hint.
the ray chat is a plugin. it is not 100% fully integrated with Dolphin.
options are:
# 1
set the online status in the advanced setting to an hour or more for all members.
# 2
make the chat open in a new window, and hope your members do not close the main dolphin window. but they still need to browse the main dolphin site if you have the online setting set to 5 minutes. or they will show offline anyway once the time is up.