Direct Messaging (DM)

Enhanced Direct Messaging for Seamless Community Collaboration

Bettermode's Direct Messaging (DM) experience enhances real-time communication and collaboration within your community. Whether you're engaging in one-on-one conversations or managing group discussions, the improved DM feature ensures seamless messaging with:

Instant message delivery for real-time interactions
Block and report members directly within the chat panel in a one-on-one chat
Group messaging and management to collaborate with multiple members
Typing indicators for a more interactive experience
Archived chats, access to retrieve past discussions

This brings a streamlined messaging experience, offering users a more intuitive and effective way to communicate within your Bettermode community.

How to Use Direct Messages

Starting a Direct Message

Click on the Messages icon in the top navigation bar.
Click the plus (+) icon to start a new conversation.
Search for the member you want to chat with.
Type your message and hit Send (paper plane icon).

Starting a Group Chat

Click on the Messages icon.
Click the plus (+) icon to start a new conversation.
Search for multiple members to initiate a group chat.
Selecting multiple members automatically begins the group chat setup.
Customize the group with a group name and group photo (optional).
You can add up to 10 members initially, with the option to add more later.
Click Create Group to start the chat.

Key things to note:

Admins and group chat Owners can promote members to become group admins. However, only Owners can demote group chat admins.
Group chat Owners can transfer ownership to other members

Accessing Archived Chats

Click on the Messages icon.
Navigate to the Archived Chats tab (next to the Chats tab).
Browse and restore any past conversations.

Removing Members from a Group Chat

The group creator becomes the admin by default.
Only the admin can remove members from the group.

To remove a member:

Click on the Messages icon and open the group chat.
Click the three-dot menu beside the member’s name.
Select Remove from Group.

Editing the Group Chat Name

Click on the Messages icon and open the group chat.
Click on Edit Group (on the left side of the page).
Enter the new group name and click Update.

Site-Level and Individual-Level Settings

Admins have the ability to configure Direct Messaging settings to suit the needs of their community. These include:

Site-Level Settings (Admin Controls)

Restrict Group Creation – Admins can limit group creation to staff members only.
Enable or Disable Direct Messaging – Control whether direct messaging is available for the community.

Individual-Level Settings

Users have control over their messaging experience. To personalize your messaging settings, go to click on your Profile Picture in the top header, select Account Settings, and click on Messaging to configure the following settings:

Messaging Preferences – Choose who can send messages:
- Anyone can message you.
- Only admins and moderators can message you.
Block Other Users – Prevent specific members from messaging you.
Blocked Members – View and manage blocked users, with the ability to unblock them anytime.
Archive Chats – Organize your inbox by archiving chats for future reference.
Press Enter to – send the message or start a new line (use cmd/ctrl + Enter to send)

These settings ensure both community-wide controls for admins and personalized preferences for users, creating a balanced and seamless messaging experience.

Key Features

Real-Time Messaging – Get instant message delivery and feedback.
Group Messaging & Management – Create and manage group chats effortlessly.
Typing Indicators – See when someone is typing.
Archived Chats Access – Retrieve old conversations when needed.
Developer-Friendly APIs – Extend and customize messaging experiences.

FAQs

Can I recover a conversation with a deleted member?
- No, conversations with deleted members are not accessible in the new system. However, they can still be retrieved via the old API if needed.
Will old messages still be available after this update?
- Yes, messages from the previous system remain accessible. Messages sent from the old API will be delivered to the new system, and messages from the new system will be backported to the old system (excluding group messages).
Why can’t I remove someone from a group chat?
- Only the group admin has permission to remove members.
Are unread counts synced across devices?
- Yes, unread message counts and archived actions are synced between systems.