Chats and Channels are two different types of messaging available on Blink.
In this article:
Chats vs Channels
Both Chats and Channels share the same underlying messaging functionality. They may be found in your Chats list. When a message comes in for something that requires your attention, you will receive a notification in the chats list.
The main difference between them is that Channels ALWAYS belong to a Group, while Chats are standalone and have a unique membership list created by the users involved. Channels tend to be created more frequently than Chats because they are a quick way of bringing a new topic to an existing audience.
Chats | Channels |
Are standalone conversations between 2 or more individual users | Belong to an established Group |
Have their own individual membership | Inherit their membership from the Group |
Cannot be discovered via Search | Are discoverable through the Group |
Disappear from your Chat list if you leave the conversation | Can be left and rejoined by a Group member at any time |
If you leave the Chat, you will permanently lose access to all content shared on the Chat | If you leave a Channel, you still have access to the content of the Channel through Search as long as you're still part of the Group |
If you are a Chat Admin you can add anyone in your Organisation to a Chat | You can add anyone who is NOT in the Group to a Channel through the Invite Guest feature |
The Chat Admins have overall control of the Chat and the Chat Settings | The Team Admin has overall control over the members of the Channel and the Channel Settings |
Chats can be created by anyone on Blink | Channels can only be created by Group Admins |
Automatically created in you Chat List when you create a new contact | Only appear in your Chat List when you have created or been added to a Channel |
How to start a Chat
1. Navigate to the Chats section. This will be on the left side of the desktop app or at the bottom menu of the mobile app.
2. Once on the chat screen, click the + icon. This can be located at the top of the screen, next to the search bar.
3. After clicking that a create chat screen will appear which will allow you to create a "New private chat".
4. From here, simply decide on what kind of Chat you want to create -
Group Chat: To create a group chat using the above method enter a title and add members by searching for them by name, then clicking on the correct user profile.
Private 1-to-1 Chat: To create a private one to one chat using the above method then just search for a name and click on the right user profile. This will connect you!
The alternate method to creating a one-to-one chat is to use the Directory. Click on Directory, then cycle across to the Directory tab. Search for who you want to connect with by name, open their profile, then click chat.
🗣️ Contacts When you connect to another user (via either of the above methods) in a one-to-one chat, they will automatically appear in your 'Contacts' tab. |
❓ What about "read" receipts?
At this time, our chats do not support a "read" notification feature for users. That said, we're always looking to expand our functionality and ensure we're providing the features that users want the most. We encourage everyone to submit their suggestions to our team here. |
How to start a Channel
Creating a Channel is different from creating a Chat because it originates from a specific Group. Channels can only be created by Group Admins. Channels can be created on both desktop and mobile. This feature will need to be enabled: if you don't see the options below, please reach out to our team to activate this feature for you.
Desktop
If you have Channels enabled, follow these steps to create a Channel:
1. Go to the Groups feature at the top of the screen
2. Go to the My Groups section
3. Select the Group you want to create a Channel for
4. From this view, scroll down to see the Channels section on the lower right part of the screen and hit the + button next to New Channel
5. Give your new Channel a name, purpose and select followers. If you leave the Select follower's box blank, ALL the Group members will be automatically made into followers
6. Click Create to make the channel.
Mobile
Navigate to the Groups feature at the bottom of the app
In the My Groups section, select the Group you'd like to create a channel for
In the Channels section, you'll see all active channels for the Group. To create a new one, select the red plus symbol and choose "create channel"
Give your new Channel a name, purpose and select followers. If you leave the Select follower's box blank, ALL the Group members will be automatically made into followers
Click Create to make the channel.
Once a Channel is created, it will appear within Chats along with any private or group chats you’re a part of and acts as another place for your Group to communicate. They may be created for an upcoming piece of work, event, shared interest or any topics you’d like. You can create multiple channels within each Group with various group members in each Channel.