# Using Babble to extend functionality of private messages **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature\ **Created:** [September 20, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-babble-to-extend-functionality-of-private-messages/33501 "2015-09-20T17:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![erlend\_sh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/erlend_sh/32/119475_2.png) [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-babble-to-extend-functionality-of-private-messages/33501/1 "2015-09-20T17:58:49Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Babble - A Chat Plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/babble-a-chat-plugin/31753): ### Babble (i.e. Chat) as an extension of PMs, as seen on Facebook As opposed to a shoutbox or public chat, I’d like to see Babble incorporated into PMs. Pretty much exactly like Facebook does. There’s a lot I don’t like about Facebook, but I’m hard pressed to find anything negative to say about its Chat experience. I think it’s very cleverly designed, the way in which it invites both short-form and long-form messages by presenting the user with two alternative chat interfaces: 1. The gutter widget (non-existent in Discourse) 2. The full-page chat (very similar to PMs in Discourse) I think Discourse stands to gain a lot from incorporating (1) as well. Take for instance the UX for PM-ing a user about a tiny detail in their post. Things like typos, prompts for updates etc. ### How “Message” works now 1 - You start out here: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/0/1/018bacab26fe6fc544e20324b26b05f9b41fb203.png) 2 - And clicking “Message” takes you here: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/6/4/64f5c4cfe7785b7980674c6591ed2cc19e129e52.png) (which in Sam’s case is unusually scary with [Gavin Belson](https://www.google.no/search?q=gavin+belson&oq=gavin+belson&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1524j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=91&ie=UTF-8) ominously scrutinising your post) The problem is that you’ve been transported to a different room altogether, when really all you wanted to do (or so I’m positing anyways) was to have a brief _sidebar_ with this person, only to resume to the main discussion at hand moments thereafter. This is what Facebook does so well with its in-page chat widgets. You can easily send someone a quick nudge without disrupting disrupting your super-productive session of Facebooking. ### How “Message” could work 1 - What if this: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/0/1/018bacab26fe6fc544e20324b26b05f9b41fb203.png) 2 - Took me to something like this instead? (not leaving the page) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/5/6/56a1434cb1e0fe52bd8a103f81148ab60211e70b.jpg) Which could be continued like this: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/4/5/45f97306dbc3085db38355691c1a60cb1e9f6ab9.jpg) And be accessed via something like this: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/1/2/12f7d1263163556acaa7a39af8051d8c6ea0a2bf.jpg) This could also play very nicely with [User Friending/Following](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ability-to-follow-and-friend-other-users/1584) and [Presence features](https://meta.discourse.org/t/presence-features-for-forums/12hich). Think: If you follow a user who follows you back, that’s the handshake necessary for the two of you to see one another’s online status. **In summary:** Default Private Messages instigated via topics to an in-page chat interface, with the option of moving into the full-page editor if you’re looking to write a longform message. --- _[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-babble-to-extend-functionality-of-private-messages/33501)._