I'm really liking it. I used to be in the chat rooms quite often back in the day but eventually faded out of the scene... This new interface is really handy for being able to get to know each other in real time. Being able to interact in real time gives a whole new perspective about someone's personality and how they react to various situations.
Thanks to everyone who is posting tips on how to navigate around the new system--I've learned quite a few things from reading these threads.
Also, just a word of caution to anyone who might be new to instant chats--be safe out there, and don't ever let anyone bully you into giving them any information about yourself that you don't want to share.
For instance, I don't give out my personal contact info until I get to know someone here pretty well, but in the past, have had people say things to me such as, "Well unlike you, I'm a grown adult and not paranoid about everything." Well, in my opinion, a grown adult doesn't try to bully you into giving them your contact information either. Don't fall for these kinds of manipulations if someone asks for your number, personal account name, or asks you to contact them on another site when you don't feel comfortable doing so.
I've known a few people who were constantly having to change their phone numbers and contact info because they'd been giving it out to anyone who asked online, and it turned into a disaster.
I'm very optimistic about these new chats, but I really feel for the mods in having to keep up with the ways in which some might abuse it. As a Christian site, there will be guidelines for use that other secular sites wouldn't bother with, and I realize it has to be a bear to try to keep them in place.
But as a word of concern for our younger brothers and sisters especially--don't let someone talk to you in a way that's intrusive, demanding, manipulative, or abusive, and don't be afraid to go for help (to the administration) if someone insists on trying to erase those boundaries.
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