# Community chat that keeps members talking one to one

> Vonza community chat gives every member private, one-to-one direct messages inside your community, with photos and files, unread counts and mute. Members choose how often chat emails reach them, and anyone can report or block a member.

## Direct messaging, built into your community

Chat is a section of every Vonza community, beside Feed, Classroom, Events and Members. Members message each other privately without leaving the community.

- **Private, one-to-one conversations**: Each chat is between two people. The inbox shows who wrote last, how many messages are unread and which chats are muted, with an Unread view for catching up.
- **Photos and files in every chat**: Attach up to 4 photos or documents to a message, such as PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and add emoji. Your own messages show when they have been seen.
- **Chat emails on each member’s schedule**: Members choose how chat messages reach their inbox: Instant, Weekly or Never. They set it in the email preferences of each community they belong to.

## Everything members need to message each other

Member messaging on Vonza works on any phone, in the browser, and on any computer, with nothing to install.

- **Start a new chat**: New chat lists the hosts first, then every member, with a search. The Message button on a member’s card or profile opens the same chat.
- **Unread at a glance**: Chat shows an unread count in the community menu, and the Unread view in the inbox lists only the conversations with new messages.
- **Mute a conversation**: Muted chats stop counting toward the unread badge. Unmute from the same menu whenever you like.
- **Delete for me**: Remove a chat from your own inbox. It comes back if the other person writes again.
- **Photos and documents**: Up to 4 files per message, from photos to PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and text files, with messages up to 5,000 characters.
- **Built for phones**: On a phone the inbox and the open conversation take turns on one screen, with a back arrow to the list.
- **Reply from the admin**: You and your team answer members from the Chat page in the community admin, with the same All and Unread views.
- **Email every member**: Email members in the admin sends one email to every enrolled member, up to 1,000. Beyond that, use Email marketing.

## Safe to message, easy to report

Private messages work best when members feel in control. Anyone can report a member to the hosts or block them, and the other person is never told who did it.

- Report a member, a post, a comment or a reply
- Seven report reasons, from spam to hate speech
- Reports go to the hosts, never to the person reported
- Blocking stops messages in both directions
- Unblock any time from the You page

Report reasons: Spam, Harassment or bullying, Hate speech, Nudity or sexual content, False information, Off topic, Something else.

## How community chat works on Vonza

Chat is ready in every community from the day it opens, so members can start talking straight away.

1. **Check your Chat settings**: Chat is on in every community. In Settings, Chat holds your preference for who starts chats: Everyone, Paid members, From a level or Admins only.
2. **Members start a chat**: A member opens Chat, taps New chat and picks someone, or presses Message on a member’s profile.
3. **Talk and share files**: Messages, emoji and up to 4 files at a time, with Sent and Seen under every message you send.
4. **Answer from the admin**: Hosts and admins reply from the community admin, where the Unread view shows who is waiting.

## Questions about community chat

### Does Vonza have community chat?

Yes. Vonza is a community platform with direct messaging built in. Every community has a Chat section where members send each other private, one-to-one messages with photos, documents and emoji, without leaving the community.

### Can members create group chats?

No. Community chat on Vonza is one to one: every conversation is between two people, and group chats are not offered. For conversations with many members, post in a space or a room in the community feed, where everyone in it can reply.

### What can members send in a chat?

Text up to 5,000 characters, emoji, and up to 4 files per message: photos (PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP) and documents such as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and text files. Messages you send show Sent, then Seen once the other person has read them.

### Where do I set who can start chats?

In the community admin, under Settings and then Chat. The Who can start chats setting offers Everyone, Paid members, From a level you pick or Admins only, and a space can carry its own setting. Admins and founders can always start chats.

### How do members know they have a new message?

Chat shows an unread count in the community menu, and the inbox has an Unread view. Members also get chat emails on the schedule they pick: Instant, Weekly or Never. The notification bell covers community activity such as new posts, comments, replies and mentions.

### Can a member stop someone from messaging them?

Yes. Blocking a member means neither of you can message the other, and you no longer see each other’s posts, comments or stories. The blocked member is not told, and you can unblock them any time from the You page. Members can also mute a chat, which takes it out of the unread count.

### How do members report someone?

From a member’s profile, or a post, comment or reply, members choose Report and pick one of seven reasons: Spam, Harassment or bullying, Hate speech, Nudity or sexual content, False information, Off topic or Something else, with optional details. The hosts review it, and the person reported is not told who reported them.

### Does community chat work on phones?

Yes. Chat works on any phone, in the browser, with nothing to install: the inbox and the conversation take turns on one screen. There is no native app and no push notifications, so members hear about new messages through the unread count and chat emails.

### Can I message all my members at once?

Not by chat, which is one to one. Use Email members in the community admin instead: it sends one email to every enrolled member, for communities of up to 1,000 members. For larger lists, use Vonza Email marketing.

## Related pages

- [Online Community Platform](https://vonza.net/best-community-platform): Everything in Vonza Community: spaces, posts, events, chat, the member portal and selling access.
- [Community Moderation Tools](https://vonza.net/community-moderation): Review reported members and posts, set banned words and approve first posts in one moderation queue.
- [Community Engagement Tools](https://vonza.net/community-engagement-tools): Polls, reactions, mentions, pinned and scheduled posts and email digests that keep members coming back.
- [Community Gamification](https://vonza.net/community-gamification): Points, levels, ranks and a leaderboard, with levels you can also use in your chat settings.
- [Paid Community Platform](https://vonza.net/paid-community-platform): Sell community memberships with free, one-time, subscription and installment plans.
- [Email Marketing](https://vonza.net/email-marketing): Design email campaigns, capture leads with signup forms and track opens, clicks and conversions.