Campfire, the new 37 Signals product, launched yesterday. It is a dead simple way to create a robust, permanent (with URL) group chat.
Key features include embedded images, permanent URL for chat, no client to download (chat is in the web page), and easy file sharing. I’m basically thinking of it as a real time wiki or an easy to use IRC product with enhanced features.
They claim it takes 10 seconds to create a new chat, and they are correct. It is dead simple to use and has an incredibly intuitive interface. It’s a great addition to the 37 Signals product suite.
Pricing ranges from free to $50/month based on number of chat users and storage desired. To learn more about how Campfire works, take the tour.
Thanks for the post Michael. If you know IRC then think of it as simple IRC for everyone. If you don’t know what IRC is then Campfire is especially built for you.
Very cool, thanks for the link. My friends and I have been doing essentially the same thing for the past few years, by using local IRC-like server with multiple permanent channels, and everybody connects to it using an irc client run within the screen utility, so connections are permanent and the chat history is available in scrollback. It’s become very useful to grep the channel logs for past information.
Glad to see this coming to the Web. I think extended families and groups of friends would enjoy using it as well as business.
It’s something that makes me go why didn’t I think of that?!
Skype already allows for persistant chat, with archived histories! I’m sorry, it’s an interesting product if not all that exciting, it’s just hard to believe there’s a big market for paying for chat these days.
It’s very smart. I love it!
There is talk that it will be integrated into the Basecamp offering which would be huge!
We will be working on Basecamp integration, yes. They’ll remain separate products but they’ll be very very good friends
I actually pay to run a hosted chat server on my site (Pulpchat). This looks better, although it has fewer customisation options, but is too expensive. It is also not much use unless it can read existing user databases.
As for communicating with clients, I don’t see why you wouldn’t just use any IM client for free.
I am also a Basecamp customer, but I don’t think I would want to pay extra for this feature.
I feel the same way as most here. Neat product – I’d probably use it with my family if it were free, but I’m not willing to pay for it.
Mat
I don’t think that chats are something, people like to pay for. I won’t – not even 12$. I realy like Basecamp, but I think the pricing is wrong… Unfortunatly.
I don’t get it. There are not enough features in there to justify the cost.
Alamak has been doing this for years.
Keep in mind that the pricing range does not extend down to Free on this one. There’s a 30-day free trial, then a fee kicks in.
Good execution, but Macromedia Breeze and LiveMeeting are better with real-time screensharing.
they really should offer a free version like basecamp.
Jay, text is the killer app. We’re not trying to solve the screensharing problem — we’ll let the others solve that one. We’re solving the basic problem — making it dead simple for a group of people to have a persistent chat room online where they can discuss, make decisions, share files, and page through past conversations.
Persistent group chat has been around for 8 years. For more recent stuff pls see:
http://en.wikip...eal-time_editor
Campfire’s pricing is purely ridiculous.
I run the WyldRyde IRC network and we offer a completely free java-based web chat script that can be added to any web site and loaded in any Java-compatible web browser. We have no limit on the number of users. All we ask is the chat not be used for illegal purposes.
It’s an interesting products for Small Business Groups. Personnally for permanent chat i use Skype. It’s a pretty cool feature but, sure, you need skype on the computer to run it.
Another overhyped underdeveloped stinker from 37 signals.