice to have an easier way to find a thread you need to top though, especially for newer CBers.

submitted by Sempreverde
(May 1, 2024 - 10:36 am)

I support the ideas for a search bar and topping with one button,but I don't think we should make any major changes to the CBs layout and design.I don't think we should move forward with the accounts because it would just make the CB feel a lot more social media-ey and less warm and welcoming.thank you so much admins for getting our opinion on this we really do appreciate it:)

submitted by Cocoa cat
(May 1, 2024 - 12:01 pm)

I also support the idea for a pronouns box because it would be really good for those experimenting with their pronouns and it's really hard for me to keep everybody's pronouns straight and it would be very helpful to remembering them if they were just right there.(of course only if the CBer decided to fill it out)

submitted by Cocoa cat
(May 1, 2024 - 12:04 pm)

WOW i never thought i'd see a day our little website was updated!! Surprised

i will strongly echo everyone else in saying that i want the CB to look the same, especially the colors!!! i like verdana (the current font) for the CB, but to accomadate people who find it hard to read, maybe there could be a filter type thing where someone can change the font on their end?

i think that it would be fine to have accounts IF we could have the "post without account" option for SIs and the like, but i don't think it's really necessary... it would change the CB a lot, for sure, because you would form your ideas of people partially based on their profiles. not necessarily bad, but like people have said, the way the CB functions without them is very unique, and maybe kind of valuable. so yeah, i'd vote against them, but if other more active CBers want that change, then i guess that's progress :')

i like the main street idea, mostly for the ultimate guide being there; i think that'd be really helpful. i don't think art posting, random thoughts/things, poetry threads, etc should be there though, cause it might be confusing to not have those where they 'belong' in puddings place/dte and they're pretty much always topped anyway.

having thread titles would be cool! so would pronoun boxes (make them optional, though)

SEARCH BAR!!! WOULD BE GREAT!

i support just fixing the "new threads getting sent to the back pages" glitch, but if people wanna keep it that's fine.

fandoms and "let's chat" sections would be cool, but not necessary. i don't think the other sections should be renamed, though.

and yes, PLEASE keep all old posts!!

submitted by Azalea
(May 1, 2024 - 12:51 pm)

I also just want to make a point about the account idea.it would take a lot of reprogramming therefore the CB might be down for a while. 

submitted by Cocoa cat
(May 1, 2024 - 4:21 pm)

OMG AND CAN WE UPDATE THE SITE? like, make profiles and more...modern, i guess? not to be rude!! it's just a little old-looking right now. although i LOVE the CB!A

submitted by Endless_Parodies, age 14 oOdLes!, any pronouns!! <3
(May 1, 2024 - 4:38 pm)

Please keep the general aesthetic the same! I just want there to maybe be new sections or features but just new code. Don't take away any code except the bugs OK?

Also, I was thinking about making an iOS and Android app to support mobile better. That way, when you take a photo on your phone, you don't have to go through the whole process of going to chatterbox and selecting it from your photos, and instead can just post it to Chatterbox (for photo contests and stuff).

submitted by Sinusoidal Polyglot
(May 1, 2024 - 5:27 pm)
first of all, as many other people said, thank you to the admins for asking for our input! we really appreciate it. :)

i know i’m technically on hiatus or whatever but there are a few ideas i’d like to share/build off of!

> the general color scheme/appearance! not only because i’m sentimental but also because it’s really calming, not as hard on the eyes as other websites, and easy to read. i struggle with reading stuff online sometimes, and the cream color background (as opposed to straight up white) and the Veranda font really help with that! 

> i honestly don’t think there’s a need to get rid of any of the old sections, but it would be cool to have new sections! some other people have proposed some great ideas. there’s three new sections i think could be added. that way, the CB homepage remains in rows of three to satisfy the perfectionist in me lol—

  > i really like Peri’s “Main Street” idea — she explained it really well. basically, CBers wouldn’t be able to post threads; instead, there would be several “pinned” threads — the Ultimate Guide and Random Thoughts/Things (maybe?) could be moved here, there could be a New CBers thread, and a sort of “Mailbox” thread where CBers can @ a specific person rather than making a whole thread to get their attention. maybe live chats and the Valentine’s Day reunion can go here too. this can also be where Admins can post announcements.

