Whispers Bot

Short Description:

Send unobtrusive notices instead of PM. - BETA

Full Description

This bot enables sending room messages that only intended users can read, without the need to switch between PM and the main room.

'Whispers' is not a new idea, name, or concept. Similar features are already part of other bots, particularly the popular Ultra Bot by britney_and_justin. This bot, however, is not based on other apps, and its scope is well-defined.

This bot has a dual purpose: (1) make moderator-host communication quicker and more convenient; (2) give ability to reward select users with sending non-public messages (whispers) to the host on specific circumstances.

In general, it stands on the following premises:

* Private communication with the room host (through PM, whispers, or otherwise) is a privilege and ought to be earned individually.
* Attention of the room host towards private communication is a limited resource.
* Moderators may need to broadcast messages to other moderators, as a group.
* The host may need to broadcast messages only to their moderators, as a group.
* Moderators may or may not be privileged with the room host's attention for private communication.
* Moderators may or may not make certain decisions for the room host.

It follows that this Whispers implementation has a number of restrictions that don't guarantee everyone complete access to this form of private-like communication. (The term used is 'private-like' because the messages handled remain room messages in nature--just treated differently.) In short, this is no "free private messages for all" or "PMs in chat" facility ("PMs in chat" being an oxymoron, in itself).

Features

Unprivileged users may:

* Maintain a whisper quota to address whispers only to the room host, and only as long as it isn't empty.

If given specific privileges, moderators may:

* Add or remove whispers from any user's quota.
* Have an unlimited whisper quota themselves.
* Send whispers to the room host or other moderators.
* Read whispers addressed to the room host.

The room host can:

* Send whispers to their moderators.
* Add or remove whispers from any user's quota.
* Configure privileges of moderators.

[For the purpose of the script's operation, unprivileged users are those who don't have host or moderator status.]

Settings

Few, and self-explanatory:

* Moderators have unlimited whispers: Grant any moderators unlimited whispers automatically. This can happen upon room entry or sending the first message.

* Moderators can read all whispers: Whether moderators have 'read access' to all whispers sent in the room. The host can toggle this privilege later with the /wmread command.

* Moderators can add or remove whispers: Whether moderators have 'write access' to the whisper quotas of other users. The host can toggle this privilege later with the /wmwrite command.

Commands

The list of commands is self-discoverable upon starting the bot, and when whispers have been added to any user's quota. There's a tiny in-app help system of sorts: the user is prompted to type /w. This command, by itself, is informational and the gateway to the rest of the available commands.

Full list of commands

The user of this bot shouldn't need a full list of commands to memorize. In fact, depending on the user type and privileges, only a few of the commands might be available to a user, and the rest completely hidden from his view or interaction. However, here is the full list, for completeness:

/w - Display help system

/w MESSAGE - Whisper MESSAGE to the room host. Example: /w Hi cutie!.

/wm - Display help on sending whispers to moderators.

/wm MESSAGE - Whisper MESSAGE to the room moderators. Example: /wm I'll brb.

/wadd - Display help on adding whispers.

/wadd USERNAME AMOUNT - Add AMOUNT whispers to USERNAME. If AMOUNT is ommitted, give unlimited whispers. Example: /wadd gooduser123 5.

/wdel - Display help on deleting (removing) whispers.

/wdel USERNAME - Remove all whispers from USERNAME, effectively emptying his quota. Example: /wdel baduser69.

/wmread - Toggle reading of all whispers by moderators.

/wmwrite - Toggle adding or removing of whispers by moderators.

To do

...

Status

* 2014-11-08: Tested on live broadcast. Beta status.
* 2014-11-01: Uploaded to official site as WIP.