Your community members can communicate via messaging through direct messages to one another and as a group in event chat threads from meetings, webinars, and roundtables. Messaging is supported in the community on a browser or mobile device, and also in the Gradual Go event mobile app at in person events.
Settings & Controls
To enable direct messaging and/or event messaging, navigate to the Settings tab in your dashboard, to System Settings, and to the Direct Messaging block.
Enable Direct Messaging in Community
This allows members to send direct messages to one another throughout the platform. Enabling this feature will generate a 'Message' button in users' profiles, populate the 'Messages' tab in the community, and will notify members of unread new messages via bulk email notifications & native within the platform.
Enable Direct Messaging in Events
This allows event attendees to send direct messages to one another within events.
If this feature is enabled, but the direct messaging in the community (above) is disabled, the 'Messages' tab will only appear in events, not within the main community menu. Members can only send and receive messages during events, and will not see those event chat threads at the community level or homepage.
Block Messages from Strangers
This is a new feature to protect your members from spam or unwanted solicitation. When toggled on, this setting blocks a member from sending multiple messages to another member before receiving a reply.
How it works:
User A can send User B one message to start the conversation
Once sent, User A receives an alert that User B must accept and their chat box is disabled
User B must reply to User A's message to accept and continue the conversation
Once User B accepts the conversation by replying, the two users can message back and forth with no limitation
This is toggled on by default but can be toggled off to remove this setting and allow for a user to send multiple messages without acceptance from the other user.
Exclude Admins
This excludes admins from being blocked from sending multiple messages to members without first receiving a reply, bypassing the limitation explained above.
This is toggled on by default but can be toggled off to remove this setting and restrict admins from sending multiple messages to a new user before acceptance.
Moderation
Gradual has deployed several native moderation features that automatically moderate messages so they are appropriate and work to deter spamming:
Basic profanity filter moderation will return an error to the user if their text contains profanity
Gradual is currently using a standard available library of profane terms in English.
You can add custom words or phrases to the spam filter or remove certain words from the filter as well in System Settings in your dashboard.
Basic content filter moderation will return an error to the user if the text contains blanks or spaces only
Rate limits moderation will return an error to the user if they submit a duplicated post in quick succession
Filter moderation will block all ASCII text and return an error to the user
If you'd like to customize your community's profanity word filter you can do so in the dashboard, in System Settings.
Banning or Restricting Messaging
On a member-by-member basis
There are features in Gradual that allow for members to report and block other users who are abusing your community's code of conduct. As an administrator, you can track and monitor this behavior to take action in deactivating accounts, etc. If you need to take action on a member due to their behavior, follow the steps outlined in this resource.
The control is in the user’s hands while in the community or event. If a user needs to report or block another user, they do so in the user’s profile - in the People tab, or by selecting the user’s name in messaging, a meeting, etc.
On the community level
If you need to take action to disable messaging throughout your community, follow the steps outlined at the top of this resource.
Access to Messaging
Members can send messages to other members from the community level, within events, and from sponsor or Tools booths. Members must be set to Standard (default member access level) and have a complete profile to message in the platform.
Completed Profile
Members must complete their profile before they can message others or submit messages in the chat or Q&A within events. The platform will prompt them to complete their profile before they can proceed to messaging others. This ensures your community member is onboarded and appears in the Peoples list. Learn more about how to set up your profile questions here.
Limited Approval or Guest Members
Messaging is a feature available to members at the Standard level only. Limited Approval and Guest members are blocked from sending messages to other members and during events. Learn more about access levels here to ensure your members are set to the right level to engage in messaging.
User Experience
Types of Messages
Direct Messages (DMs)
Users can message other members via the 'Message' button on each other's profiles. Each member must be onboarded (completed their profiles) for their profile to be visible to others in the community, and to message.
The messages generated are just between the two members, and no additional users (including admins) can see that message exchange.
Dashboard admins and club admins cannot see direct message data between members. If you have concerns over a user's behavior, take action on their account by changing their access settings.
This exchange can be found in the users' Messages tab at any time.
Group Messages
Gradual does not currently support generating a group message between members self-service from the dashboard or front end in the community. If you need to start a group message, reach out to the Gradual team and we can build that for you!
Event Chat Threads
Chat threads from meeting rooms, roundtables, meeting events, webinars, and 1:1 networking calls are evergreen and accessible to attendees after the call has ended. Only attendees who log into the event or roundtable, and have a complete profile can see the messages, and continue to engage with the group via chat.
Attendees can also check out other members who were on the call, and send direct messages to fellow attendees.
Sponsor or Tools messaging
You can offer your community members direct access to your sponsors, partners, etc. who host booths at the event or community level. Those contracts assigned as leads can receive direct messages from booth visitors. Learn how to customize Tools and Sponsor booths here.
Note: There is a new feature to control spam and solicitation messages. The user experience and flow are outlined above.
Notifications
Members will be notified when they receive a new message via alert notifications on the platform. If they are logged out or not in an active session in the community, they will also receive an email notification with batch updates on unread new messages.
Members can change their notification settings at any time to receive batch alerts at the cadence they prefer. They can set it to send batch notifications every 15 minutes, every hour, once daily or never by navigating to their profile avatar and selecting Notification Settings.
The system will not notify a user when there is a new message in an event chat thread, roundtable chat thread, or in Channels.