True interactivity is not about clicking on icons or downloading files, it’s about encouraging communication.  

-Edwin Schlossberg

Back in the “good ole’ days” of classic Everquest, there weren’t any custom chat channels.  If you wanted to run a raid, you either ran it in guildchat, or you took over an open channel like /shout or /ooc.  I remember seeing a Temple of Veeshan heal chain coordinated in /auction once. 

In a game which was essentially taking all its cues from chat heavy MUD’s and Diku’s, Everquest made it hard - harder than it needed to be to communicate with other players in those situations where communications was most needed. 

Even outside of raids, there was no private channels guilds could use to talk with applicants, and friends who left your server effectively left the ability to talk with you…ever.

Then one day, SOE wisened up. 

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