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Chat Rooms

Chat rooms let attendees communicate in real-time during events. Each event has multiple rooms for different audiences and purposes, from general discussion to speaker coordination.

Overview​

Chat rooms are event-specific spaces where attendees can:

  • Send messages to everyone in the room
  • Participate in live discussions during sessions
  • Coordinate with speakers (for speakers/organizers)
  • Ask questions and engage with other attendees

Key Features:

  • Real-time messaging powered by Socket.IO
  • Different rooms for different roles and purposes
  • Moderation tools for admins and organizers
  • Mobile and desktop access with different interfaces

Room Types​

Events can have several types of chat rooms based on purpose and access level:

General (GLOBAL)​

  • Icon: Globe 🌐
  • Access: All event attendees
  • Purpose: Main event discussion, announcements, general questions
  • Always available: Yes

This is the main room for your event where everyone can chat.

Speakers (GREEN_ROOM)​

  • Icon: Microphone 🎤
  • Badge: "Speakers" (green)
  • Access: Speakers, admins, and organizers only
  • Purpose: Speaker coordination, backstage communication, prep discussions

Admin (ADMIN)​

  • Icon: Lock 🔒
  • Badge: "Admin" (red)
  • Access: Admins and organizers only
  • Purpose: Private staff communication, event coordination

Session Rooms​

Session-specific rooms are available when you're viewing a session. They only appear when you're in a session context.

Public (PUBLIC)

  • Icon: Message 💬
  • Badge: "Public" (blue)
  • Access: All session attendees
  • Purpose: Session-specific discussion, Q&A

Backstage (BACKSTAGE)

  • Icon: Users 👥
  • Badge: "Backstage" (violet)
  • Access: Session speakers and organizers
  • Purpose: Speaker coordination for that specific session

Desktop: Session chat pops out from the right side, automatically resizing the video and content to make space. You can collapse it to expand the video.

Mobile: Session rooms appear in the "Session" tab of the chat sidebar when you're viewing a session.

Session Rooms

Session rooms are contextual - they only appear when you're viewing a specific session. They're separate from event-level rooms.

Accessing Chat Rooms​

Desktop​

  1. Navigate to your event
  2. Click Networking in the event menu
  3. Select the Chat tab

You'll see tabs for each available room at the top. Click a tab to switch rooms.

Desktop Chat Location

On desktop, chat rooms are in the Networking area's Chat tab. This tab is only visible on desktop - mobile uses a different interface.

Mobile​

  1. Navigate to your event
  2. Look for the chat icon (usually bottom right)
  3. Tap to open the chat sidebar
  4. Select the Rooms tab

You'll see a list of available rooms. Tap a room to open it full-screen.

Mobile Tabs:

  • Global - Your direct messages from all events
  • Event - Event-scoped direct messages
  • Rooms - Event chat rooms (what we're discussing here)
  • Session - Session-specific chat rooms (when viewing a session)
Mobile Chat Interface

On mobile, chat uses a collapsible sidebar that opens over your content. The sidebar combines both chat rooms and direct messages in one place.

Sending Messages​

Desktop​

  1. Make sure you're in the correct room (check the active tab)
  2. Type your message in the input box at the bottom
  3. Press Enter to send, or Shift+Enter for a new line
  4. Your message appears immediately for everyone in the room

Mobile​

  1. Tap the room to open it full-screen
  2. Type your message in the input box at the bottom
  3. Tap the Send button (or press Enter if using a keyboard)
  4. Your message appears for everyone in the room

Message Input:

  • Placeholder: "Write a message..."
  • Supports multi-line messages (Shift+Enter on desktop)
  • Auto-scrolls to show your new message

Viewing Messages​

Message Display​

Each message shows:

  • Sender's name
  • Message content
  • Timestamp (e.g., "2:30 PM")

Your messages appear with your name and profile avatar.

Others' messages appear with their name and avatar.

Scrolling and History​

Auto-scroll:

  • When you're near the bottom of the chat, new messages auto-scroll into view
  • If you scroll up to read history, auto-scroll is disabled
  • Scroll to the bottom to re-enable auto-scroll

Loading older messages:

  • Scroll to the top of the message list
  • Older messages load automatically (infinite scroll)
  • Chat fetches messages in batches (50 at a time)
Reading While Active

If you scroll up to read older messages, new messages won't auto-scroll. This lets you read without being interrupted. When you scroll back to the bottom, auto-scroll resumes.

Room Permissions​

Who Can Send Messages​

General (GLOBAL):

  • All attendees can send messages
  • Unless they're chat-banned by an organizer

Speakers (GREEN_ROOM):

  • Speakers
  • Admins and organizers

Admin (ADMIN):

  • Admins
  • Organizers

Session Rooms:

  • Public: All session attendees
  • Backstage: Session speakers and organizers

Who Can See Rooms​

You only see rooms you have access to. The backend filters rooms based on your role:

  • Attendees see General and Public session rooms
  • Speakers see General, Speakers, and session rooms
  • Organizers/Admins see all rooms

Message Moderation​

Who Can Moderate​

  • Admins can moderate any message in any room
  • Organizers can moderate any message in any room
  • Regular attendees and speakers cannot moderate messages

Deleting Messages​

To delete an inappropriate message:

  1. Hover over the message (desktop) or long-press (mobile)
  2. Click the delete icon that appears
  3. Confirm the deletion in the modal

What happens:

  • The message is soft-deleted from the system
  • A websocket update removes it from everyone's chat in real-time
  • For regular attendees: The message disappears completely
  • For admins/organizers: The deleted message still appears with deletion info (who deleted it, when)
  • New users loading chat: Don't see the message at all (unless they're admin/organizer)
  • The sender is NOT notified of the deletion
Moderation Responsibility

Deleted messages cannot be undeleted. Use moderation for code of conduct violations, spam, or inappropriate content only.

