Chatter Guide: Site Login

Chatter Guide: Site Login & Membership

This guide explains how the site login works and what it means to be a room member.

Do I Need to Log In?

No. You can still enter rooms and chat without logging in. Logging in is only needed if:

• A room owner has added you as a member and you want to use your reserved name and permissions.
• A room is set to "members only" and requires you to be a member to enter.

How Do I Get an Account?

You don't create your own account. A room owner adds you as a member, and you receive an invitation email with a link to set your password. Once you set your password, your account is active.

Is There a Membership Fee?

No.

Logging In

1. Click the Login link in the navigation menu on any site page or the door of any room
2. Enter your email address and password.
3. Click Sign In.
4. You will be redirected back to the page you were on.

Once logged in, you stay logged in for 30 days (I may change this) across the entire site. You don't need to log in again for each room.  You may choose to logout by clicking the logout link on each room door.

What Is a Reserved Name?

When a room owner adds you as a member, they assign you a reserved name. This is your chat name in that room and for the site. No one else can use it.   You are basically ensuring no one else can be "you."

Forgot Your Password?

1. Go to the login page.
2. Click Forgot Password? below the sign in button.
3. Enter your email address.
4. Check your email for a password reset link.
5. Click the link and enter a new password.

Note: The reset link expires after 1 hour. If it expires, just request a new one.  There is a limit on how many emails go out in an hour.  If you don't get one, wait an hour, try again.

Setting Your Password for the First Time

If a room owner just added you, you'll receive a welcome email with a link to set your password. Click the link and choose a password (minimum 8 characters). This is the same process as resetting a password.

If you didn't receive the email, you can use the Forgot Password link on the login page to get a new one.

Multiple Rooms

Your account works across the entire site. If you are a member of multiple rooms, you log in once and have access to all of them. Each room may give you different permissions depending on what the room owner has set.

Logging Out

To log out, click the Logout link on the room's enter page. This clears your login cookies and you will need to log in again to access member features.

Quick Reference

• Login page: Click "Login" in the site navigation
• Forgot password: Login page → "Forgot Password?"
• First time setup: Check your email for the invitation link
• No email received: Use "Forgot Password" on the login page

Site Level Logins - Room Owners

Room Owner Guide: Managing Members

This guide explains how to add and manage members in your room using the new site-wide login system.

Overview

Members are now managed through a centralized system. When you add a member to your room, they log in once at the site level using their email and password. Their membership and permissions are specific to your room.

Accessing Member Management

1. Open the admin panel.
2. Log in as the room owner.
3. The member management section loads automatically at the bottom of the admin panel.

Adding a New Member

1. In the member management section, enter the person's email address.
2. Enter a reserved name — this is the chat name that will be reserved for them. No one else can use this name in your room.  The name will be reserved site-wide.
3. Set their permissions using the checkboxes (see Permissions below).
4. Click Add Member.

What happens next depends on whether the person already has a site account:

• If they already have an account: They are added to your room immediately. Their existing reserved name is used (the name you entered is ignored). They can enter your room the next time they visit.
• If they are new to the site: An account is created for them and an invitation email is sent. The email contains a link where they can set their password. Once they set their password, they can log in and access your room.

Note: You do not set passwords for your members. New members receive an email and set their own password. If the invitation email doesn't arrive, the member can use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page to set their password.

Permissions

Permission	What It Does
Can Post Video	Allows the member to post video links in chat.
Can Boot	Allows the member to boot disruptive chatters from the room.
Can Grant Normal Chat	Allows the member to grant normal chat privileges to restricted users.
Can Run Auctions	Allows the member to run auctions in the room.
Can Control Voice	Allows the member to control voice chat features.

You can change a member's permissions at any time by checking or unchecking the boxes next to their name in the member list and clicking Save.

Removing a Member

Click the Remove button next to the member's name. This removes them from your room only. Their site account and memberships in other rooms are not affected.

Members Only Mode

In the admin panel, there is an "Only allow members" checkbox. When enabled, only people who have been added as members can enter your room. Anonymous visitors will not be able to join.

Subroom Members

If your room has subrooms, each subroom has its own member list. Members added to the main room are not automatically members of subrooms. You need to add them separately through each subroom's admin panel.

Things to Know

• Email addresses are unique across the entire site. One email = one account.
• Reserved names are also unique site-wide. If a name is taken by someone on another room, you'll need to choose a different name.
• If you add someone who already has an account (from another room), they keep their existing reserved name.
• Members log in once and have access to all rooms where they hold membership.
• Membership is NOT required to chat unless a room has selected to be "Members Only"

The @ Commands

@ commands are a quick and easy way to do things while you are chatting.  Be it change your AV or throw some animation at someone or boot someone.  Some of these commands are available to everyone and some only to those that a room owner gives permissions to.  Here is a list of all the @ commands but keep coming by as more get added.

