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Member direct messages

Direct messages between community members.

Why it matters

Members can connect with each other.

The HLB difference

Chats sit inside the same branded portal.

How it works

Let community members message each other directly.

Send voice notes in community messages

Answer a member's question with a quick voice note that feels more personal than a long text, without booking a call.

Members can record a quick voice message in a private community chat instead of typing. The other person can play, pause and replay it right in the conversation, on the web and supported mobile apps.

See also Community groups and Live sessions.

Community chats in HLB let members of your community talk through direct 1-on-1 messages. Once someone has joined a group, they can message any member of the community.

To start a chat, a member joins a group from the Groups section, opens the Community Chat tab and selects a person from the group's member list. Members need to join a group before they can chat.

In chats, members can:

  • Have 1-on-1 conversations with any community member
  • Send photos, videos, documents and other files
  • Use emojis and GIFs
  • Record and send voice notes on the web or mobile apps
  • Turn on push notifications in their mobile app settings to get alerts when a new message arrives

Voice notes appear inline in the conversation with a waveform, so they are easy to spot in a busy chat. An inline player with a seek bar and play and pause controls lets members listen, jump to specific parts and replay. A voice note recorded on mobile can be played on the web, and the other way around. Voice notes are for chats only, not community posts, discussion threads or announcement channels.

Members also have control over their chats. To turn chat off for a specific group, they go to Profile, then Account Settings, then Community Chat, and switch off Enable Chat for that group. They can turn it back on at any time. If someone sends unwanted messages, a member can open that chat and select Block User from the Options dropdown. The blocked person can no longer send them messages.

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