Channels & Categories are the life of your Community! Channels are the chatrooms where all your community communication takes place, and categories are overarching 'Groups' that help you organize your channels! Returning.AI currently has 4 basic Text channel types, each with unique characteristics that aid communication in multiple ways. Returning.AI also equips your community with 2 multimedia channels that allow for voice calls, video chat & screen sharing.
Creating a Channel
To create a channel, let's head over to the channels tab in your Community Settings. Click on the plus button located next to 'Channels', and select 'New Channel'.
From there, you can configure the various channel settings located on the right-hand side. This includes your Channel Name, Channel Description, Channel Type, and more!
To access an interactive tutorial demo, click here!
Channel Name
Give your channel a name. This will help community members better identify what each channel is meant for. Toggling on 'Channel Name Translations' will also allow you to localize channel names into languages used by your community members.
Channel Description
Give your channel a description that lets your community know what your channels are meant to be used for.
Channel Types
Choose the type of channel you want to create. Returning.AI has 4 text channels and 2 multimedia channels.
The 4 Basic Text Channel Types are as follows:
Open Channels: A text channel that allows users to chat openly with each other as long as they have access to the channel.
Whisper Channels: A special type of channel where users are unable to see each other’s messages, only those sent from assigned whisperers.
Announcement Channels: A 1-way communication channel where announcers can post messages, whereas members are only able to read and react to them.
Direct Message (DM Channels): A special channel where users can DM a list of pre-selected roles/users.
The 2 Multimedia Channels are as follows;
Audio Channels: A hub for real-time audio interaction, allowing community members to engage in dynamic group calls!
Video Channels: Allow members to have video calls, complete with screen sharing, enabling vivid visual communication and collaborative work.
Channel Options
Decide who can see and access your channels!
Public: A public channel will allow everyone in your community to see the channel in the channel bar, access it, and read messages sent in it.
Private: A private channel restricts the access of this channel to a specific group. Private channels can be configured to be seen in the channel bar but not accessible or configured to be hidden from the channel bar entirely.
To learn more about configuring Role Permissions and Access Requests for Private Channels, check out this article on Access Permissions & Request Management.
iFrame & Embeds
Enabling iFrame & Embeds within a channel allows you to embed external content into your channels. iFrame & Embeds are compatible with the following channel types;
Text Channels
Announcement Channels
Whisper Channels
Examples of content that can be embedded include Websites, YouTube playlists, Games, and more. However, if the embedded site requires users to be logged in, members must first log in on a separate tab before they can view it in your channel.
To integrate external content within your channel, simply turn on iFrame & Embeds and paste your embed code. If you'd like to have a chatroom nestled beside your embedded content that allows for conversations between members, toggle on 'iFrame Chatroom.'
Channel Widgets
Channel widgets allow you to embed your channel activity on external sites, to give your website visitors a glimpse into the exciting conversations happening within your community.
Toggle on your Channel Widget and begin customizing it to fit your desired specifications.
Sizing: Decide how big your Widget will be. Choose between dynamic sizing or specifying a fixed width and height!
Color Theme: Choose your widget's colors! Pick from a selection of presets or customize your own widget theme by adjusting each individual color.
Button: Decide if you would like a Button that redirects to a desired URL. If so, input your Button Text and URL Link.
After configuring your widget, you'll see a preview of its Appearance! If you're satisfied with it, simply save your changes, copy its HTML code, and paste it anywhere!
Creating a Category
Categories allow you to group channels under one single header to facilitate better channel organization!
Creating a category is similar to creating a channel. Go to the channels tab in your Community Settings, click the plus button next to 'Channels,' and select 'New Channel.' There, you can configure your category's name, description, and privacy.
A category's privacy settings override a channel's. Thus, putting a public channel into a private category hides it from public view.
To put channels into a category, simply drag existing channels under the desired category.
Deleting a Channel or Category
To delete a channel or category, select it and scroll to the bottom. Then click on 'Delete Channel' and select 'Delete' in the pop-up confirmation modal. Note that once a channel or category has been deleted, it can't be recovered.
