What is Groupsite Chat?
Groupsite Chat is a new application in select Groupsite plans.
This is new functionality that enables real-time communication and sharing
through integrated chat rooms. Members can log-in to a Groupsite to discuss
different topics using instant messaging (also known as "Chat"). Each room is
its own separate communication channel, and rooms are available at both the main
Groupsite and subgroup levels.
Groupsite Chat also makes Chat archives available to view, search,
or export and provides administrative controls for your Chat rooms.
Are these new features
available to my group?
Groupsite.com Chat will be a standard feature in Large Team, Collaboration Community,
and Enterprise plans. Groupsite Chat
is not available in Groupsites subscribed to Free, Small Team, Social
Community, or grandfathered plans.
If your site is subscribed to a plan that includes Groupsite
Chat, our system will automatically create Chat rooms in your Groupsite when we
roll this feature out. You'll find a Chat room at the main Groupsite level, as
well Chat rooms in each and any subgroup you may have.
What are Members allowed to do with Groupsite Chat?
Groupsite Chat allows members to see who else is in each room.
Members can post text, links, and images to the Chat stream, as well as receive
Chat notifications. Members can also view a history of messages they may have
missed prior to entering the room, and search Chat archives.
What are Managers allowed to do with Groupsite Chat?
Groupsite and Subgroup Managers have the same abilities as
members, plus additional controls. Managers can:
- Create,
edit, and delete Chat rooms. - Get
an embed code for displaying a Groupsite Chat room in other websites. - Feature
a Chat room as a content module in the summary and
sidebar areas of a Groupsite. - Connect
a Chat room to a Calendar event, so that the Chat room is only active during
the duration of the event. (Members can continue Chatting until everyone leaves
or a Manager can end the chat.)
How
do members access their Groupsite Chat features?
- As we roll this
feature out, all members will have immediate access to
Groupsite Chat rooms under COMMUNICATE > Chat. - For Subgroup
Managers, this access will include administrative control over subgroup Chat rooms. - For Groupsite Managers, this access will include administrative
control over all Chat rooms.
Can Groupsite Managers access a Subgroup's Chat features?
If you're a Groupsite Manager but not a member of a subgroup in
your main Groupsite, you can still manage that subgroup's Chat room as needed.
Do this by going to MANAGER > Subgroup
Controls. You may then access the subgroup, and select COMMUNICATE > Chat, which will bring you to the subgroup's Chat
page.
As a Groupsite Manager, you'll be able to edit or enter the Chat
room. However, as a non-member of the subgroup, you'll be an "observer" and
without permission to post in the chat stream.
Will members be
notified of Chat room activity?
Once you join a Chat room, you'll receive
Chat Notifications including an entry and exit chime that can be disabled, and
notification of unread Chat posts. Our Chat stream also notes timestamps for
activity. The desktop notification of Chat posts currently works in Chrome or
Firefox. Firefox users will need to install a plugin, http://code.google.com/p/ff-html5notifications, to receive the Chat desktop notifications.
How can I disable Chat in my Groupsite?
If your Groupsite is subscribed to a Collaboration Community or Enterprise plan, a Groupsite Manager
can disable the Chat feature by using the App
Customization functionality to remove the Chat tab. If your
Groupsite is on a Large Team plan,
please contact support@groupsite.com for
assistance with removing the Chat feature from your Groupsite.
Can I use Chat if I have Enhanced Security (SSL) enabled in my
site?
Managers
for Groupsites who have SSL enabled should be aware: Chat does not yet work
over SSL. In groups with SSL enabled, Chat rooms will be served without SSL
until we have resolved the challenge. Our system will display a notification to
Managers regarding the status of SSL for your Chat rooms in affected Groupsites.
The notification will be visible to Groupsite Managers, only, from each Chat
room page. View an example here.
Can I use Chat on my
mobile site?
Mobile Chat is not scheduled for release at this time.
We hope to offer this in the future.
What happens if I
can't connect to Chat?
If you have persistent Chat connection problems
lasting more than 30 seconds at a time, and you have first ruled out the
possibility of a problem with your own internet connection, please contact support@groupsite.com and identify for us the Web browser and version you
are using.
Can I export my Chat
Archive?
Yes! Groupsite Managers can export Chat Archives in XML format from
the "Export Data" area of your Groupsite, located on your Main Settings page
under MANAGER > Group Settings.
Where can I learn more about Groupsite Chat?
Groupsite Chat has a very
friendly and easy-to-use interface. We recommend you get in and kick the tires
when we roll this feature out! And, as always, feel free to
contact our support team.