Hear ye, hear ye...

I've opened a Bad Astronomy Chat group on Paltalk. Paltalk is free voice chat software with text support. It's a fun program I've used for quite a while, and I thought it'd be nice to create an environment for interested people to chat about the same goodies we discuss here on the board, in a more interactive, real-time format.

System requirements for Paltalk:

• Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP
• 166MHz Processor with 16MB of RAM or better
• 28.8kbps Modem or better
• Full-Duplex sound card required for audio

Getting started:

1) Create an account on Paltalk, providing a valid e-mail address. (Make sure to uncheck the "Send me newsletters and affiliate information" boxes to prevent receiving unwanted solicitations.)

2) After you submit your registration, follow the prompts to download and install the Paltalk software. (Make sure to uncheck box detailing the added "search companion" software on the page that pops up after you've entered your registration information, it's an unnecessary add-on.)

3) When you log on to Paltalk for the first time, you will be prompted to enter a registration code sent to the e-mail address you used in registration, in order to activate your account. As soon as you enter that code, you'll be logged on.

4) If you have a microphone and wish to participate in voice, follow the prompts and run the Paltalk audio test before joining this or any other chatroom in order to make sure your mic is functioning properly. (You don't have to have a mic to participate, feel free to type in text if you're more comfortable doing so.)

5) If you're having any problems with the software, consult the help files and user guides on this page.

To find the chatroom:

• Once you've logged on to Paltalk, click on the Groups list.
• From the categories listing, find and double-click on the Social Issues category.
• Whatever rooms are active in Social Issues will be displayed, by default, according to the number of users in each group. If you wish to sort the group list alphabetically in order to spot the room more easily, click on the bar that says Social Issues - Group List.
• Double-click on Bad Astronomy Chat to join the group.
  
• Remember: The room may not always be open; because of the way Paltalk works, the administrator (moi) or moderators (if/when added) must manually open the room in order for it to be active. If you don't see the room on the groups list it's likely not be open, check back at another time.

Chatroom Rules:

In an effort to keep things streamlined (no idea how many people will choose to participate), IMHO the same sort of ground rules that apply here on BABB would be the most appropriate.

Some things obviously wouldn't apply, as it's real-time voice+text chat and not a message board, and I'm obviously not The BA, that sort of thing -- but I think it's simple enough: maintain "G-rating" decorum (i.e. no swearing or lewd stuff, it's an all-ages atmosphere), be polite, no personal attacks, refrain from politics/religion unless there's a very specific tie-in with astronomical goodies. Don't get me wrong, wide latitude will exist in the environment, to include BABBling and casual chat -- we don't have to limit discussions specifically to astronomical matters. You'll see what the atmosphere is like if you decide to come onboard and give it a shot, and I promise to run a very fair, tolerant group.

As with any Internet environment, be it chatrooms or message boards, Paltalk rooms at times fall victim to trolls and disruptors ("room raiders" as we call them). Attempts to derail, hijack, troll, or disrupt this chatroom will be dealt with swiftly, as that sort of behavior will not be tolerated.

So there you have it! Today is the inaugural day of Bad Astronomy Chat.

If you have problems finding the room or need assistance not detailed in the help section I listed above, feel free to send me a PM here on the board and I'll do my best to help.

Hope to see ya! 8)

*edited to fix a silly typo