The pandemic has changed the definition of what is normal in many facets of our life. But it would be difficult to deny that our social life has been most adversely affected. Networking has also evolved, in addition to the disruption of our hangouts with friends and family reunions. Virtual events have become commonplace. They’re also probably not just a craze brought on by the pandemic.

Virtual events have demonstrated they have a legitimate role in our digital plans. The solution saves costs, unnecessary environmental pollution, and brings together professionals from around the world.

Cost-effectiveness of virtual events

Virtual events allow organizers to save a lot of money because they don’t require renting a physical venue, planning catering, or paying for travel. Giving in-person participants a memorable experience earns rapport but drains your budget.

Using virtual venues that can offer 2D or 3D navigable experiences costs a fraction of the price. Also, the money saved may be invested in solutions that help create a more efficient, well-rounded online event.

For instance, hiring better speakers to bring more value to the event (who incidentally might also agree to speak at your virtual event at a reduced price). As a result, your bottom line is smaller and costs are lower.

Studies claim virtual events save exhibitors and sponsors nearly 65% more than physical events, assuming the organizer’s fee remains the same.

Increased audience accessibility

When the world began to shift toward remote interaction, opportunities for reaching a more geographically diverse, international audience arose.

Event organizers reported a significant increase in overall attendance by allowing online access. Some are claiming a nearly 70% increase.

For example, RumbleTalk and Dacast have partnered up to create a live stream with chat. Dacast serves as the broadcasting medium, while RumbleTalk provides the communication aspect.

The target audience has expanded. Those who previously could not attend events due to budget constraints or precautionary measures can now do so using any device, anywhere.

More data points are available

At virtual events, every step of the attendee and exhibitor journey, including interactions, meetings, content consumption, and more, can be tracked in great detail.

This data provides critical insight into customers’ needs and preferences, allowing for a more complete picture of their profile and the recording of changing needs.

For instance, RumbleTalk allows users to export the chat transcript and the user list. This helps to gather important data that the organizers can use for future events. This can be statistics, customers’ preferences, etc.

According to a research by ExpoPlatform, the average number of data points for virtual attendees has increased 20 times when compared to in-person events, reflecting the massive amount of data available for organizers to analyze in depth.

Not everyone wants to keep attending Google Meet or Zoom events indefinitely. After being isolated, it makes sense that many of us would prefer to meet in person during the initial post-pandemic days. That’s why it is critical to developing a hybrid strategy that includes both in-person and virtual elements early on.

Putting together hybrid events to increase engagement

We recommend hosting an equal number of in-person and virtual events. Virtual events are not going away because of their convenience and cost-effectiveness. Similarly, in-person events provide a level of social interaction and comfort that many of us can’t find in online spaces.

However, we also recommend hybrid events, which combine elements of both solutions. The following elements are present in hybrid events:

• Two audiences: a live audience and a home-based, live-streamed audience.
• Real-time interaction between the physical audience and the online audience.
• Broadcasting that is user-friendly for all attendees.
• A framework that does not give one audience type priority over the other.

We adore hybrid events because they genuinely prioritize the audience. Hybrid events, in our opinion, are the ideal way to combine the scalability of virtual events with the closeness and community of in-person events. For this reason, it’s advisable converting your live events into a dual model that serves both types of audiences.

Read more here: What is a hybrid event and why is it the future?

Adapting to the “new normal” through virtual events

Although we are aware of the “new normal,” we still need to get ready for it. As things stand, a hybrid approach that mixes actual in-person events with online ones may be the best course of action.

Virtual communications and events may be your key to expansion in 2022 and beyond. Yet keep in mind that the standard has been raised. The time of straightforward one-way events is long gone. In the future, if you want to host virtual or hybrid events, make sure everything goes according to plan.

Create impactful events with RumbleTalk chat platform when you sign up! Send us a message at support@rumbletalk.com and we’ll give you a free demo on how you can fortify your events.

Is WordPress your preferred platform for website hosting? If so, we have a WordPress chat plugin that you can easily use on your WordPress website.

Because WordPress sites are customizable, plugins are available to assist you in elevating your WordPress website.

This guide will show you how to download the RumbleTalk chat plugin, how to use it, and what you can do with it.

If you’re wondering how to integrate it into other websites or domains, check out this page.

Download and install the chat plugin

The RumbleTalk chat plugin for WordPress is simple to set up.

1. To begin, go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. Type RumbleTalk into the search bar. Install Now should be selected.
4. Enable the plugin.

RumbleTalk Chat will appear in your WordPress settings immediately after activation.

Making use of your new WordPress chat plugin

After that, you must configure RumbleTalk to use it as a chat. As a result, you must either log in (if you already have an account) or register (as a new user).

So, if you’re a new user, make a new account.

You must provide the following information:

• Email
• Password
• Password confirmation

Then, proceed to create your account.

If you already have an account, go to the bottom right corner and click on Already have an account. It will take you to the Update Token configuration page.

