Using the Chat feature

This article covers the following:

Chat overview
Chatting with an existing Connection
Chatting with a Vendor to whom you are not yet connected
Chatting with a User with whom you are not yet connected

Chat overview

• You will see the Chat box in the bottom (right) of your screen at all times:
  
• You need to be signed in to your account at the site to actually chat with Vendors and other Users.
• Once a Connection has been formed between two Users, two Vendors or a User and a Vendor, a chat may take place. A User has to be the one to initiate a Connection with a Vendor (not the other way around).  Users can learn all about Connections here or Vendors can learn about Connections from their perspective here.
• All of your Connections appear right in the Chat feature by default so you can easily initiate or continue a conversation.
• If the User or Vendor with whom you want to chat is offline, they will be notified via email that you’ve sent a message. They can return it later when they’re online.

Chatting with an Existing Connection

Simply open the Chat box and locate the Connection.  Once you click the name, the conversation box will open. 

If you are a Vendor, you will have both a personal Connection ID so that you can utilize our site as a User who plans and attends events, as well as a Connection ID for each business you manage. Think of Connection IDs as hats you wear.  Just click the “hat” name and you’ll see all of your Connections there.  Both Vendor and User Connections will appear in the Connections list within your chat box.

Chatting with a Vendor with whom you are not yet connected

1. Search for Vendors by city or zip and click the Chat button in the search results. (There will only be a Chat button present if there is an email address associated with the Vendor account.)  The color of the circle inside the button will vary to reflect the Vendor’s chat status.
   
2. You can also click Search by vendor name in the header to locate the Vendor.
   

Simply enter a few characters of the Vendor’s name and then select any of their category   
profiles in the search results:

         
And then click on the Chat button on their profile:        

Chatting with a User with whom you are not yet connected

A fellow user can find and request personal connections with other Users.  After the Connection request is accepted, you can initiate a chat.

There are a number of features available at both the conversation and user level.