Channels and direct messages

The Community has two kinds of conversations: public channels that everyone can see, and direct messages between just you and one other person. Most of the action happens in channels — that's where the whole community can jump in and help. Direct messages are for taking a conversation private once it gets specific.

Posting in a channel

Pick a channel from the list, type in the box at the bottom, and hit send. Your message shows up for everyone, with your display name and a badge showing your level if you've turned that on. New messages from other pros appear live — you don't have to refresh.

Paste a link — a product page, a video, a supplier's site — and it comes out clickable, opening in a new tab. No need to dress it up; the full web address (starting with https:// or www.) is all it takes.

A few habits that keep channels useful:

• Match the room. Pricing questions and job stories fit General Discussion; finished-work photos fit Tile Game.
• Give context. "How do I price a curbless shower?" gets better answers with a sentence about the size and the substrate.
• Keep it friendly. This is a small trade community. Treat it like the supply house counter, not the internet.

[!warning] Channels are public to every contractor on BidCraft. Don't post a client's full address, phone number, or anything you wouldn't want another pro to read.

Tagging someone with @

To pull a specific person into a conversation, type @ and start typing their name. A list of members pops up — use the arrow keys and Enter, or just click the one you want. Their name gets highlighted in your message.

Picking from the list is the reliable way to do it, because it spells the name exactly right — and the spelling is what does the tagging. If you type someone's name by hand and get it exactly right, that works too; if you get it wrong, nobody gets tagged.

The person you tagged sees a red @ badge next to that channel in their list, instead of the usual grey message count. That's the difference between "this room is busy" and "someone is asking me something" — so a direct question doesn't get lost in the noise.

Tagging works in direct messages and inside threads too.

Starting a direct message

When you want to talk to one person — trade numbers, follow up on something they posted, ask a question that's specific to their setup — start a direct message. Open the Direct Messages list, choose Start a conversation, and search for the person by name. Once you've messaged someone, that conversation stays in your list so you can pick it back up later.

Direct messages are private. Only the two of you can read them. They show up live the same way channel messages do, and unread conversations are flagged so you know when someone's waiting on you.

Unread badges and finding your place

The Community tab shows a small count when you have unread messages — across the channels you're keeping an eye on and any direct messages waiting on you. Opening a channel or a conversation clears its count and it stays cleared.

When you open a channel with messages you haven't seen, a red New messages line marks exactly where you left off, so you can pick up reading from the right spot instead of scrolling around hunting for it. Anything that arrives while you're sitting in the channel lands below that line and doesn't move it.

A red @ badge means someone tagged you in that channel — see Tagging someone with @ above.

Next steps

• Privacy and blocking — decide who can reach you and what shows next to your name.
• Welcome to the Community — the quick tour if you're just getting started.