@VIDEO (requires video posting permissions)

@VIDEO PLAY [url] - Plays a video from the specified URL to all users or targeted user 

@VIDEO OFF - Turns off/stops video playback for all users

@PVIDEO

@PVIDEO PLAY [url] - Plays a private/premium video from the specified URL (requires special video permissions)

@PVIDEO OFF - Turns off private video playback

@BOOT  (requires boot permissions)

@BOOT [number of minutes] Handles booting/kicking users from the chat room.  Select a user and type the command

 @BOOT LIST shows a list booted users

@BOOT -1 IP unboots the person with that IP 

@AV Changes user's avatar/display name

@AV SIMPLE [Just the image URL] - Sets a simple image avatar

@AV [AV Code] - Sets custom avatar text/HTML

@CLEAR (requires can clear permissions)

Clears the chat screen for all users

@GLASS

Visual effect command that "shatters glass" on targeted user's screen 

@PIE

Fun command that "tosses a pie" at the targeted user 

@BLOB

Fun command that "squirts" the targeted user

@SPANK

Fun command that "spanks" the targeted user (moderator/special permissions required)

@SLIMER

Fun command that "summons Slimer to haunt" the targeted user

@TOSS Image_url

Fun command that "tosses an image" the targeted user

@NORMAL (requires special permissions)

Grants normal chat privileges to a user in restricted access rooms.  With this command you can temporarily grant regular chat access to your room when your room is in restricted mode.

@AUCTION (requires auction permissions)

@AUCTION START - Starts an auction in the main room 

@AUCTION CLEAN - Stops/cleans up an auction

@FONTSIZE

@FONTSIZE [number] - Changes font size for the user's display

@IMAGESIZE

@IMAGESIZE [number] - Changes image size for the user's display

@VOICE (requires special permissions)

@VOICE ON - Turns on voice system for the room

@VOICE OFF - Turns off voice system for the room

@VOICE DJ [user] - Sets a specific user as DJ with voice privileges turns off voice for everyone else.

Adding themes and a description for your room

Now you can add a description to your room from the Admin screen.  This allows you to change the description over time if you so choose to do so.  You can also select up to 3 themes for your room.  This will allow chatters to filter the onlinechatters and room page to find a room that fits a certain theme.

When you log onto the admin screen this will be the first section.  So its easy to find and quite self explanatory on how to use it.

Voice Communications

 Voice Chat Feature - User Guide

Overview

The voice chat feature allows users to share audio (microphone and system sounds) with other participants in real-time. Users can either share their voice or listen to others without sharing their own audio.

NOTE:  This is a peer to peer connection.  You are using DeviantLives only as a mechanism to meet and then trigger a voice call.  The voice call/communications once established is between you and who all you are sharing with.  No voice goes through the DeviantLives server.  You get to choose whether you wish to participate or not.

Admin Setup Instructions

Setting Up User Permissions

Room admins can decide which room members can control this feature.  In the admin screen where members/registered users are added there is now an option to "Control Voice."  For new members you can select Yes or No.  For existing members click on the existing selection or Yes or No and type Yes or No to change the permission.  Then click on Save at the bottom of the screen.

Once a member has permission to control voice, they can, in the room do the following:

1. Turn the voice feature on by typing @voice on
2. Turn the voice feature off by typing @voice off
3. Turn the DJ feature on by selecting a chatter and typing @voice dj  This will allow anyone to select listen but only the DJ will be able to talk and play content from their computer.  DJs should share content that is shareable and this is their responsibility.  DeviantLives has no visibility or knowledge of what is being shared.

User Instructions

This works only if the voice feature has been enabled by the room owner or someone who has the permissions to do so.

Accessing the Voice Panel

1. **Open Voice Panel**:

   - Look for the microphone icon (🎤) in the chat interface

   - Click the microphone icon to open the floating voice panel

   - The panel can be dragged around the screen for convenient positioning

Using Listen-Only Mode

**What it does**: Allows you to hear other users' audio without sharing your own microphone or system sounds.

**How to use**:

1. Click the **"Listen Only"** button in the voice panel

2. No browser permissions required

3. The button turns red when active

4. You'll see a 👂 icon next to your name in the active users list

5. Click **"Stop Listening"** to exit listen-only mode

**When to use**: Perfect for meetings, presentations, or when you want to hear others but not participate vocally.

Sharing Your Voice (Microphone)

