# Messaging

> Control the attendee list and one-to-one chat, who can start conversations, and which tags are restricted.

Source: https://help.highbar.ai/docs/run-your-event/community/messaging
Audience: event organizers, working in the Highbar dashboard

**Messaging** sets who can see the attendee list in your app and who can message whom. Each attendee's list appears in the app as **Community**, and chats as **Messages**.

Open **Community** > **Messaging**. Changes on this page save only when you click **Save changes**. **Discard** undoes them.

## Turn it on or off

**Community & messaging** turns the attendee list and one-to-one chat on or off together. It's on for new events. With it off, attendees have no attendee list and can't chat. Existing conversations are kept for when you turn it back on. The **Private messaging** switch on the [Community overview](https://help.highbar.ai/docs/run-your-event/community) does the same.

![The Community overview with an arrow pointing to the Private messaging switch under Capabilities.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/community-overview-messaging-toggle.webp)

## Let attendees opt out

Under **Attendee privacy controls**:

- **Allow attendees to hide their profile** adds a **Profile visibility** switch to the app. Attendees who turn it off are left out of the attendee list and of AI recommendations.

  ![The Messaging page with an arrow pointing to the Allow attendees to hide their profile switch, turned on.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-hide-profile.webp)

- **Allow attendees to block direct messages** adds a **Direct messages** switch. Attendees who turn it off can't be messaged and are left out of AI recommendations.

  ![The Messaging page with an arrow pointing to the Allow attendees to block direct messages switch, turned on.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-block-messages.webp)

Both are off for new events.

## Choose how networking works

Under **How networking works**, pick one:

- **Open networking** (the default): everyone can browse the attendee list and start a conversation.
- **Attendee list only**: everyone can browse the list, but nobody can send a private message.
- **Only chosen tags can reach out**: only people with the **Tags with access** you add can browse the list and start conversations. Everyone else has no attendee list but can receive and reply to messages. Useful when only sponsors should reach out.

![The Messaging page with How networking works set to Open networking, the default, and Attendee list only and Only chosen tags can reach out below. Above are the Community & messaging switch and the attendee privacy controls. A Privacy by default note says messages are encrypted and never visible to organizers.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-settings.webp)

### Let only sponsors reach out

<Steps>
<Step>
On the [Access](https://help.highbar.ai/docs/event-app/access) page, give your sponsors' staff a tag, such as "sponsor".
</Step>
<Step>
Under **How networking works**, choose **Only chosen tags can reach out**.
</Step>
<Step>
Under **Tags with access**, add that tag.

![How networking works with an arrow pointing to Only chosen tags can reach out, selected, and the tag sponsor added under Tags with access.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-tags-with-access.webp)
</Step>
<Step>
Click **Save changes**.
</Step>
</Steps>

## Restrict tags

Three lists limit people by their tags. Add up to 25 tags to each; tags are applied to people on the [Access](https://help.highbar.ai/docs/event-app/access) page.

| List | People with these tags |
| --- | --- |
| **Restricted messaging** | Can reply to messages but can't start a conversation. |
| **No messaging** | Stay on the attendee list but can't send or receive messages. |
| **Blocked tags** | Are hidden from the attendee list and can't send or receive messages. |

![The Restricted messaging, No messaging and Blocked tags lists, each with an empty Add a tag box and a note that tags are applied to profiles in Access Management, above the Discard and Save changes buttons.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-restrict-tags.webp)

To add a tag, type it in the list's box and press Enter, or pick one of your tags from the suggestions. Then click **Save changes**.

![The Blocked tags list with the tag press added, and Save changes now available next to Discard.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-blocked-tag.webp)

If a tag is in more than one list, the strictest one wins (**Blocked tags**, then **No messaging**, then **Restricted messaging**), and the page warns you under each weaker list.

![The tag press added to Restricted messaging, No messaging and Blocked tags, with warnings that press is also in a stronger list below, which wins, and that press is also blocked, so those people get no list and no messages at all.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/messaging-tag-conflict.webp)

You can also set these per tag on the Access page.

## What attendees see

Attendees find each other under **Community** in the app menu. People the AI suggests they meet are marked **Suggested**. To start a chat, they tap the message button next to someone.

![The attendee app's Community page, opened from Community in the menu (arrowed), with All and Saved tabs, a 1 person to meet card, and the attendee list, with an arrow pointing to the message button next to a suggested person.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/app-community-list.webp)

The chat opens with that person's name at the top. They type their message and tap send. Their conversations are under **Messages** in the menu (you can rename it on the [App menu](https://help.highbar.ai/docs/event-app/app-menu) page).

![A chat in the attendee app with another attendee's name and job title at the top, and the message hello! let's meet typed in the box with a send button.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/app-chat.webp)

![The attendee app's conversations page, renamed Direct Messages for this event and opened from the menu (arrowed), listing one conversation with its latest message.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/community/app-direct-messages.webp)

## Privacy

Messages are encrypted. Organizers never see what attendees write to each other.