diff --git a/admin/index.php b/admin/index.php
index 98784d02..aa1da1c3 100644
--- a/admin/index.php
+++ b/admin/index.php
@@ -25,13 +25,14 @@
  require_once("../common.inc.php");
  require_once("../user.inc.php");
  require_once("../committee.inc.php");
+ require_once("../chat.inc.php");
 
  user_auth_required('committee','admin');
 
  send_header("Administration",
  	array('Committee Main' => 'committee_main.php'),
 	"administration");
-
+ draw_chatbox('general');
  echo "<table class=\"adminconfigtable\">";
  echo " <tr>";
  echo "  <td><a href=\"registration.php\">".theme_icon("participant_registration")."<br />".i18n("Participant Registration")."</a></td>";
diff --git a/chat.ajax.php b/chat.ajax.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d364958e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chat.ajax.php
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<?php
+require_once('common.inc.php');
+//authent_required();
+if(array_key_exists('collapsed', $_POST)){
+	$_SESSION['chat_collapsed'] = $_POST['collapsed'];
+}
+if(!array_key_exists('subject', $_POST) || !array_key_exists('action', $_POST)){
+	exit;
+}
+$params = array();
+$params[] = 'since=' . (array_key_exists('since', $_POST) ? intval($_POST['since']) : 0);
+$params[] = 'subject=' . urlencode($_POST['subject']);
+if(array_key_exists('message', $_POST)){
+	$message = htmlspecialchars($_POST['message']);
+	$params[] = 'message=' . urlencode($message);
+}
+$params[] = 'user=' . urlencode($_SESSION['name']);
+$params[] = 'fairname=' . urlencode($config['fairname']);
+
+$ch = curl_init();
+curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'http://sfiab.ca/messageExchange.php');
+curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
+curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, implode('&', $params));
+curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
+$result = curl_exec ($ch);
+echo $result;
diff --git a/chat.inc.php b/chat.inc.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..540e1fc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chat.inc.php
@@ -0,0 +1,269 @@
+<?
+/* 
+   This file is part of the 'Science Fair In A Box' project
+   SFIAB Website: http://www.sfiab.ca
+
+   Copyright (C) 2005 Sci-Tech Ontario Inc <info@scitechontario.org>
+   Copyright (C) 2005-2008 James Grant <james@lightbox.org>
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+   modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
+   License as published by the Free Software Foundation, version 2.
+
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+    General Public License for more details.
+
+   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+   along with this program; see the file COPYING.  If not, write to
+   the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
+   Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+*/
+?>
+<?php
+function draw_chatbox($subject){
+	global $config;
+	$chatCollapsed = $_SESSION['chat_collapsed'] ? 1 : 0;
+?>
+	<style type="text/css">
+		#chatbox_wrapper{
+			border: 3px solid;
+			border-color: #EEEEFF #5C6F90 #5C6F90 #EEEEFF;
+			border-radius: 8px;
+			display:inline-block;
+			width: <?=($chatCollapsed ? '0px' : '30em')?>;
+			height: 38em;
+			float:right;
+			margin: 1em;
+			padding: 1.25em;
+			background-color: #E0E0FF;
+			position:relative;
+		}
+		#chatbox_dialogue{
+			width:100%;
+			height: 30em;
+			top: 0.5em;
+			overflow:auto;
+			border: 3px solid;
+			border-color: #5C6F90 #EEEEFF #EEEEFF #5C6F90;
+			background-color: #FFF;
+			border-radius: 3px;
+			<?php
+			if($chatCollapsed) echo "display: none;\n";
+			?>
+		}
+		#chatbox_separator{
+			border-top:1px solid white;
+			height: 1.5em;
+		}
+		#chatbox_input{
+			width: 100%;
+			background-color: #FFF;
+			height: 3em;