Desktop vs Mobile​

Desktop Interface​

Layout:

  • Single-room tab system at top
  • Click tab to switch rooms
  • Message list in center
  • Input at bottom
  • Always visible when on Chat tab

Navigation:

  • Tab-based room switching
  • URL synchronized (bookmark specific rooms)
  • One room active at a time

Mobile Interface​

Layout:

  • Collapsible sidebar with room list
  • Tap room to open full-screen
  • Close button returns to sidebar
  • Sidebar overlays content

Navigation:

  • Tap sidebar icon to open
  • Choose "Rooms" tab
  • Tap room to open
  • Back button returns to room list

Session Rooms:

  • Available in "Session" tab (mobile only)
  • Automatically shows rooms for the session you're viewing
  • Easy switching between Public and Backstage
Session Chat Access

Desktop: Session chat automatically pops out from the right side when you're in a session, resizing the content to fit. Collapse it to give the video more space.

Mobile: Session rooms appear in the dedicated "Session" tab of the chat sidebar when you're viewing a session.

Both interfaces make session chat easily accessible without leaving the session page.

Best Practices​

Sending Messages​

Do:

  • Stay on topic for the room
  • Be respectful and professional
  • Use General for broad questions
  • Use session rooms for session-specific discussion

Don't:

  • Spam or send excessive messages
  • Share personal information publicly
  • Use ALL CAPS (considered shouting)
  • Post off-topic content in specialized rooms

Room Selection​

General Room:

  • Event announcements
  • General networking
  • Finding session locations
  • Broad questions

Speakers Room:

  • Coordinating with other speakers
  • Asking organizers questions
  • Session timing questions
  • Technical setup issues

Admin Room:

  • Staff coordination
  • Emergency issues
  • Event management
  • Private organizer discussion

Session Rooms:

  • Questions for the speaker
  • Discussion about session content
  • Networking with session attendees

Common Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Asking a Question During a Session​

On Desktop:

  1. Stay on the session page
  2. Open the session's Public chat room
  3. Ask your question
  4. Speaker or other attendees can respond

On Mobile:

  1. While viewing the session
  2. Open chat sidebar
  3. Go to "Session" tab
  4. Tap "Public" room
  5. Ask your question

Scenario 2: Coordinating as a Speaker​

  1. Open the Speakers (GREEN_ROOM) room
  2. Discuss with other speakers and organizers
  3. Messages are private to speakers/staff
  4. Use for backstage coordination

Scenario 3: Event Announcement (Organizers)​

  1. Open the General room
  2. Send your announcement
  3. Everyone sees it immediately
  4. Consider pinning important announcements (if available)

Scenario 4: Switching Between Rooms​

Desktop:

  • Click different room tabs at the top
  • Active room changes immediately
  • Message history loads for the new room

Mobile:

  • Tap back to return to room list
  • Tap different room
  • Opens full-screen with that room's messages

Troubleshooting​

Can't See a Room​

Problem: Expected room isn't showing up

Solutions:

  • Check your role - you may not have access
  • Speakers rooms require Speaker role
  • Admin rooms require Admin/Organizer role
  • Session rooms only appear when viewing a session
  • Refresh the page

Can't Send Messages​

Problem: Input is disabled or messages won't send

Solutions:

  • Check if you're chat-banned (contact organizers)
  • Verify you have access to this room
  • Make sure you have an internet connection
  • Try refreshing the page
  • Check if the event is archived

Messages Not Appearing​

Problem: Sent a message but don't see it

Solutions:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Refresh the page
  • Verify you're in the right room
  • Message may have failed to send - try again

Old Messages Not Loading​

Problem: Can't see message history

Solutions:

  • Scroll to the very top of the message list
  • Wait a moment for messages to load
  • Refresh the page if stuck
  • May be no older messages (start of conversation)

Chat Tab Missing (Desktop)​

Problem: Don't see Chat tab in Networking area

Solutions:

  • Chat tab is desktop-only
  • On mobile, use the chat icon/sidebar instead
  • Make sure you're in an event's Networking page
  • Refresh the page

Mobile Chat Won't Open​

Problem: Tap chat icon but nothing happens

Solutions:

  • Make sure you're in an event context
  • Try closing and reopening the app/browser
  • Clear browser cache
  • Check if JavaScript is enabled
Staying on Topic

When you're in a session, stick to that session's chat room to keep discussions on topic and network with people who are interested in the same content. Event-level rooms like General are great for broader networking and event-wide questions.