Can we get a chat room for this site guys? I think it would be helpful for those who are in distress and those of us who are awake at the same time to help.

Nate

Your question comes up very often. I can't speak for OCF but I like the forum set up for the very same reasons that Brian Hill has given on the board before
[quote]he second question is why don't we have a live chat room at OCF. This has been answered here many times before. These threads have valuable information in them. The vast majority of people that come to the OCF support forums are lurkers.... meaning that they do not post. Thousands of them, too shy or private to put themselves out there. But you can research past questions, answers, and ideas that go back years, and number almost 100,000, anytime that you want, to find the wisdom of others conversations. A chat room does not store the information discussed, and is immediately lost at the end of the conversation. No one can learn from that conversation - it is gone forever.[/quote]
If you use the search bar on the right hand side of the forum, and type in "chat room" (using quotes), the full thread is the second result. Your inquiry is now the first one. Please understand this is NOT a criticism of your suggestion in any way but a rapid response to your post. Actually I found it just as satisfying to type my miseries and fears and worries and thoughts at 3 am on the OCF forum and get responses later as any chat room experience I've had.
Keep the Faith
Charm

Hi Nate, had it been some other forum, I would have had a same opinion as you. But cancer is a subject that needs moderation and this forum that is much organized in this way.


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Oral Cancer Foundation
A Step towards an Oral Cancer free future.

True, was just curious...Last night was one of those nights I needed an immediate conversation but it was handled at about the 1am time slot because our AWESOME friend Cathi was on FB. Hate to say it because I never would have created a FB if the cancer never happened, another reason I am under an alias lol. But I had an awesome talk with Gabe, Dave , and Cathi! So I am glad there is a FB thread here for people to find us there. Thanks again, Im over it. The disco party picture of Eric S on FB had me rolling for a while, priceless!

Your Friend,
Nate

I have to agree that FB is a better forum for a chat with anyone online at that particular time. It was great chatting with you and Dave together yesterday.
Not long afterwards had a short chat with Liza...but then my family responsibilites kicked in.
As mentioned above any information of use re OC is lost to others. Then again it let's us be a little more informal and talk of other things like our intended travel plans. So throw everything at this beast so your plans of visiting our island can be realised

The other thing about Facebook is privacy. Don't think that they guys that give you something for free, are not making money off of selling information about you to everyone and their dog. You may have an alias, but your ip address is there, and the things that you are interested in and talk about are there. Why do you think the ads that come up on the right had side of the FB page are just the things you are interested in? (Flying ads come up on mine)

OCF could make good money selling our email lists of posters and people that visit other parts of our site, BUT WE WOULD NEVER CONSIDER DOING THAT. YOUR PRIVACY IS AS PROTECTED AS WE CAN MAKE IT. That's why we ask you to use screen names and not post your phone numbers addresses or anything else in the forum. That's also why I have always been opposed to the thread that everyone wanted that shows who you are on Facebook and what that screenname is on OCF. The spyders that catalog our site cannot get into the important aspect of who you are, that is hidden behind firewalls. Facebook is not a benign as you might think.

Do you think that insurance companies buy information from Facebook? You bet.

Once FB gets our info, they keep it forever. And if you are looking for a job, you can bet that companies and their recruiters are checking what you are doing on FB. If you quit FB, they say that if you decide to come back just use your same login and password. What does that tell you? If they have your login and PW, they have everything else, too. I had closed my account, tried using another name to open a new account so I could keep my personal info to the bare minimum, but their sleuths found me and they had all my old info which left me wondering what they had been doing with it all the time I was gone. Even if you check the appropriate privacy boxes, they still have it. I don't get on FB very often at all but when I do, those ads are very annoying since I don't enjoy or need most of the stuff people my age do. Then, they keep changing the privacy rules and I don't have time to keep up with it. I've considered telling them I was deceased but that would probably not stop them from selling my name and info anyway. I am really glad the policies at OCF are just the way they are! Thank you, Brian!

Ah...Christmas Disco Party '94...the memories. A memento I wouldn't have if it weren't for Facebook as I doubt I would've ever caught up with my friend/roomate that took it.

Each medium has it's purpose for sure and nothing is free in life...even these forums. Brian has to find a way every month to pay for our resource here, where I'm glad he doesn't share private info I believe some parts of this site could be used for advertising for the products that OCF and we as patients/survivor advocates promote (c'mon how many cans of Ensure, Jevity and VHC and countless other products does OCF sell every week just by referring it?).

Either way I agree with the fact that a chat room on OCF isn't the best idea. As an open forum there are too many people out there that either want to make a quick $, even off cancer patients, or have false information or half truths that can get people hurt or killed. I think these forums are setup well serve their purpose well.

Now to find those clothes from the picture! I'm bringing the Christmas Disco Party back!!!

Eric Travolta

Eric - You are "spot on". Facebook does have it's purpose. If not for FB, I would not have found a couple of friends with whom I had lost touch and we had a great reunion. But I agree that the Chat Room should stay with FB. When my son was going thru the worst of his Tx, and I had those middle-of-the-night can't sleep episodes, I would get on OCF and it seems there was always someone there available to allay my fears and give me some individual attention. Even now, when I'm up in the wee hours and sleepless, I usually get on OCF to see if I can help someone else the way I was helped 5+ years ago. I know there are others here in the "sleepless club" who do the same.