How to (and Why) Host an Online Panel Discussion

In the never ending effort to find new and creative ways to engage your online community (or perhaps to engage your community online) RumbleTalk group chat just might have the answer for you: online panel discussions.

With RumbleTalk, you’ll be able to gather experts from all corners of the world in one dialog box for a discussion that can be watched by an international audience.

There are many advantages for your organization to benefit from hosting an online panel discussion. This post will go over these advantages and show you how to set up as well.

If you’ve already decided to host a RumbleTalk panel discussion, click here to skip directly to the ‘How to’ section.

First, what is an online panel discussion?

Picture this: within your website, a RumbleTalk group chat designed to match your theme, is embedded where you choose. In the left most column of the group chat, a users-panel contains a short list of the participating experts.

online panel discussion example

The moderator types out questions, posts videos, or shares documents for the experts to see and interact with. Once the information is dispensed, the experts type out their answers or share media in response.

While the discussion is unfolding, anyone visiting the site is able to watch, but not disrupt, the conversation. Viewers can access the shared documents, links, and embedded videos to get a full understanding of the discourse context.

After the online panel discussion has concluded, the group chat owner will have the opportunity to save the chat and export it as an HTML file.

Immediate advantages of hosting an online panel discussion

A typical panel discussion has a lot of overhead expenses and physical limitations.

  • A venue must be booked that will be convenient for the audience and panelists in both location and time.
  • Panelists must be either all local or be afforded a travel/speaking stipend.
  • The audience can only be as large as the venue permits.
  • Special A/V equipment is needed to share videos or other contextual media.
  • Distractions cause missed moments and ideas.
  • Recording and distributing the event is yet another expense.

And that’s just to name the most obvious!

Rather than getting hung up on these barriers, organizations can turn to the alternative online panel discussion that leaps over these hurdles with ease.

  • A RumbleTalk online panel discussion can convene on your website or as an independent URL distributed to your audience.
  • Panelists and viewers can participate in the conversation wherever they find an internet connection using a PC, tablet or smart phone.
  • Audiences can be as big as your chosen plan allows.
  • Sharing media is easy with built in RumbleTalk tools.
  • The conversation is written so viewers can reread statements to better understand the discussed concepts.
  • The discussion can be preserved automatically and distributed easily.

And after the panel discussion?

After the panel discussion, the group chat owner will have a choice to make: let the conversation rest at conclusion, or use the transcript to further the mission.

RumbleTalk group chat transcripts can be exported as a HTML file and then published online.

You can read the full explanation of this feature here. But for now, I’ll drive home two key points.

  1. When you publish your online panel discussion transcript, you’ll widen your audience to those who weren’t able to watch in the first place.
  2. By publishing as an HTML file, search engines will be able to pick up on the key words used within the chat, driving more traffic to your cause.

How to set up your online panel discussion

We’ve made it easy, just follow these steps and if you get hung up on anything, contact support@rumbletalk.com for help.

  1. Create a RumbleTalk account
  2. Adjust the settings for an online panel discussion
  3. Embed and invite participants

Step One: Creating a RumbleTalk account

Starting at the RumbleTalk homepage, either log in to your existing account or if needed, sign up for a new account.

Once you are logged in you’ll need to select a plan that will accommodate the number of panelists and viewers you expect to attend.

It’s important to note here that each plan allows the same number of users as it does viewers. If you select a plan for 250 chatters, you’ll be able to have 250 viewers.

If you don’t see a plan large enough for your audience (good for you!) contact us at support@rumbletalk.com for more options.

Step Two: Adjust the settings for an online panel discussion

From the admin panel, you’ll be able to customize the look of the group chat to fit your organization. You can include your logo or color scheme to blend into your site.

By default, RumbleTalk group chats are configured to work as an open and public chat room. You’ll need to change this to limit the number of chatters and ensure viewers are allowed.

Under the Login tab of the admin panel leave all options unchecked EXCEPT:

  • Allow viewers (listeners)
  • Allow RumbleTalk login

Panel Discussion Settings

You can also check ‘Enable auto invite’ and ‘Show “Invite Friends” button’ for panelists and viewers to share the group chat on social media, however, these are not necessary.

The next essential setting to is set up your panelists.

Panelists for Online Panel Discussion

Click on the link that says ‘group’s users management page’ and then click the button to add a new user. Give each user a nickname (or just use their real name) and a password. You can also assign an avatar or profile picture to each user. Send this information to your panelists privately.

Adding panelist to online panel discussion

Step Three: Embed and invite participants

The final step is to embed your chat in your website.

From your admin panel, you’ll be given a single line of code to be placed within your site. The chat itself is responsive and will fit itself in whatever space you give it.

If you don’t have a website, there are still options to host your group chat. You can connect your RumbleTalk account to your Facebook page or share your chat URL with your desired audience.

