Live chat lets members message your school from the student app. Community boards are a place to share news, photos and videos with your members. This guide covers both.
Before you start
Members need the NextKick student app to use live chat and community boards.
Live chat
Step 1: Turn on live chat
Go to Settings → Communication.
Under General, turn on Live chat with students.
Click Save.
The live chat icon now appears in the student app. If you turn it off later, the icon is hidden, but your past conversations are kept.
Step 2: Reply to members
Go to Communications → Conversations.
Click Live Chat to see only chat conversations, or Text (SMS) for text messages.
Click a conversation, type your reply, and send it.
You can attach a photo (PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF). Use the search box to find a conversation by name or participant.
Staff who log in with their own staff account also see live chats and can reply.
Step 3: Start a new conversation
Click New message → Live Chat.
In To, enter a member's name or email. Type @ to choose all members.
To message a whole group, enter it in Groups.
Type your message and send it.
Tip: For text messages, choose New message → Text (SMS) instead. See How to Set Up Two-Way SMS in NextKick.
Community boards
Step 4: Create a board
Go to Communications → Community.
Click Add Board.
Enter the Board Name, such as "School News" or "Competition Team".
Choose the settings below, then click Save.
Status: when it's off, students can't see the board.
Student Posts: lets students write their own posts. It's off by default, so only your school can post.
Notification Settings: choose which activity sends a push notification: New post, New comment, New reply, Like and Post deletion.
Step 5: Create a post
Open the board and click Create Post.
Enter a Title and Content.
Under Attachments, add up to 20 files. Photos (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF) can be up to 10MB and videos (MP4, MOV) up to 30MB.
Choose who can see it under Visible to (see below).
Click Save.
Choosing who sees the post
Direct Members: pick specific members. Only they get the post, and the other filters are ignored.
Filters: target by Member Status, Program, Group, Rank or Tag.
When multiple filters apply: choose AND to show the post only to members who match all filters, or OR for members who match any one.
The board lists each post with its author, views and date. To change the board's settings or remove it, click Edit or Delete at the bottom of the board page.
Step 6: Manage posts and comments
Click a post to open it.
Click the ⋯ menu on the post to Edit, Pin or Delete it.
Click the ⋯ menu on a comment to Edit or Delete it, or click Reply to answer it.
You can manage students' posts and comments the same way as your own.
Step 7: Review reported posts
Members can report a post or comment. To review reports:
Go to Communications → Community and click the Reports tab.
Filter by status (Pending, Resolved, Rejected) or target (Post, Comment).
Review each report. The list shows the content, the reason, who reported it, the status and the date.
If the reported post or comment is fine, it stays in the community.
Common questions
Can members chat with each other?
No. Members can only chat with your school.
Can my staff answer live chats?
Yes. Staff who log in with their staff account see live chats and can reply.
If I turn off live chat, are old conversations deleted?
No. The chat icon is hidden in the app, but your conversations are kept.
Can I remove a student's post or comment?
Yes. Open the post and use the ⋯ menu to delete the post or the comment.
Can students post on a board?
Only if you turn on Student Posts for that board.
Can I share a post with only one class or team?
Yes. Use the Group, Program, Rank or Tag filters under Visible to.
What video files can I upload?
MP4 or MOV, up to 30MB each.