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Now that I have been a participant in the chats, and a guest, I can tell you that your perspective from these different points of view are very different. I really did not know exactly what to expect when I was a guest, but I think the “live” theme of the chat should be maintained.
I think a topic may be helpful, but my last impression of my chat when we were live, was perhaps not correct. I do not really feel that an in-depth topic could really be covered in a chat type atmosphere. I think the chats are more of a chance to get to know the guest on a more personal level, than an information source. I think if we knew ahead of time, if the chat was more for asking personal questions about the guest and his “current” breeding plans or an in-depth discussion about breeding Corn Snakes, it may help. The problem is that we all have different levels of experience, so this may limit participation, but we can all watch.
My number one suggestion may come as a surprise to everybody. I think the time limit of 1 ˝ hours is too short. It seems like a long time when you are thinking about it, but the time seemed to go by very quickly during Don’s chat, and mine seemed to be over before I knew it. When we look back at the transcripts, we really didn’t get that many questions and answers in.
My number one suggestion is to keep it live, which is what makes them attractive to me, and perhaps lengthen the time period to 2 hours. Maybe, the first hour could be more of a get to know the guest period and the last hour more focused on a particular topic. I also think that rules for the guest should be written down somewhere, as well as rules for asking questions. I followed Don’s lead, by using OK, as a cue to being finished with a question, but is that the best way to go? For those of us, that are not really in tune with the chat environment, some help in this area, would have been appreciated by myself, and I am sure that others may feel the same way.
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