Online forums, also called discussion boards, are popular and extremely diverse websites aimed at growing online communities of returning visitors bound by a common goal or interest. There are niche-specific solutions readily available, as well as a slew of general forum CMS. In some cases, aside from the included features, admins also like to add live chat and so in this post we’re going to have a look at how to add shoutbox to a XenForo site.
If you’re a socially-oriented Internet entrepreneur, or simply passionate about a certain topic, setting up a forum may be a great way to build community and engage with your target audience on a steady basis.
The usual communication taking place on forums is rather slow-paced, with new threads and comments being published at unspecified time intervals. Some boards, however, have more active communities and may be looking to provide an additional platform for rapid exchange of thoughts.
Online chat community
Chatwee is a flexible website chat room software offering a dedicated XenForo integration. Some of its features making it particularly useful for your XF discussion board include:
- messages displayed in real-time, with no refresh interval
- sound and push notifications for new shouts
- user avatars shown along with shouts
- pinned messages up top
- custom footer message
- links and emoji
- user tagging
- moderation
Keep in mind that all available features can be switched on and off as per your liking. Now let’s move on to the most important part which is…
How to add forum shoutbox for XenForo
First things first, you’ll have to create your free Chatwee account and install the XenForo shoutbox plugin on your forum.
It’ll only take about three minutes total to complete the process. Feel free to follow these text installation instructions or have a look at the short video below.
It’s worth noting that Chatwee is quite an advanced app, providing plenty of features and several display modes. By default, you install the most complete version of the chat, however, what you see installed on this blog is the shoutbox widget. Adding one just like it to your forum is simple.
Step one is following the basic installation instructions, as shown in the video above. Step two is going to your Chatwee Dashboard and adjusting the settings. Please navigate to the relevant tabs and then to particular options within.
Desktop display > Desktop layout > top bar
Chatrooms > Chatroom users > disable chatroom user list
Private chats > Private chats > disable private conversations
Support chat feature > Community section > disable community section
This arrangement will create a lightweight shoutbox for a more dynamic interaction among your community members, as well as remove the user list and the private chatting option. There’s your minimalistic shoutbox!
Wrap-up
XenForo chat addon by Chatwee is a great way to spark more engagement among your forum users. It has lots of features facilitating real-time interaction leading to community growth.
Moreover, if you ever decide you’d like to go beyond a shoutbox and perhaps introduce a more sophisticated chatting experience with advanced options on your forum, Chatwee got you covered as well.
Give it a try today and take your XenForo site to the next level!
