WebChat! Let Loose

After five months of preliminary testing we are proud to announce that GipsyMedia, the creators of the offline TV listings application DigiGuide, are running WebChat! on their site.

GipsyMedia are the first independent customer to use the technology and have been testing it with a small group of users on their live system since the start of October 2000. At the start of this year it began to be advertised more widely and the system has been put through it's paces. It is being used as "a very valuable 'instant' support forum where users can find someone to help them with DigiGuide very quickly", says Dan Petitt of GipsyMedia.

"It's a great way for communicating with others and discussing programmes... ...We have found it a big help in communicating issues and resolving support problems in a timely and cost effective manner."

WebChat! is being used for both technical support purposes and as an additional community element to draw visitors to the site and keep them there. The technology was originally created with this aim in mind and with GipsyMedia's input it can be developed further down this path. The server can be found at www.tvlibrary.co.uk/chat.

GipsyMedia's beta test programme has benefitted from having a chat system, as testers can visit and discuss issues with the developers. This is done in conjunction with discussion forums, however chat allows instant feedback at certain times of the day.