Friday, November 18, 2005

My First Web Chat

Yesterday (16th Nov, 2005) I had my first technical web chat on “3D in Windows Presentation Foundation (Avalon)” and it was really different experience for me which I think I must share with you.

The very first interesting thing in this is that how I got an opportunity to host a Web Chat and that is also in Microsoft Expert chat program. (http://www.microsoft.com/india/communities/chat)

Actually this chat was supposed to host by my friend Dhaval Faria [MVP]. But since he had some problem one day before he called me in afternoon. I was in mess and just started my lunch. He called me and just said “Are mahesh eak problem ho gaya hai”. I thought he was taking about the UG meet. So suddenly I said that “abe ab ye mat bol ki tu Saturday ko UG meet ke liye pune nahi aa sakata”. On this he said that “woh nahi re mai Saturday ko aa raha hu lekin kal mera chat hai aor muze same time pe muze eak jaruri kam hai woh mai cancel nahi kar sakata”. And he asked me to conduct that chat. Very firstly I said I can’t since I didn’t prepare for that and it was very difficult to prepare in a day and host a chat on a very new topic like Avalon. Afterwards I agreed and he also agrees to send me all the material he had related to that.

After that in evening when go to check my mails since Dhaval suppose to send me the material for that and I’m shocked there was no mail from Dhaval. I called him and asked about that so he said I will send in night I say ok and that time I thought let search some martial, articles, samples on Microsoft site so that if Dhaval not send that in night also that can help to prepare and the things happened same as I thought he didn’t send the material in night also. So download many things from Microsoft site related to Avalon, and in late night started preparing for that. Around 2:00 AM in night I stop reading and go for sleep.

In morning also I was busy in reading the things about Avalon. Around 10:00 AM Dhaval called me and told that he mailed the material so again I go to check my mails and download that material and came home and again started reading that. You can’t think I was really reading as I did that in my college time for my exams. I was really in tens for that 36 hrs. During this Dhaval called me 2-3 times and explain me about the chat. Since this was my first chat I have no idea the chat procedure and how it goes etc.
So I decided to go online at 4:00 PM as chat suppose to start at 5:00 PM but I was really in tens to so I go online around 3:40 PM. I think I will talk with Subhashini about the chat manager tool and installed in. since the time 4:00 to 7:00 is electricity load shedding time for my area I decide to go for Sify Iway cafĂ© since they have backup. So there should not be any problem if power goes. But subhashini was not online on MSN so I talk with abhishek but he also said that subhashini will help you for this he has no idea. I send SMS to her and around 4:15 I got a mail from her with that “Chat manager tool” which I suppose to use for chat. I downloaded that and start to install and it gives a BIG ERROR message!!! That it requires.NET Framework 1.1 so first install that and now everything goes for Toss. I can’t install that since I don’t have Framework with me I told that to subhashini. She said to do something because without that chat manager we can’t save / record the chat and also I can’t login as Expert then I need to login as guest. but even I can’t do anything that time since I don’t have framework and I can’t download that since it will take more time and we have only 15 minutes left to start so we decide me to chat from web (Internet explorer) and use “Mahesh(Expert)” as my nickname in guest login.

At sharp 5:00 PM we started first subhashini introduces me and then I start my talk. During that only 2-3 questions was asked. I tried to answer that at same time for one question I answered but I was not sure for that answer so I called Dhaval and check my doubt was right so I again answer that question at the end. At 5:55 I finish my talk and then desk was free for questions but not much questions came and also closing time was 6:00 so subhashini announces 15 minutes more for the question answer session. But only 2-3 questions came. In 15 mints so at end I post my mail address so that they can mail me questions and also post some good links about the topic. And say thanks to all. And then subhashini closed the chat with vote of thanks.

Immediately I called Dhaval and said (not said just Shout!!!) Yessssssssss!!!!! It’s over and I did that successfully.

Thanks to Dhaval, subhashini for giving such a good opportunity. Now we (I and Dhaval decided to commonly do the next web chat on Avalon and also may be do the session)

So this is my first experience of web chat the transcript is available on Microsoft site. you can read that at http://www.microsoft.com/india/communities/chat/36.aspx