With Twitter and other micro-blogging platforms taking the world by storm, it is easy to forget how great instant messaging can be for communicating. Many individuals still prefer to use Google Talk rather than Twitter, FriendFeed, and the like. If you still use Google Talk more than anything else, you’ll be glad to know that you can add Google Talk chatback badges to your webpages.
The Google Talk chatback badge allows people visiting your webpages to chat with you with what is essentially a specialized version of the Google Talk gadget. The chatback badge will display your Google Talk online status, along with a customizable message, and a link to open a chat window with you. You can opt to use a nickname in the chat, if you wish to remain anonymous or pseudonymous.
You can also create different badges if you wish. This can be useful if you have multiple personalities as many bloggers and webmasters do. When someone clicks the link in the badge, you will receive a message from chatback@talk.google.com with a URL to chat to the guest. When you click the link, the chat begins! The guest doesn’t even need a Google Account to chat with you!
Setting up your Google Talk chatback badge is easy:
- Go to the Create a Google Talk chatback badge page (log into your Google Account if prompted).
- Click the Edit dropdown and change the badge to your liking.
- Click the Update badge button.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the badge looks the way you would like it to look.
- Copy the code in the text area at the bottom of the screen and paste it into your webpage(s).
If you are putting the badge into a narrow column on your webpage, you may find that 200px is too wide. If this is the case, you’ll need to update the code by changing the value 200 to the desired width. There are two places in the code where you’ll need to provide the new width. See the highlighted sections in the screenshot below.
Do you primarily still use Google Talk? What do you think of the Google Talk chatback badge?
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While this is a good idea in theory, there is an issue with Blackberry users and the Google Chatback badges…. I had this on my website for a few months but had to remove it because there was no way for me to respond to people unless I was sitting in front of a computer, even though it shows that i am online through the Google Chatback badge. There is no way to approve the javascript confirmation when a user is trying to chat through the Blackberry Google apps. At this time there does not seem to be a fix for this issue. Any iphone users have similar problems with the Chatback badge?
Yeah, it’s unfortunate that Google set it up so that the webmaster must respond via JavaScript-enabled web browser. It would have been better had they allowed webmasters to simply respond from the chat client in which they are logged in. However, this would eliminate the anonymity/pseudonimity for the webmaster. They could just use a bot to relay the discussion, but I guess they decided to go the browser route. Apparently it didn’t dawn on them that webmasters would not always have access to a JavaScript-enabled browser. As for whether or not it works on the iPhone, I couldn’t tell you. I think I’m the only geek on the planet that doesn’t have one. :)
Wow, very cool, didn’t know it had this ability. Dugg
Adding another gadget is slowing down your site with lot of gadgets already added and we can always in contact with readers through comments or through contact option from site .This is purely my personal opinion.
Does anyone know how to make the Google Chat Badge look like it does in gmail? depending on if i’m using FireFox IE or Chrome i get a different and less than pleasing experience. (mainly because of my settings in FireFox to force single window) But i would like it to stay defined within the webpage. Does anyone know how to give even the illusion like Gmail’s chat?
Thank you
As far as I know, there isn’t any way to keep the chat confined within the webpage. It would be nice if Google would implement it in such a way, but unfortunately there is not a lot of flexibility in how it works.
The only thing i can come up with (haven’t tried it) is to direct the script to load into a defined Div on the same page but that would be over my head i’d fear.
we have installed this on the right side of our site, we were hoping to use on blackberry device have installed google chat on there, as previous said it indicates when someone selects to chat but unfortunately due to the java confirmation we cant actually respond from the blackberry as it wont open up the chat. all it does is bleeps or indicates when someone is on site and gives us a minute to run to laptop to respond, a bit unfortunate.
if anyone knows of another chat button that can go on site and can be loaded on blackberry to respond and chat would be great
thanks
I’m sorry to say its part of the reason I left the BB train and boarded the Android revolution… because the chat badge works flawlessly on my phone now, and it wasn’t just that, but it didn’t hurt. For business use after the BB I find my android more useable but would wait for one more generation before id recommend it . Long story short I would Google it and maybe think about one that uses your PIN without giving it away…
Ill look some more this weekend and post back
Yeah blackberries are nice but that was why I switch to an Android device works like am charm plus you get push email, contacts, and calendar that all works seemlessly with you Google account also supports IMA email too. Make the switch you wont look back
Google can come into the market of live chat applications through Google talk. need to add capability of live tracking of visitors too.