Chat and direct messages
Post to the room, mention people, and message individuals privately.
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How does chat work in flat.social?
Each room has a text chat panel. Type a message and everyone in the room sees it, no matter where their avatar stands. You can @mention a specific person, an unread indicator flags messages you missed, and you can send direct messages to individuals on the side.
Posting to the room
Open the chat panel and type in the box at the bottom. Press Enter to send. Room messages reach everyone present, which makes chat the right tool for things that should not depend on where you are standing: a link, a meeting time, or a quick "back in five".
Text chat works even when spatial audio keeps you out of earshot of someone across the map.
Mentions and unread messages
Type @ followed by a name to mention someone. A mention pulls their attention to your message, useful in a busy room where text scrolls fast.
Stepped away or had the panel closed? An unread indicator on the chat button tells you new messages arrived. Open the panel and it clears.
Sending a direct message
For something private, send a direct message instead of posting to the room. Open a person from the people panel and start a direct message with them. DMs go only to that person, so they are the place for a quiet question or a one-to-one chat.
Use room chat for anything the whole room should see, and a direct message for anything meant for one person.
If you cannot find the chat panel, the host may have turned it off for your role. Ask them whether chat is enabled for guests.