Group and Private Conversations

When starting a BrightChat, you'll have the option for whether you'd like to start a group chat or a private chat. With a group chat, you'll be able to chat with multiple users in a group message setting. These messages will be public to everyone added to the group. For a private chat, these will be one-on-one with whichever user you are sending the message to. These configurations are useful when you want to send out a message to a group of parents or teachers that you are setting up a meeting with. Or, if you set up a private chat, you can speak one-on-one with a parent about their student.

For Senders

When you're creating the initial Chat message, you will have the option to send it as a private message, a group message, or choose both options to give your recipients the choice of replying privately or to the whole group. Note that if you send the Chat to only one recipient, their reply will be private even if you select the Group Chat option since there is no one else in the Chat. 

Once the message is sent, senders and recipients will be able to see the message under the "Invites" tab in the ParentHub Chats page. Recipients will also see the message in their ParentHub Feeds page. 

• If only the "Private Replies" box is checked, all replies to the chat will be private. Only the sender and the specific person replying to the chat will see the conversation. 
• If only the "Group Chat" box is checked, all replies to the chat can be seen by all participants in the group chat. 
• If both "Private Replies" and "Group Chat" is checked, recipients will have the option to reply privately or to the whole group. 

For Recipients

Depending on if you marked the chat message as private, group chat, or both, your recipients will have up to two options when viewing your initial message in the app: "Private Chat Reply" and "Group Chat Reply". 

• If the initial chat message was marked only for private replies, when a recipient responds it will create a one-on-one conversation with the sender. Any additional responses in the conversation will be between the recipient and the sender ONLY and can be seen in the private chats page in ParentHub. 

• If the initial chat message was marked only as a group chat, all recipients' responses will be viewable by the entire BrightChat group in the group chats page in ParentHub.

• If the initial chat message had both checkboxes marked, recipients will have the option of responding privately or to the whole group. If they choose to respond privately, their individual conversation will be between only them and the sender. If they choose to respond to the group, everyone in the BrightChat group will be able to see their response in the group chat feed in ParentHub.