**What it does**: Shares your microphone audio with all other voice participants in the room.

**How to use**:

1. Click the **"Share Voice"** button in the voice panel

2. Your browser will ask for microphone permission - click **"Allow"**

3. The button turns active and shows **"Stop Voice"**

4. You'll see a 🎤 icon next to your name in the active users list

5. Your voice will be heard by all users who are in voice or listen-only mode

6. Click **"Stop Voice"** to stop sharing your microphone

**Audio Quality**: The system automatically applies noise suppression and echo cancellation for clearer audio.

Sharing System Audio

**What it does**: Shares your computer's system sounds (music, videos, game audio, etc.) along with your microphone.

**Requirements**: 

- You must first enable voice sharing (microphone)

- Limited support on Safari and mobile browsers

**How to use**:

1. First click **"Share Voice"** and allow microphone access

2. Click the **"Share System Audio"** button

3. Your browser will ask for screen sharing permission - click **"Allow"**

4. Select a specific application, browser tab, or **"Entire Screen"** and make sure **"Share audio"** is checked.

5. The button turns active and shows **"Stop System Audio"**

6. Both your microphone and system sounds will be shared

7. Click **"Stop System Audio"** to stop sharing system sounds (microphone continues)

Important: Use headphones to prevent audio feedback when sharing system audio.

Understanding the Active Users List

The voice panel shows all active voice participants:

- **🎤 Username**: User is sharing their voice (microphone and possibly system audio)

- **👂 Username**: User is in listen-only mode (can hear but not sharing audio)

- **"No active voice users"**: Nobody is currently using voice features

Best Practices

1. **Use Headphones**: Especially important when sharing system audio to prevent echo and feedback

2. **Check Your Microphone**: Test your microphone before important conversations

3. **Manage Background Noise**: The system has noise suppression, but a quiet environment is still best

4. **Be Mindful of System Audio**: Only share system audio when relevant to avoid distracting others

5. **Leave Cleanly**: Voice connections automatically clean up when you leave the room

Troubleshooting

No Audio Being Heard

- Check that you've clicked "Listen Only" or "Share Voice"

- Verify your browser allowed microphone/audio permissions

- Check your computer's audio output settings

- Ensure other users are actually sharing voice

Others Can't Hear You

- Verify the "Share Voice" button is active (red)

- Check browser microphone permissions

- Test your microphone in other applications

- Try refreshing the page and re-enabling voice sharing

System Audio Not Working

- Ensure you selected "Entire Screen" with "Share audio" checked

- Try using Chrome or Firefox (better system audio support)

- Check that your system has audio playing

- Verify your operating system allows audio capture

Echo or Feedback

- Use headphones instead of speakers

- Lower your system volume

- Check that multiple users aren't sharing system audio simultaneously

Connection Issues

- Check your internet connection

- Try refreshing the page

- Ensure your firewall isn't blocking WebRTC connections

- Try a different browser

Browser Compatibility

- **Chrome/Edge**: Full support for all features ✅

- **Firefox**: Full support for all features ✅  

- **Safari**: Voice sharing works, limited system audio support ⚠️

- **Mobile Browsers**: Voice sharing only, no system audio ⚠️

Privacy and Security

- **User Control**: Only you can enable your microphone - no one can remotely activate it

- **Browser Security**: All permissions go through your browser's security system

- **Direct Connections**: Audio streams directly between users (peer-to-peer), not through servers

- **Room-Based**: Voice sharing only works within your current chat room

- **Session-Based**: Permissions reset when you close your browser

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*This voice feature uses WebRTC technology for high-quality, low-latency audio communication directly between users' browsers.*

Some animated fun

In an effort to raise interaction between chatters I am adding some animated actions to the room.  This is in addition to posting emojis which are fun and expressive but are static in nature.  So far there are three animations.  This is still being tested out.  But here is how they work:

Glass Shatter Effect:  Select a chatter and then type @glass.  Alternatively select "All" and type @glass

Toss a Pie:  Select a chatter and then type @pie.  Alternatively select "All" and type @pie

Toss a "ummmm" blob:  Select a chatter and then type @blob.  Alternatively select "All" and type @blob

Slimer like ghost effect:  Select a chatter and then type @slimer.  Alternatively select "All" and type @slimer

Toss random stuff:  Select a chatter and then type @toss [url of an image].

NOTE:  Use this sparingly.  Not everyone has a super fast computer with high end graphics.  Excessive use of this feature may freeze some folk's browsers.  If I find excessive/abusive use of the feature I will and room owners will boot people.

Booting unwanted people

Room owners can give boot powers to trusted members.  If you are one of those trusted members to boot someone you select the person to be booted then type: @boot number_of_minutes (Room owner should have granted you permission to do so and you have to log in as a room member).

To un-boot someone first type @boot list  This will give you the list of people that have been booted and their IP.  To un-boot now type @boot -1 ip_ of_the_person