This question might be a no-brainer to some. But, I must ask.. as a means of instant communication, which is preferable? An IRC channel, or the chat box on the forum?
Chat Box
Pros: It's on the forum itself. You don't have to do ANYTHING except click "log in". The proper roles of each member are already assigned (I am admin of the box, mods would be OPs, etc.. not like I need mods or ops at this point..). Very easy and straightforward text formatting like bolds, strikes, and even colors. Some IRC commands are even available like "/me"
Cons: NO NOTIFICATIONS. Users are obligated to check the chat on their own. Also a bit of lag, as the auto-refresh is not perfect. Because of it being on the forum itself, it is also a con because users don't like to stay on the forum just for a chat, so inconvenience is a problem.
IRC
Pros: Convenient for some old-time members who are familiar with IRC, and join IRC channels regularly anyway. Lots of fun commands and text formatting if you know how to do it. With a bot, statistics are available. Overall, familiarity with it and therefore more activity.
Cons: For those unfamiliar with IRC, figuring it out is usually discouraging, because they're lazy. Sometimes one or several clicks away is too much.
Both means of chat are pretty straightforward in my opinion.. what do you all think? uwu