Log in to your RumbleTalk admin panel, as instructed in the settings. To be redirected to the page, click the link above.

After logging in, click your profile name (which can be your username or email), Account Setting, and then the Integration tab.

You will notice the words Key and Secret. These are required to update your token on WordPress. Paste them into your WordPress settings and save.

Your RumbleTalk chat should now be visible on your WordPress website.

The RumbleTalk WordPress chat plugin has several features

Set up automatic login for WordPress website users

Did you know that when your WordPress users use the RumbleTalk chat plugin, you can have them automatically logged in? Here’s what you need to do if you want your users to be automatically logged in.

1. Navigate to the RumbleTalk chat plugin settings and select Settings.
2. Simply click the Members box, as shown in the example above, to enable the auto-login feature.
3. When your WordPress users log in, they can immediately begin chatting.

NOTE: If the settings aren’t working properly, repeat the process and save.

Make chat moderators

Because there are so many chatters in one chat room, it’s useful to have someone to assist you when you’re not online. You can also set yourself as a moderator to gain access to all admin functions.

Here’s how to use the WordPress chat plugin to assign chat moderators.

1. Navigate to the RumbleTalk chat plugin settings and select Settings.
2. Select Users.
3. Click Add new user.
4. Complete the form. To appoint a chat moderator, select admin with global access or admin for specific rooms only.

NOTE: Setting a user as admin for a chat room will allow other WordPress users from your database to automatically log in with the chat and set passwords only for the administrators.

With these simple steps, you now have moderators who can assist you in monitoring your chat. 

RumbleTalk chat plugin for your WordPress website

RumbleTalk chat room is a plugin that integrates seamlessly with WordPress. If you’re still not sure how it works, watch this short video.

Overall, RumbleTalk allows you to use all of the features available in the admin panel. Even if you’re not using it in a browser, you can still take advantage of all of its features.

When you first use the chat plugin, you can try out the following features:

• Create your own chat design.
• Rooms, keywords, and moderators can all be added.
• Experiment with the various chat types.
• Make a minisite.

These are just a few of the features available, but there are many more when you use the chat plugin.

Try out our demo to learn more about the platform.

Contact us via support@rumbletalk.com if you are experiencing problems with the plugin. We’ll be happy to walk you through the steps.

Members Chat and group chats are a great way to bring people together and make connections based on the things we have in common, from family groups to large communities of people who all share a common interest.

When deciding which type of chat to open for your group, you must consider the following factors:

Group chats are typically smaller and ideal for private connections. A group chat is perfect for chatting with up to 250 people, most of whom are family or close friends. Members are invited to join or can join directly through a link.

A community, or Members Chat, is a much larger, public-facing groups that are typically made up of strangers. A community can have an unlimited number of members and administrators.

The key word is inclusiveness

If someone joins a group chat in the middle of a conversation, they will miss out on everything that has gone before, and it may take some time to catch up. Not the best way to welcome a new member!

Everyone in a community has access to the entire chat history, regardless of when they joined. New members can browse previous messages or focus on the current chat and jump right in. They have that option.

You have the authority

Administrators can remove or add members to group chats.

Administrators have special powers in communities to oversee the conversation. Admins can add and remove members, invite admins to write in the community chat, ban people from joining or rejoining the community, and appoint other admins to help manage the community.

Members Chat for active members

To allow your site members to view and communicate with one another, you must enable Members Chat.

To enable the chat type, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Settings on the admin panel.
2. Choose General & Logins > Members Login Options.
3. Toggle the Members box.
4. If you want to use your website’s membership, then toggle the User authentication required box.
5. To add or remove members chat from your site, go to Users.
6. Add or delete users that you want to add in your membership chat rooms. You can also change a user’s room access to enable or disable their access to a specific chat room (in this case, the members’ chat).

Managing members’ conversations

Members Chat is only available to members, so you can control who has access to it by adding or removing members from your site’s dashboard.

You may:

• Prevent a non-site member from accessing and participating in members chat rooms by not adding them to the user list.
• Approve a site member to allow them to use member areas and participate in a member’s chat room (this is applicable since RumbleTalk only allows manual approval and setup for site members).

Tip:

You can also assign different roles to members from this list to categorize them or make them an admin.

Chat creation and management

When you enable Members Chat, you can create additional group chat rooms. Multiple chat rooms are an excellent way to keep your members engaged and foster a sense of community around your website.

To create and manage a group chat, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your RumbleTalk account.
2. Go to your admin panel and click Selected chat.
3. In drop down box, click Create a new chat room.
4. Enter the chat room name and click the Create button.
5. Alternatively, you can also duplicate a chat room by clicking the duplicate chat option next to the trash icon on your admin panel.

When it comes to chatting with a large group of people, Members Chat helps to connect more people

Begin making those connections and building your community right away. Remember that your community can be based on anything, from customers to game-related topics.

If you want a free demo, send us a message at support@rumbletalk.com. Our support team would gladly arrange one for you.