  > a fandom section! i could see this overlapping with BaB and PP, though so idk? but it would be really fun

  > a chat section! Make A Friend threads and chat threads can go here :D

> pronoun box would be awesome :D

> as would a search bar!

> some people have already said this, but i would love it if we could title threads like in BaB! the only sections that really need it are Inkwell, PP, and Kyngdom RP Board (and maybe the new sections if they’re added)—but it would be awesome if all the sections had it 

> having accounts sounds like it could be complicated, but if we do it—maybe only the Admins can see our actual accounts, and it only serves to prevent imps? that way we can still enter names for SIs and stuff. i do think that while profiles sound cool, it might end up making the CB feel more social media-y, and deter new CBers who might not want to join if it requires you to make an account. it might also prevent CBers who left before accounts were added from returning? idk. profiles aren’t really a top priority for me.

> without accounts, though, i don’t really see how we can have admin-monitored private messaging or the ability to edit/delete posts. idk.

> also please keep the emojis — i may be too sentimental, but i could not bear to part with Foot In Mouth XD

i may be back later :D  

submitted by pangolin, age she/they, Outskirts of the Galaxy
(May 1, 2024 - 6:49 pm)

For me what would really help CB is, when you are on a thread the page number and that whole bar, could be above and below the comments, so you wouldn't have to scroll all the way down to the end of the page (idk if I explained this in a good way). A search bar would be helpful. Being able to delete your own posts will also be helpful (but for that you will need accounts or device recognition). And I agree with Poinsettia with the whole accounts and profiles. What would be also helpful would be "folders" where CBrs could add threads to it. Because I see people mentioning all these great Ski Loges and I don't want to waste my time going through all the pages of PP. So we could have a "Best Ski Loges" folder or something like that.

submitted by Peregrine Falcon
(May 1, 2024 - 7:02 pm)

Maybe we could move that first, 1, 2, 3, last etc thing at the bottom all the way to the top so it's right under the initial post? That way you don't have to scroll a while to find the last page on a post

submitted by WiLdSoNg
(May 1, 2024 - 7:26 pm)

@Celine: nope, there are numerous websites that function without email-connected accounts. The forgot password feature often uses questions only the person would know the answer to ("favorite color?" "name of first pet?" "name of first grade teacher?") as a way of confirming who it is and allowing the person to change their password that way.

For the most part, I'm neutral about accounts; impersonation hasn't been a huge problem the past few years and I can see the arguments against it, but I can also see how it could be cool. Just thought I'd point out that it could be a functional system were it introduced, so the issue is more whether or not they're needed/wanted.  

submitted by Periwinkle, age 14 , Somewhere in the stars
(May 1, 2024 - 8:19 pm)

Ohhh, I got it!! Thank you for explaining!

submitted by CelineBurning Bright, age FeiyaARUOX, Aru Shah and the… ox??
(May 1, 2024 - 9:34 pm)

i would personally love accounts! as someone who's been impersonated 2 times iirc it kinda sucks. + they come with lots of added benefits! like pfps, maybe, and bios! 

submitted by th3mysticw0lf
(May 1, 2024 - 10:32 pm)
I personally would be really sad if there weren't captchas, since they've become kinda a part of the CB, but maybe there could be the captcha along with another option for people who have vision issues or anything else. 
I like the idea of search bar, multiple photos, and a way to upload videos.
I'm kinda half and half on the accounts thing, in some ways it would be cool but in others... not.
I would like to be able to edit it, because it's easier than telling the admins where you want to edit and it and how, because sometimes that gets confusing. But maybe it could be like an extra post? Like, if you edit it it goes through the admins a second time?
I don't think a way to delete posts is necessary, because it's pretty easy to specify which post you want the admins to delete.
submitted by WildWolf
(May 1, 2024 - 10:26 pm)