Chatting in a circle

The circle owner decides how conversation works. When you join or the mode changes, the bot sends you a private message telling you the current mode. There are four:

Default mode (the default)

Only the circle owner, admins, and lecturers see your messages; they reply by quoting you. Other members can’t see what you say. A good fit for circles where you mostly listen and ask privately.

Broadcast mode

Messages from the team are pushed to every member; what you send stays visible to the team only. Made for announcement and news circles. The previous day’s broadcasts are usually tidied into a replay.

Lecture mode

Messages from the team reach everyone, and the whole session is recorded as a replay you can watch afterwards. Questions may be closed at the start — the bot will tell you once the host opens them, so hold off until then.

Group mode

Every member can speak and reply to each other — the circle becomes one big group chat. Available only to circles with circle VIP. Messages may be rate-limited and filtered.

Two things worth knowing

Anonymous mode — some circles let members speak anonymously: your messages go out under an anonymous identity, and no one sees your real account. The circle owner and admins are always named, and admins can verify who you are if you break the rules — they just won’t say so publicly.
Sending pace — if you message too quickly, the bot will tell you that you are sending messages too frequently and to rest for a moment. Just wait a little and carry on.