Cover Sheet: Chat


I. The Big Picture:

The Chat application offers a reliable means by which site members can initiate and participate in both real-time and moderated discussions. Discussions can be both public or restricted to people in certain user groups. The Chat application allows for the archiving and retrieval of these discussions as well. The Chat application also may be used for one-to-one real-time browser-based discussions, which can be helpful in a customer service setting. Unlike ordinary instant messaging systems, this enables a customer service representative to transmit images to the customer and, if appropriate, preformatted responses to frequently asked questions. This application can also serve as a user-to-user instant messaging system, allowing users to send private messages to each other.

II. Features:

III. Related Links: