How Does Live Chat & Chat Replay Work?
Chat Replay and Live Chat are the two types of audience interaction available for your Automated and Live Scheduled webinars in StealthSeminar. Here's how each works and how to set them up.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Chat Replay vs. Live Chat
|
|
Chat Replay | Live Chat |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A simulated chat you pre-build, made up of timed messages that play back during the webinar | Real-time chat between you and attendees during the live event |
| Setup | This is the default audience interaction when you create a New Webinar | No — must be enabled manually |
| Requires you to attend live? | No | Yes, you must register and join as host |
| Best for | Automated webinars, showing social proof, simulating engagement | Live/hybrid webinars where you want to answer questions in real time |
| Can they run together? | Yes — Chat Replay can run in the background while you chat live | Yes — see above |
How to Setup Chat Settings
- Open your webinar
- Under the Advanced Webinar Setup tab > Type of Chat, select the chat settings for your webinar.
Setting Up Live Chat
Live Chat lets attendees exchange messages with each other and with you in real time. To use it:
- Make sure your webinar is a Live Scheduled event set to run in your webinar timezone — so you can actually be present when it airs.
- Register for your own webinar using your Host Name
- On webinar day, open the unique link sent to your email and join as host
- Chat live with attendees from the event's watch page.
The chat automatically filters banned words. You can moderate the conversation or ban attendees directly from the Chat/Q&A section while editing your event.
Note: Chat Replay can still run in the background while you chat live, so attendees see both simulated and real messages at once.
Setting Up Chat Replay
Chat Replay lets you build a simulated chat that plays back on a timeline during the webinar. To add messages:
- Go to the Call to Actions/Chat tab of your event editor
- Click on the Chat Messages.
- Select Message Type, either to Add Message or add Bulk Message
- For each message, set a time mark, a name, and the message text
- Specify whether the message should appear as coming from the host
All added messages appear in a message table, where you can:
- Filter by attendee, automated, approved, or unapproved messages
- Sort by time, type, or nickname
- Ban a user by clicking the circle-slash icon next to their name
- Approve a message for future use with the checkmark
- Remove a message with the X
Live attendee messages
Any chat messages attendees send in live during a running webinar are saved to the Call to Action/Chat section for you to review afterward. From there, you can approve or delete them before the next time your webinar runs.
If Chat Replay is enabled, you cannot also answer attendee questions live. You either simulate the chat or chat live — not both at the same time for direct Q&A.
Bulk importing chat messages
Instead of adding messages one at a time, you can bulk import a full Chat Replay via CSV file. See How do I bulk import chat messages? for the full steps.
Common Questions
Can I use both Chat Replay and Live Chat at the same time?
Yes. Chat Replay can run in the background as simulated engagement while you chat live with attendees.
If Chat Replay is on, can I still answer attendee questions live?
No. While Chat Replay is enabled, you can't personally respond to incoming questions in real time — attendee messages are saved to Chat/Q&A for you to review and reuse later, rather than answered live.
Do I need to be present for Chat Replay to work?
No. Chat Replay is fully automated and plays back on its own timeline — that's what makes it usable for Automated webinars where you're not live.
How do I turn off Chat Replay and Q&A?
To turn off Chat Replay and Q&A,
- Go to Call to Actions /Chat,
- Under Type of Chat dropdown, select None
- Click Save to save changes.
Will attendees see the chat when they watch a replay of the webinar later?
No. Chat Replay and Live Chat are not available on replays — attendees watching a replay won't see chat messages from the original session.
Can I add Chat Replay messages in bulk instead of one at a time?
Yes, via CSV import. See How do I bulk import chat messages?
What happens to messages attendees send during a live chat session?
They're saved to the Chat/Q&A section of your event, where you can approve or delete them before your webinar's next run.
Does the chat filter inappropriate language automatically?
Yes, Live Chat automatically scans for and filters banned words.