Limit how often attendees send chat messages with slow mode, or stop attendees sending messages or links with Member permissions — live controls in session chat for Bevy Virtual Meetup, Bevy Virtual Conference, and webinar rooms.
During a busy live event, chat can move faster than people can read it, or attendees may share links you do not want in the room. Slow mode sets a minimum wait between messages from each attendee. Member permissions lets you stop attendees from sending messages, or from sharing links, in that session chat. Hosts and moderators turn these on during the event. The wait and the member restrictions never apply to their own messages.
Both controls sit at the bottom of session chat in Bevy Virtual Meetup, Bevy Virtual Conference (sessions, Stages, Backstage, and networking tables), and webinar rooms on either product. The same chat panel is used in each, so the steps match.
Terms used in this article:
- Slow mode — A chat setting that sets a minimum wait between messages from each attendee.
- Cooldown — The number of seconds an attendee waits before they can send another message.
- Member permissions — A chat menu (lock icon) beside Slow mode where you choose whether attendees can Send messages and Share links.
- Exempt — Not subject to the cooldown or member restrictions. Hosts and moderators are exempt.
Before you start
- Join as a host or a moderator. Slow mode and Member permissions only appear to people in those roles.
- Chat needs to be turned on for the event. If chat is disabled, there is no chat panel and no controls.
- You change these settings during the event. They are live controls in the chat panel, not settings you configure in the dashboard beforehand.
- Member permissions appears only when your community has this control enabled. If you see the clock for Slow mode but not the lock for Member permissions, contact Bevy Support or your Customer Success Manager.
Note: For the full set of in-call moderation tools (mute, Presenter mode, remove, pin, block chat, and more), see Moderation tools in Bevy Virtual.
Turn on slow mode
Slow mode takes effect as soon as you choose a wait time.
- Open the chat panel.
- Select the clock icon at the bottom of the chat panel, labeled Slow mode settings.
- Select a wait time: 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds.
The status line next to the control changes to “Slow mode on — 30 seconds” (or the wait you chose). Everyone in the chat sees the change right away. Nobody needs to refresh or rejoin.
You can change the wait time at any point during the event. Open the same menu and select a different option — the new wait applies immediately.
Turn off slow mode
To let attendees send messages without a wait:
- Open the chat panel.
- Select the clock icon at the bottom of the chat panel.
- Select Off.
The status line changes to “Slow mode off”, and the attendee notice disappears.
Set Member permissions
Use Member permissions when you need to stop attendees from posting at all, or from sharing links, in this session chat. Checked boxes mean attendees can do that action. Hosts and moderators can always send messages and links.
- Open the chat panel.
- Select the lock icon at the bottom of the chat panel, labeled Member permissions (beside Slow mode).
- Read “What attendees can do in this chat. Hosts can always do both.”
- Turn Send messages on or off. When it is off, the status line shows “Only hosts can chat”, and attendees cannot send or reply in that chat.
- Turn Share links on or off. When it is off (and attendees can still send messages), the status line shows “Links off”. Attendees can type, but a send that includes a link is stopped and the draft stays so they can remove the link.
Changes apply right away on that chat. Keep the menu open if you need to change both toggles.
Tip: If Send messages is off, Share links does not apply — someone who cannot send cannot send a link either. Turn messages back on first if you only want to block links.
Note: Member permissions is separate from blocking one person with Block chat, and from automatic word filtering. Block chat stops one person for the rest of the event. Member permissions changes what every attendee can do in this chat. See Moderation tools in Bevy Virtual.
What attendees see
What a person sees depends on their role and on which controls are on:
| Who they are | What they see |
|---|---|
| Host or moderator | Slow mode and (when available) Member permissions controls, plus status lines for the current settings. The wait and member restrictions never apply to their own messages. |
| Attendee, slow mode off and no member restrictions | Nothing. There is no notice and no wait. |
| Attendee, slow mode on | A notice by the message box: “Slow mode is on. You can send a message every 30 seconds.” (The number matches the wait you chose.) |
| Attendee, Send messages turned off | The message box is replaced by: “Only hosts can send messages right now.” They cannot send or reply in that chat. |
| Attendee, Share links turned off | They can still type. If they try to send a message that includes a link, the send is stopped, the draft stays, and they see: “Links are turned off in this chat. Remove the link to send your message.” |
Limits to keep in mind
- Slow mode wait times are fixed. Choose 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds. There is no custom value, and there is no option longer than 90 seconds.
- Each setting applies to one chat at a time. Slow mode and Member permissions apply to the chat you set them in — a Meetup session, or a Conference session, Stage, Backstage, or networking table chat. Setting them in one does not set them in the others.
- Booth, Q&A, and direct messages are not covered by Member permissions. Those chats do not show the Member permissions menu. Slow mode also does not apply to direct messages.
- Settings do not carry over between events. A new event starts with slow mode off and with attendees able to send messages and links (when Member permissions is available).
- Hosts and moderators are exempt. The wait and member restrictions apply to attendees only. Hosts and moderators never see the attendee notices for their own composer.