Just as history never stops being made, our site never stops changing (well, evolving may be a better word!). This time we are adding a very exciting feature…
You may have noticed something very new on the site if you’ve been on recently – a small blue tab in the bottom right-hand corner. But just what is it?
Well, I can tell you that it is a new feature that allows you to ask questions live with your fellow history buffs! We know that not everybody likes to comment on articles and we also know that it isn’t always easy to find like-minded history enthusiasts. But this new feature will allow you to discuss anything in history with other people on the site – simply sign-up via the blue button in the bottom-right corner, type in the subject/question, and start the conversation. It is as simple as that!
We hope you can join the conversation and start talking history.
The feature has been developed by Conversful. Below you can read Ben Alderoty from Conversful’s introduction to it!
Hi Folks!
As some of you know, Conversful launched on History is Now in the beginning of June. For those that aren’t familiar with our name, Conversful is the app in the bottom corner that allows you to have conversations with other readers. It is currently only supported on computers, so if you’re on a phone or tablet right now, come back another time to see what I’m talking about. Based on the feedback we’ve received from many of you, we have been working on some big changes to Conversful and are excited to announce these changes are now live for everyone on History is Now.
To participate in Conversful you will need to create an account. You’ll be able to see a preview of the conversations happening without an account, but to join one or start your own you’ll need to create one. Accounts make it easier to find the right people you want to talk to and maintain those conversations over time.
Conversations on Conversful are still 1-on-1 and start with questions (formerly topics). Questions can pertain to a specific article you might be reading or a more general history question you are pondering. Ask specific questions as those will elicit the best replies. When you post a question, it will remain open for a week by default and can receive multiple responses. These responses will come in the form of multiple threads within your Conversations tab.
Conversful now works both in real-time and asynchronously. If you see another reader with a green circle next to their name that means they are currently online. We’ll notify you via email if you receive a new message on Conversful when you’re offline. This way you’ll know when to get back on History is Now to continue the conversation. You can control this setting in your profile tab by clicking the avatar in the top left corner of the app.
And that’s it! The app is still pretty simple as we wanted to make it as easy as possible to start conversations and enjoy the one’s you’re already in. We hope that the 1-on-1, private nature of Conversful makes it easy to say something if you’ve ever wanted to, but didn’t want to do so publicly. For all of the active commenters out there, keep commenting! We hope you can use us to continue your conversations and stray into off topic discussions that don’t pertain to a specific post.
As always, please send feedback and suggestions to ben@conversful.com. For those that have given us feedback thus far, thank you so much!