+			border: 3px solid;
+			border-radius: 3px;
+			border-color: #5C6F90 #EEEEFF #EEEEFF #5C6F90;
+			display: none;
+		}
+		#chatbox_submit{
+			margin: 0;
+			margin-top: 0.5em;
+			width: 100%;
+			border-radius: 3px;
+			background-color: #CECEDF;
+			border-color: #E8E8EE #5C6F90 #5C6F90 #E8E8EE;
+			font-size: 18px;
+			height: 1.5em;
+			line-height: 1em;
+			font-weight: normal;
+			display: none;
+		}
+		div.chatbox_messageHeader{
+			margin-top: 1em;
+			border-top: 1px solid #668;
+			border-bottom: 1px solid #224;
+			background-color: #557;
+			color: #FFF;
+		}
+		#chatbox_collapsebutton{
+			position: absolute;
+			left: 0;/*32em;*/
+			top: 0;/*16em;*/
+			width: 1.2em; 
+			height: 1.2em;
+			line-height: 1.2em;
+			text-align:center;
+/*			border-radius: 0.5em;
+			background-color:  #CECEDF;
+			border: 2px solid;
+			border-color: #EEEEFF #5C6F90 #5C6F90 #EEEEFF;
+*/
+		}
+	</style>
+	<script type="text/javascript">
+		var lastMessageIndex = {};
+		var ajaxLock = false;
+		var refreshRate = 30000;
+		var viewCollapsed = <?=$chatCollapsed;?>;
+		$(document).ready(function(){
+			loadChat('<?=$subject;?>', function(){
+				setTimeout(function(){refreshChat('<?=$subject;?>');}, refreshRate);
+				if(!viewCollapsed){
+					$('#chatbox_input').css('display', 'block');
+					$('#chatbox_submit').css('display', 'block');
+				}
+				$('#chatbox_input').focus(function(event){
+					$('#chatbox_input').val('');
+					$('#chatbox_input').unbind(event)
+				});
+			});
+		});
+		function doSubmit(){
+			postMessage('<?=$subject;?>', $('#chatbox_input').val());
+			$('#chatbox_input').val('');
+		}
+		function loadChat(subject, callback){
+			ajaxLock = true;
+			if(callback == undefined) callback = function(){};
+			if(lastMessageIndex[subject] == undefined) lastMessageIndex[subject] = 0;
+			$.post(
+				'<?=$config['SFIABDIRECTORY']?>/chat.ajax.php',
+				{'action':'fetch', 'subject':subject, 'since':lastMessageIndex[subject]},
+				function(result){
+					ajaxLock = false;
+					handleReply(subject, result);
+					callback();
+				}
+			);
+		}
+
+		function refreshChat(subject){
+			if(ajaxLock == false){
+				ajaxLock = true;
+				$.post(
+					'<?=$config['SFIABDIRECTORY']?>/chat.ajax.php',
+					{'action':'fetch', 'subject':subject, 'since':lastMessageIndex[subject]},
+					function(result){
+						ajaxLock = false;
+						handleReply(subject, result);
+					}
+				);
+				setTimeout(function(){refreshChat(subject);}, refreshRate);
+			}else{
+				setTimeout(function(){refreshChat(subject);}, refreshRate);
+			}
+		}
+
+		function postMessage(subject, message){
+			if(ajaxLock == false){
+				ajaxLock = true;
+				message = $.trim(message);
+				if(message.length > 0){
+					$.post(
+						'<?=$config['SFIABDIRECTORY']?>/chat.ajax.php',
+						{'action':'fetch', 'subject':subject, 'message':message, 'since':lastMessageIndex[subject]},
+						function(result){
+							ajaxLock = false;
+							handleReply(subject, result);
+						}
+					);
+				}
+			}else{
+				setTimeout(function(){postMessage(subject, message);}, 200 + 400 * Math.random());
+			}
+		}
+
+		function textMessage(time, speaker, fairname, text){
+			var line = $('<div></div>');
+			var header = $('<div class="chatbox_messageHeader"></div>');
+			if(fairname != null) header.append(fairname + "<br/>");
+			header.append('<strong>' + speaker + '</strong>');
+			if(time) header.append('<span style="float:right">' + time + '</span>');
+			line.html(text);
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').append(header);
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').append(line);
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').animate({ scrollTop: $('#chatbox_dialogue').attr("scrollHeight") - $('#chatbox_dialogue').height() }, 0);
