We are going to work with more community managers to help us push the usage - this implementation is useful for these guys who manage groups, who can't / won't implement chat solutions on sites.
I think some of the solutions that came before get taken over by trolls / spammers, so we're going with the oAuth approach, which we believe provides better content/conversation.
The empty room issue is still going to be a big one, we hope features like "trending" and that combination with push from community managers, can help resolve that issue.
Yeah - we'll need to figure this out. When we posted to r/chrome last week, this was the same comment we got. Then again, we haven't heard this feedback from the, I guess, "non-technical" folks that's been using it... but we will think about this some more for sure.
We made this Chrome extension (w/ Node.js + MongoDB in the back) that overlays a chatroom on top of websites - the idea is, if you want to discuss a certain article / website with other people, all you have to do is install the extension and open it on the given page, to talk to other users.
Say that you are on HN, we give you the ability to chat with whoever else is there reading the same article!
We also have a "Lobby" feature, so you can talk to everyone else on at the same time (that might not be on the same site you're on)
We think this could be a good tool for say - students who want to discuss homework assignments, shoppers who want to make a last minute purchasing decision, or sports fans who want to vent with one another. It's a good way to connect passionate people of the same community!
Still super early - would love get your thoughts on it! Features you wanna see, etc.
Try it out! We will be waiting on the HN homepage!
Re: "private" rooms, we are thinking about this, just need to figure out an elegant solution...!