Family Chat in Beta (again!)

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The Family Chat feature is back in Beta. Family Chat has nothing to do with Facebook Chat. You will notice a Chat Icon on your Game Header.

At the bottom of your Family Page, you will see it and all the options.

You can also find it in the settings from your Account Drop Bar.

When you click on the "Chats" located at the bottom of your Family Page, you will have to agree to the Guidelines and Terms of Service.

Here is what it says.
Chat with your Family whenever you want. Please review some of the chat features and important portions of our Terms of Service.


You have the option to block incoming chat messages from a fellow Family member. Messages from a blocked individual will not be visible to you in individual chat sessions and group chat sessions.
You have the option to leave the chat or to leave your Family at any time.
Reports of ToS violations can be made through our normal Customer Support channels.
Zynga assumes no responsibility for the conduct of any user submitting any User Content, and assumes no responsibility for monitoring the Service for inappropriate content or conduct.


We do not, and cannot, pre-screen or monitor all User Content. However, at our discretion, our representatives or technology may monitor and/or record your interaction with the Service or communications (including without limitation chat text) when you are using the Service.


You're are not permitted to:


Use your Account to engage in any illegal conduct;
Use your Account to advertise, or solicit, or transmit any commercial advertisements;
Post any information that is abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory, libelous, or racially, sexually, religiously, or otherwise objectionable or offensive;
Post any information that contains nudity, excessive violence, or offensive subject matter or that contains a link to such content;
Attempt to, or harass, abuse, or harm, or advocate or incite harassment, abuse, or harm of another person, group, including Zynga employees, including Zynga's customer service representatives;
Make available through the Service any material or information that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity, or other right of any person or entity or impersonates any other person, including without limitation a Zynga employee;
Learn more about the Zynga Terms of Service or review the entire document especially sections 1.6 (subsections g and h), 1.9 (subsections j – m), 2.1, 2.2.2.
Zynga's Privacy Policy

Once you agree, you can get started. Your Chat Bar at the bottom of the Family Page will look like this.

Use the settings icon to adjust your settings (or go to the settings option in your Account Drop Bar).

Pop-out Chat is coming soon.

Toggle the plus and minus sign to minimize or expand the chat box. To leave Family Chat and close it out completely, click the X.

When you are ready to talk to your Family, click on "Chats", type in your message and press send.

If you click on "Family", it will list all of your Family members and show you who is on line and available to chat.

There is a swear filter so don't try to write any bad words. They will appear as ****.

If you look at the example above, I typed in "Zynga" and it got filtered too! I guess Zynga doesn't want you to talk smack about them in their own Chat.

If you have a Family member who is abusing the Chat Feature or you just don't like them, there is an option to block them. Just find a name (I'm just using a random example and have nothing against this Family member). In the Family list, click on the name of the person you want to block and then click on "Block". I red stop icon will appear to the left of their name.

To unblock, do the same but click on "Unblock".

You can post links in Family Chat but they won't be hyper-linked. To easily get to the linked page, highlight the link, right click and select "Go to http://link".

One thing they should work on is having a chat history. Once you leave your game, the chat log is reset. One more thing they forgot was to change the name from "Clan Chat" to Family Chat on the Game Header Icon. If you hover your mouse over it, it will say "Clan Chat". Nate said on Mafia Wars Live that Zynga refers to Clans as Families.

I'll have more details in future posts once more players have this feature and the beta testing is complete.

Article written by Jennifer Patterson, Creator of the MW Loot Lady Blog, The Mafia Wars Loot Lady Facebook Fan Page and Co-Host of The Informant Podcast. All material is protected by copyright law