Agora is your agency's own chat. Everyone on your team is in it, and it works like the chat apps you know: channels, direct messages and group messages, threads, @mentions, reactions, files, link previews and search. It comes with the Agency plan and doesn't use credits.
Open Agora
In the sidebar, under your credits, click Open Agora Chat. Agora opens in its own window, so you can keep it next to ContentForge. The number beside Open Agora Chat is how many unread mentions, direct messages and client messages you have.
If your browser blocks the window, you'll see "Your browser blocked the window — Open in this tab". Click it, or allow pop-ups for ContentForge.
The top of the window shows the Agora mark and your agency's name and logo. The left side has your Channels, Direct messages and Client chats. At the bottom it always says "Owners and admins can read all messages in Agora."
Channels
- Click a channel to read it. Public channels show a #, private ones a lock.
- Browse channels lists every public channel. You can read one before you join, then click Join channel.
- Only Owners and Admins create, rename and archive channels, and add or remove people. Everyone starts in #general.
Direct messages and group messages
Click + next to Direct messages, pick one person, or up to 7 for a group message, and click Start. You can message anyone on your team. Client people can't be messaged here. They only see their own client chat.
Writing messages
- Press Enter to send and Shift+Enter for a new line.
- Type @ to mention someone, or @channel to tell a whole channel. In channels with more than 20 people only Owners and Admins can use @channel.
- Attach up to 10 files (25 MB each) with the paperclip, or drag them onto the conversation. Pictures show in the chat. Other files download.
- Hover a message to add a reaction, reply in a thread, copy its link, or edit or delete your own.
- Links get a preview. You can remove the preview from your own message.
Client chats
If an Owner or Admin turned on chat for a client and picked you, the client is under Client chats. A yellow Client can see this label shows at the top, with who on the client's side can see it, and client people have a Client tag next to their name. See Chat with your clients.
A client chat that's been turned off moves to Client chats (off). Its history is still there for your team to read, but nobody can write in it.
The Agora bell and alerts
- The bell at the top of the Agora window lists mentions, direct messages, client messages and thread replies. It's separate from the ContentForge bell.
- Desktop alerts: turn them on in your menu (your photo, top right) to get an alert when Agora isn't in front.
- Mute a conversation with the bell button at its top. Muted conversations don't alert you, but a direct @mention still does.
Email me when I'm away
It's on for everyone to start with. If you haven't had Agora open for 4 hours and you have unread mentions, direct messages or client messages, you get one email saying who wrote and where. It never includes the message text. Turn it off, or pick 1 to 72 hours, in your menu under Email me when I'm away.
Search
Type in Search messages at the top. You can filter by conversation, person, date and "Has a file". Press ⌘K (Ctrl K on Windows) to jump to a channel or person. You only find messages in conversations you're in and in public channels.
Who can read what
Owners and Admins can read every conversation, direct messages included. Every time they open one they're not in, it's logged in the Agora admin's Read log. ContentForge staff can never read your Agora.
If your agency leaves the Agency plan
Agora becomes read-only, and nothing is deleted. A yellow bar says "Agora is read-only because this agency isn't on the Agency plan. Upgrade to send messages again." You can still read, search and download files. Sending, reactions and uploads are off. Moving back to the Agency plan turns everything on again.
Limits and what it can't do
- 30 messages a minute per person, and 60 file uploads an hour.
- Up to 10 files per message, 25 MB each.
- You can't message client people outside their client chat.
Who can use it
Everyone on your team, on the Agency plan. An Owner or Admin can turn Agora off for a team member under Settings → Users (the Agora (team chat) switch). On other plans, Owners see "Agora is on the Agency plan" in the sidebar.
Troubleshooting
- I don't see Open Agora Chat: your agency isn't on the Agency plan, or Agora is turned off for you. Ask an Owner.
- The window didn't open: allow pop-ups for ContentForge, or click Open in this tab.
- I can't send: Agora is read-only (yellow bar), the channel is archived, or the client chat is off.