Firetalk Forums.

Firetalk forums are popular places for Firetalk users to meet and talk with others of like interests. As a matter of fact, Firetalk forums are among the most frequented places to talk on the Internet. At practically any time of day or night, you'll find hundreds and even thousands of people sharing stories, giving computer advice, holding meetings, singing, or just plain gabbin'.

Firetalk has recently introduced new moderation features that will help forum creators and participants alike engage in well-managed, live conversations with large numbers of people, transforming their forum into a "virtual auditorium."

What are Forums?

  • How do Forums work?
  • Forum Members' Privileges
  • Virtual Auditoriums

    What are Forums?
    Forums are online meeting places, like rooms, created by Firetalk users, that are identified by category, such as Computers and Technology, Family, Games and Hobbies, Love and Romance, and more. Within each category, you can find dozens of Forums-some are open to the public, some are closed, some allow you to join, but they are moderated, so that forum members with moderator privileges can control the discussion.

    How do Forums work?
    You create a forum through a dialog box that presents you with a series of Moderation check boxes for tailoring exactly how your Firetalk forum operates. You can choose to make your forum unmoderated, moderated, or moderated with microphone control.

      Unmoderated Forums (the Moderation box remains unchecked). Forums with no moderation are great places for people to meet and talk. Anyone in the forum can talk at any time. Everyone is a participant. Firetalk Forums with no Moderation are best when you are creating small forums (usually less than 20 people) and forums in which those attending will be respectful of other Forum participants.

    Moderated forums provide a hierarchy, where each forum member has a set of privileges. Members can be Owners, Moderators, or participants. The creator of a forum is its initial Owner and also the Moderator. The Owner can then give Owner or Moderator status to other members of the forum. Only an Owner can disband a forum, and only an Owner can assign Owner or Moderator privileges.

      Moderated Forums (the Moderation box is checked but the control microphone box is not checked). Forums with Moderation are attractive to people who wish to run large forums (usually more than 20 expected attendees). Selecting "Moderation" when creating a forum automatically sets you up as the Owner and initial Moderator of the forum. Any moderated forum can have any number of Moderators. Anyone in the forum can talk. If you are an Owner or Moderator of a forum, right click on forum attendee's name to see exactly the privileges you can assign/revoke.

      Moderated Forums with microphone control (both the Moderation and the Control Microphone boxes are checked). Moderation with Microphone Control provides you with powerful tools to structure your Firetalk Forum. Moderators are able to pass the microphone to participants of their choosing. Without the microphone, participants will not be able to communicate with their voice (but they will be able to communication via text chat and instant messages). Moderated Forums with microphone control are known as "virtual auditoriums" because they are similar to a meeting in a large room where the meeting discussion is moderated. Read about Virtual Auditoriums.

      The 'Control Microphone' feature is a powerful tool that makes large virtual auditoriums more productive, but note that these forums require more participation on behalf of the Moderators and/or the Owner.

    If you are a forum participant and desire Moderator or Speaker privileges, send an instant message to a forum Moderator, or make the request in the Text Chat window.

    Forum Members' Privileges
    Each member of a Forum has a status (Owner, Moderator, speaker, participant), and each status has defined privileges.

      Owners
      Owners have the most control over Firetalk forums. Owners can:

      • Assign/revoke Moderator and/or Speaker privilege to other people in a forum
      • Pass the Ownership privilege on to another forum attendee
      • Disband the forum
      • Ban and unban forum attendees

      Moderators
      Moderators have certain controls over other members of the Forum, but not as much control as an Owner. Moderators can:

      • Assign/revoke Speaker privilege to other people in a Firetalk Forum
      • Ban and unban forum attendees

      Speakers
      Speakers do not control others in a forum. Speakers can:

      • Talk inside a Moderated Forum in which the 'Control Microphone' feature has been enabled
      • Request the microphone from Owners or Moderators via Instant Messages or Text Chat

      Participants
      Participants are those who are not Owners, Moderators or speakers (although they can become any of these, if given the privilege). Participants can:

      • Listen in on the Forum and use Instant Messaging and Text Chat to communicate with others
      • Request Speaker privileges from Moderators and/or the Owner via Instant Messaging or Text Chat

Virtual Auditoriums

A Virtual Auditorium is a moderated forum with a controlled microphone. When you have the microphone, you can talk within the forum (the micorophone can be held by only one person or by many persons at the same time). Just like in an auditorium! Anyone with the microphone is indicated in the Participants list by the microphone icon beside their names.

Creating a Virtual Auditorium

Virtual Auditoriums are a type of forum. For information on creating a forum, see the user guide.


As forum Owner, you have a blue gavel beside your name.
In the forums list, your virtual auditorium is indicated by a red gavel next to the forum name.

As the Owner of the Virtual Auditorium,you can give other members either Owner or Moderator status.

When you join a Virtual Auditorium, you receive an instant message with red text informing you that you are entering a microphone-controlled forum. Anytime your privileges change, you receive a new red text system message.

Giving the microphone

As the forum Moderator, you can pass the microphone to anyone in the Forum. Do this by right-clicking on the person's name and selecting Give Microphone. The Moderator can also revoke the privilege; this is done by right-clicking on the person's name and selecting Take Away Microphone. The Moderator can give the microphone to as many forum members as they like. Text Chat and Instant Messages still work whether or not a user is granted the microphone.