Places to Chat
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)
(April 30, 2024 - 10:58 am)
(fourth comment in a row, I know, I'm so sorry admins)
I was reading some other suggestions about changing the CB sections. Personally, I like most of the sections the way they are. I don't feel like we need a main street since DtE already serves that purpose. I think CaC is also definitely important---its a place for all the sillier stuff that would otherwise clog up DtE. I could go either way with This Month---i think it could be linked in with CaC. Same about BaB---we would still talk about books in other places, and it doesn't get much traffic. But you could also update BaB to be about media in general---books, movies, tv, etc---which might revive it a bit. PP and Inkwell ar definitely keepers.
(May 6, 2024 - 7:41 am)
yep, I agree
(May 6, 2024 - 3:08 pm)
Yeah, I'm fine with keeping them too :) I like CB as it is right now, but I'm trying to be flexible with new ideas.
(May 6, 2024 - 7:22 pm)
I think Main Street could be useful as like a "pinned posts" section. So we could keep the Ultimate Guide there and maybe an "introduce yourself" thread at least, and Rules and FAQs could go there. other than that i like the sections we have now though.
(May 6, 2024 - 9:42 pm)
also I just want to say I'd love the topping glitch to be kept! (the one where a new thread goes to the back pages after being commented on) It's so integral + unique, and moreover it's kind of fun to go hunting for threads you might have missed :)
(May 6, 2024 - 3:09 pm)
I also love the topping glitch! And I sort of like the 54 years and 20 weeks ago glitch--but if no one else likes it...of course that's completely reasonable
(May 6, 2024 - 10:16 pm)
I think it's better to do away with the topping glitch. It's confusing for new CBers, you can always look through old threads for fun, and most people don't hunt through the back pages anyways---you just click on "submitted by" twice to organize the posts by most recently posted and your post comes up.
(May 9, 2024 - 8:34 am)
About the CAPTCHAs---it would be really cool if CB could use something like reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile, which are not only much better at distinguishing humans from robots, but are also dyslexic-friendly. But I don't want to lose our fun, friendly CAPTCHAs. Maybe we could have something like reCAPTCHA/Cloudflare, but also, at the bottom of the page when you are making a comment, it could say in normal text something like "your CAPTCHA says [five random letters]." That way we could still have fun things like interpret the CAPTCHA threads, but also have more secure and more user friendly CAPTCHAs.
(May 8, 2024 - 8:59 am)
Did you know that reCAPTCHA was invented by the same guy who created Duolingo? It was later sold to Google, so I'd prefer Cloudflare. However it is a bit buggy from my experience on other sites.
(May 8, 2024 - 10:22 am)
Honestly, I don't think I have any suggestions that others hadn't already said, but I was curious if everything in the past, on this site, will be erased when the new, updated one comes along?
That's a good question, and we aren't sure yet. Hopefully we will be able to migrate as much of the existing site as possible. - Admin
(May 8, 2024 - 2:33 pm)
D: if that does happen (which noooo really super hope it doesn't!!!) could you please tell us as soon as you know so we have time to save stuff and stuff? Thank you!
(May 8, 2024 - 5:35 pm)
Eek now I'm scared I didn't think that could happen o _ O There's almost 16 years of writing and art on here o _ O There's no way we can save everything (OH NO) unless every CBer signs up for threads to save or something like that?
I saved the Tag Game as soon as I could after CB came back from being down (because NO I CANNOT LOSE THE TAG GAME), and that took...a long time. A really long time.
Someday soon I'm going to save all my favorite ski lodges (aaaaa ski lodges are amazing) and more ski lodges and also Last to Post comments and etc.
I think I sound hyper, which is funny because I'm not hyper rn, I'm tired.
(May 8, 2024 - 8:50 pm)
I think maybe adding spell correcting?? Would that just be annoying? Maybe putting the chats in an order where people don't have to keep scrolling?
(May 8, 2024 - 5:37 pm)
Maybve add
Where yoiu can m,ake a personal chat with specific people
Adding fonts
adding profile pics
(May 8, 2024 - 5:40 pm)
hi Admins! I was wondering if you have any thoughts about our ideas so far—what seems achievable? what are you aiming for especially, if anything? just general feedback? we say so much but it's obviously up to you in the end, so what are you thinking the changes will look like, ish?
I think you have all had wonderful, really thoughtful ideas. I am particularly struck by how much you all want to create a CB that works best for each other, not just for yourselves. My own hope is that we are able to get the CB to run more smoothly and provide the features that will work best for you all. My aim is to share all of your ideas with the rest of the team who will work on this change. But I am not the programmer, so I don't know exactly what is achievable or how it will all work in the end. - Admin
(May 8, 2024 - 10:58 pm)