NightOwl Romance Live author chat

I had my first experience in participating in a large mass chat room today. Not as an author, but just as a common folk/reader out to meet an author of interest. Even though it actually was not so large a group it was a unique experience for me. It was not what I expected. The participants were nice but I wonder if anyone read the rules... Quoted from the website: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/chat/chat.aspx

Each author has their own time to chat about their books. Out of respect, please give each author the stage while it's their time and hold questions for other authors until it's their personal question time.

Eliza Knight - http://elizaknight.com/default.aspx Frances Stockton - http://www.francesstockton.com/ Catrina Calloway - http://www.myspace.com/CatrinaCalloway - free copy of EIGHT EROTIC NIGHTS Jacquie Rogers - http://www.jacquierogers.com/ - Giving away a Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues T-shirt Alysia Lyons - http://www.alysialyons.com/ If I understood the chat correctly it was to be an opportunity to chat with the authors about their books. Participants were to be polite and ask only the author whose time it was to chat questions. Well the chat seemed like a free for all to this lowly common reader.... posts were scrolling faster that I could read.... prizes were awarded before participants were given time to even respond to the posters.... unless you were a speed reader. Participates carried on completely personal or general conversations without any respect to the authors whose turn it was to talk..... Now to be a bit fair... some of these same authors were also the culpurts. Visiting reviewers carried on conversations with other participants as well as throwing the participating author the stray question to answer. The chat administrator had very little control, nor did she try. I understand and appreciate that NightOwl Romance wanted its participants to have a good time, but promoting the event and the actual funcionality of the event in my opinion was poorly accomplished. It appeared as if many visitors to the chat room left before participating. I know for myself it felt worst than an actual conversation where "you can't get a word in edgewise" as the saying goes. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable reading the things everyone was posting, it's just that much of the post were never directed or offered to the author. I participated in the event with the original purpose of supporting a very new aquaintance/author Alysia Lyons. As luck would have it she was the last participating author. I politely asked a question or two of each author as their turn appeared but the other conversations filled the screen so quickly I could not keep up with the posts. Every author was polite and I believe tried their best to do their part around the numerous posts but I actually felt quite bad for them. I know questions were asked of them that they most likely missed due to the speed at which the posts were scrolling. I know personally I will think twice about going back to post under these same circumstances but I believe the general intent of the live chat was to be helpful. Stray comments that I too made or asked were almost always politely answered, if not by the current participating author, by someone else. I will most likely go back and visit the site again and I may even enter the chat room but I will have to think very hard on returning to participate in an authors chat.