+		}
+
+		function errorMessage(text){
+			var line = $('<div class="error"></div>');
+			line.html('<strong>' + text + '</strong>');
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').append(line);
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').animate({ scrollTop: $('#chatbox_dialogue').attr("scrollHeight") - $('#chatbox_dialogue').height() }, 0);
+		}
+
+		function systemMessage(text){
+			var line = $('<div></div>');
+			line.html('<strong>' + text + '</strong>');
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').append(line);
+			$('#chatbox_dialogue').animate({ scrollTop: $('#chatbox_dialogue').attr("scrollHeight") - $('#chatbox_dialogue').height() }, 0);
+		}
+
+		function handleReply(subject, response){
+			var data;
+			eval('data = ' + response);
+			if(data.info.length > 0){
+				for(n in data.info){
+					systemMessage(data.info[n].text);
+				}
+			}
+			if(data.error.length > 0){
+				for(n in data.error){
+					errorMessage(data.error[n]);
+				}
+			}
+			if(data.message.length > 0){
+				for(n in data.message){
+					textMessage(
+						data.message[n].time,
+						data.message[n].speaker,
+						data.message[n].fairname,
+						data.message[n].text
+					);
+					lastMessageIndex[subject] = data.message[n].index;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		function toggleView(){
+			var newWidth, callback;
+			if(viewCollapsed){
+				newWidth = '30em';
+				viewCollapsed = false;
+				$('#chatbox_input').css('display', 'block');
+				$('#chatbox_submit').css('display', 'block');
+				$('#chatbox_dialogue').css('display', 'block');
+				$('#chatbox_collapsebutton').html('&raquo;');
+				callback = function(){
+					$('#chatbox_dialogue').animate({ scrollTop: $('#chatbox_dialogue').attr("scrollHeight") - $('#chatbox_dialogue').height() }, 0);
+				}
+			}else{
+				newWidth = '0px';
+				viewCollapsed = true;
+				callback = function(){
+					$('#chatbox_input').css('display', 'none');
+					$('#chatbox_submit').css('display', 'none');
+					$('#chatbox_dialogue').css('display', 'none');
+					$('#chatbox_collapsebutton').html('&laquo;');
+				}
+			}
+			$.post('<?=$config['SFIABDIRECTORY']?>/chat.ajax.php',{'collapsed':viewCollapsed ? '1' : '0'});
+			$('#chatbox_wrapper').animate({'width':newWidth}, 500, callback);
+		}
+
+	</script>
+	<div id="chatbox_wrapper">
+		<div id="chatbox_dialogue"></div>
+		<div id="chatbox_separator"></div>
+		<textarea id="chatbox_input">Type your message here...</textarea>
+		<button id="chatbox_submit" type="submit" onclick="doSubmit(); return false;">send</button>
+		<div id="chatbox_collapsebutton" onclick="toggleView();"><?php
+			if($chatCollapsed) echo "&laquo;\n";
+			else echo "&raquo;";
+		?></div>
+	</div>
+	<pre>
+	</pre>
+<?php
+}
diff --git a/committee_main.php b/committee_main.php
index aed19ff3..d1facec9 100644
--- a/committee_main.php
+++ b/committee_main.php
@@ -26,11 +26,12 @@
  require_once("common.inc.php");
  require_once("user.inc.php");
  require_once("user_page.inc.php");
+ require_once("chat.inc.php");
 
  user_auth_required('committee');
 
  send_header("Committee Main", array());
-
+ draw_chatbox('general');
  //only display the named greeting if we have their name
  echo i18n("Hello <b>%1</b>",array($_SESSION['name']));
  echo "<br />";
diff --git a/config/index.php b/config/index.php
index 95fc9e54..daec6988 100644
--- a/config/index.php
+++ b/config/index.php
@@ -24,13 +24,14 @@
 <?
  require("../common.inc.php");
  require_once("../user.inc.php");
+ require_once("../chat.inc.php");
  user_auth_required('committee', 'config');
 
  send_header("SFIAB Configuration",
  		array('Committee Main' => 'committee_main.php')
 		,"configuration"
 		);
-
+draw_chatbox('general');
 
  echo "<table class=\"adminconfigtable\">";
  echo " <tr>";