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A new experimental concept is being introduced today, called Chak De/Go Live. It is a mixture of Instant Messaging/Blogging/Twitter/Following posts, uniquely adapted to this site. It will soon be adapted and integrated with the other tabs - News, PNR, Trip Diary, Train Updates and so forth. Especially, the Trip Diary/Chak De/Living Atlas integration is coming soon.
The feature was originally slated to be released on Aug 15, coinciding with the Independence Day logo, but was delayed because of some complications.
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feature has many different perspectives and flavours, and can be used in different ways in different scenarios:
1. Scenario 1: "Following". You can now follow specific Blog Entries. On this site, we have the various alert flags to indicate new activity. However, the Blog Alert and other flags will not specifically say which Blog Entry any new post is related to. If you just wish to follow particular discussions, you can now just go to that particular Blog Entry, and open a "Chak De" window. This window will capture all the latest Replies and the upcoming replies for that particular Blog Entry ONLY. New replies will appear instantaneously, like any other IM. When you open the "Chak De" window, you need not necessarily type anything. You may just observe as new replies start pouring in.
For example, a person may post a question in a new Blog Entry, and then open a Chak De window waiting for replies and responses to his question.
2. Scenario 2: IM + Public Blogging: In this scenario, it is just like starting and participating in a public chat room, with replies, pictures and videos posted immediately to the Blog Forum. Also, as above, new replies will appear immediately in the Chak De window.
3. Private chatting: You may send a private Blog Post to any person, and open a Chak De window against that Blog Entry. If they are free, they may respond thru a Blog Post, and themselves go live thru the Chak De window. Now, a Pvt Post has transformed into live pvt chatting, without having to send a request and accept. If the person fails to send a response immediately, he/she will send it later in a conventional Blog Post. So nothing is lost.
4. Private chatting inside a Blog Entry: When a topic is being discussed, sometimes private posts are sent intermixed to specific person for a side discussion. The recipient may respond, and both may opt to open their individual Chak De windows to convert this into a private chat within the context of the Blog Entry.
5. Group Chatting: You may write a private post to a few people and all the participants of that group post can dynamically convert this into a group chat. This private blog entry has now dynamically transformed into a private chat room.
6. Storage/Archives: With normal chatting, if a person fails to respond to a chat invite, the messages sent are orphaned. Here all messages will be stored as regular Blog Posts. So, even if a person does not immediately respond, they have the option of replying later. All "Chak De" windows directly write to the Blog Forum. Pubic and Private Posts are stored within the main Blog Forum.
You can have many live windows running simultaneously following individual Blog Entries. With conventional chatting, the chat windows are grouped by the people we are chatting with. Here, the chat windows are grouped by the individual topic Blog Entries. The participants could be public or private or group. Conversations are free-flowing and dynamic.
While following many topics, a chat alert sound and a highlighted visual marker will notify when you receive new replies on the specific Blog Entries you are following.
chak de/go live is a new concept being tried out for the first time here, and it is still rudimentary. Many modifications and tweaks will be made in the coming days and weeks.
Due to the potential for misuse, the chak de window is restricted to logged in members only. Members are advised to limit their Blog Posts to relevant topics only. Please exercise restraint in posting.
Thanks.