The RumbleTalk platform is versatile. If you want to use all three options, go ahead! If you want to embed the chat on each of your panelists sites, no problem!

The group chat you purchase from RumbleTalk can be placed in as many places around the web as you wish.

Then all you have to do is invite guests.

If you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact us at support@rumbletalk.com. We’re happy to help you host an innovative online panel discussion.

Creating Interactive Live Event Chat

Live event entertainment has been around in human being daily for centuries. We, human being are enjoying live entertainment from the early days of civilization. Watching a horse race, gladiator fight and other forms of entertainment have been our way to enjoy live since a long time ago.
As civilization grow more advanced, live entertainment become more and more improved. With today’s technology, live event chat can even be possible to create a highly interactive live event.

What is Live Event Chat?

Live event chat is a technology where remote audience and viewers can interact with the event held by the organizer and broadcasted over the television or multimedia channel. Television industry has been the relying on the live event for some time. This is the age of online availability, the era that everything can go online in a matter of second, where information can travel around the world within second.

Live Event Chat Example
Live Event Chat Example

Regardless any type of event; music concert, webinar, talk show, radio streaming, all events can use live event chat room (a group chat) to create more attractive event. In 2014, CNBC predicted the future of music concert with social wearables and interactive live shows. On its July 21st article, the author, Everett Rosenfeld quote the event guru regarding the rise of FoMO trend for live event. FoMO, stands for fear of missing out, is a type of anxiety occur in today’s digital age where people have fear of getting out of touch, or absent from social events or experiences that generally a hype among their community or social circle. Such event can be a TV show, some events, gathering or a restaurant, and now FoMO has spread to live event. FoMO induce some pervasive habit in today’s social life, like constantly checking smartphone or gadgets, or anxiety when they did not receive email or message or chat for a couple of minutes.

How Live Event Chat Helps FoMO Anxiety

Social media, mobile devices and gadgets have pervasively invaded our private life in a way more than we ever foresee or imagine. FoMO is a phenomenon that affects the 18-34 years of age group or known as teen millennials. Young people in those age group are prone to peer-pressure that can lead to low self esteem. It is because young people will look upon other’s approval for their self value, that makes them caught and struggle with FoMO.

People who struggle with FoMO will receive benefits with availability of live event chat. They will be able to participate in live event, as long as the event is equipped with live event chat room. RumbleTalk chat platform provide such ease and simplicity with the needs for live event chat.

We encourage event organizers to enable RumbleTalk platform in all live events they manage to enable interaction from people with the event. It does not matter what type of event, because as long as the events have chat room for people to interact and show their interest, the event will generate more audience and revenue. The availability of live event chat will benefit both the event organizer and the audiences, because event organizer can grasp the idea for the next event, based on audience participation and their idea during live event chat. While for people who struggle with FoMO, there is no reason for them to feel being left out, because they now can interact with event organizer, performers, host and everyone related to the event through live event chat.

Live Event Chat Enhances Interactivity

In the previous article, we know that RumbleTalk be able to help Radio station increasing their audience and interactivity. The same thing goes to live event as well. Every one of us understand how important for a live event to be interactive. Television broadcast and radio show have been opening phone line to enable direct interaction from audience and viewers with the show. Yet, starting a few years ago, some television talk show started to use Skype for video interaction with their home viewer. The conversation is displayed in the inset on the TV screen for home viewer to be able to watch it as well as studio audience. Now, the technology has advanced to be able to provide more level of interaction with live event chat.

It is because talk show, variety show or another interactive TV shows require more than just a great host and television personalities to lead the event. They need fresh approach and variation, so audience wait and expect something different and more enhancing than just watching a host and invited guest talk on the TV screen.

What is The Best Technology for a live Event Chat?

RumbleTalk provide the technology for talk show to have a live event chat for home viewers to contribute, more than just a phone line or video conference. This will certainly boost number of viewers. Moreover, when the live event chat room is displayed in the inset, the home viewers will increase significantly. By nature, human are narcissist. Therefore, enabling the live event chat in the television broadcast and put the conversation on screen, will encourage viewers to participate. It is because they are definitely eager see their name comes in the TV screen.

With advance HTML5 technology, RumbleTalk chat platform is the best solution for all needs of live event chat. People who participate in chat room will be able to attach their picture or video from YouTube or Vimeo easily. Not only that, we have video chat technology that will enable host to invite home viewer to perform a teleconference with ease. Our video chat requires only a browser, thus minimizing the installation of application in the computer. People who is invited to video chat will be able to chat from their smart phone or tablet with ease. They do not need to stand by in front of their computer just to be able to engage in video chat.

That is how easy for live event organizer, TV station and radio station to engage more audience in their live event with RumbleTalk live event chat.
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