A redesigned chat function is arriving!

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Dear users,

We’re excited to introduce the new Family chat update that is scheduled to be released in September.

Here’s some of the exciting new features in the Family update:

• Create up to 20 chatrooms depending on your level.
• Tag & mention other users
• React to messages with emojis!
• & more!

Please note that after the September release, past Family chats will no longer be available. If there is anything you wish to save, please take screenshots or videos before the update.

This new Family update, along with other upcoming changes, will be explained in detail during the upcoming Round Table event. Invitations will be sent to your Pococha inbox, please be sure to attend!

Contents

1. Create Multiple Chatrooms
2. Multi-Channel Function
3. 3 New Chatroom Functions
4. The Purpose of These New Family Functions
5. Past Family Chats
6. New Family Q&A

1. Create Multiple Chatrooms

Up until now, the Family feature has allowed up to a maximum of 3 Families. Following the update, your Families will be consolidated into 1 Family and you’ll be able to create multiple chatrooms.

This new Family can have up to 20 channels (chatrooms). You can also designate who can view and post in each channel.

Some of you may be thinking, “All our conversations are going to be mixed up!” and “It’s going to be hard to manage all the members now that it’s one big Family.” With this update, you’ll be able to easily make more channels. Furthermore, you’ll be able to set access privileges by Fan Noise Level and assign assistants to each channel.

Additionally, you can create different chatrooms for whatever topics you want!

Here’s some examples of the types of rooms you can create!:

• 1K Core Fan room
• 10K Core Fan room
• 40K Core Fan room
• Welcome room
• Event Strategy room
• General Chat room
• Pet Pics! room

The possibilities are endless!

Let’s dive into each of the upcoming functions!

2. Multi-Channel Function

The multi-channel function allows you to create multiple channels (chatrooms) based on the level of the Family creator.

In this section, we’ll be talking about (1) the number of channels that can be created and (2) setting who can view and post in each channel.

① Number of Channels

Here, we’ll be explaining how to determine the number of channels you can make.

The number of channels that can be made depends on the level of the Family owner*. The following table shows how many channels can be made at each level.

• This is typically a broadcaster. However, some users who are solely viewers are also able to create Families.
• Ex.: Before the update, users at levels 25 – 40 could only make 2 Families. After the update, they’ll be able to make up to 5 channels. That’s 200 people!

Only the Family owner can create channels.

💡 About the Number of Channels and Who Can Create Them
Why does the number of channels differ for each level? Why is it that only the broadcaster can create channels?

The Reason Why the Number of Channels Depends on User Level

This is because if a new broadcaster joins Pococha, it’ll be difficult for them to get the hang of things if they immediately start off with too many channels. Possible scenarios without this limit:

1) When starting off, the user made 10 channels just because they could. Following that, they didn’t use most of the channels which made things rather confusing for viewers.

2) Family members find it difficult to come together during broadcasts because they were separated into different channels from the start.

3) The broadcaster isn’t aware of some bad blood developing between Family members because they were separated from the start.

The Reason Why Only the Family Owner Can Create Channels
This is to accentuate that the broadcaster is ultimately the one who creates the broadcasts. Family members should cooperate with each other to actualize the broadcaster’s goals and steer them in the right direction.

If more people are able to create channels, people may end up creating a ton of random channels and trouble might pop up without the broadcaster knowing. That’s why we thought it best to give only the Family owner the authority to create channels for this release.

However, if a lot of people speak up about wanting to let trusted assistants have that authority or wanting to have more freedom to create channels so viewers can have more fun, we’ll consider updating in the future to allow the broadcaster to pass on that authority.

💡 Q. What happens to Family members after switching to the new Family?

A. All members will be transferred over to the new Family. If there were 3 Families with a total of 230 members, all 230 members will be transferred to the new Family. If certain members are in multiple Families for the same broadcaster, the system will remove the duplicates before transferring them to the new Family.

② Set Who can View and Post in Each Channel

The new Family function allows you to set viewing and posting access for Family members for each channel. You can choose which users have access by Fan Noise Level, if they’re assistants, or by selecting users individually.

This makes it easier for you to create channels comprised of members that match your goals.

Ex.: 10k+ Fan Noise Level Members, Assistants Only, Messages from the Broadcaster, etc.

Let’s take a closer look at how to access by Fan Noise Level or if they’re assistants.

Here you can see how to set privileges for the participating members. Fan Noise Levels can be broken down further but it’s currently set this way so it’s easier to see.

You can also edit access for each user individually!

💡 Q. Will there be default channels immediately after the switchover? What about viewing and posting privileges?

A. Depending on the level of the Family owner, the number of channels they start out with after the change will be different. Family owners at level 10 – 24 will have 1 channel. At level 25 and above, they will have 4 channels. (Please note that, at level 25 and above, it will still be possible to create more channels.) All Family members will start off with full viewing and posting access to all channels.

Q. Does the broadcaster have to change all of the initial settings?

A. The broadcaster will need to change the channel names, create new channels, and adjust viewing and posting access as needed.

Q. Will channels show up even if I don’t have permission to view them?

A. No. Channels that Family members don’t have access to will be hidden when they scroll through the available channels. This means there won’t be any messages telling them that they don’t have access to certain channels.

3. New Chatroom Functions

In addition to having multiple channels, three new functions will be added to the chatrooms: (1) quotes, (2) mentions, and (3) reactions!

① Quote Other Users

The quote function lets you quote and reply to posts in the Family.

Up until now, it’s been hard to tell which post someone is responding to. After the update, you’ll be able to see who and what people are responding to.

② Mentions

The mention function allows you to ping other users directly in the chatroom.

Have you ever found yourself unable to tell who certain posts are directed to? Now, with the mention function, you’ll instantly know who those messages are for!

You can also set whether you receive notifications or not in each channel.

To make finding users easier, the app will show you predicted users when typing “@” and the first few letters of the user’s name.

③ Reactions

The reaction function allows you to react to posts in Family chats with emojis.

With this, you can easily show how you feel about posts.

You’ll also be able to see who posts what reaction to each message.

4. The Purpose of These New Family Functions

What we hope to achieve with the new Family functions is to further diversify how users communicate and interact with each other. We also want the make the Family function a useful tool for creating a sense of unity and bringing Family members closer together in support of broadcasts.

Being on the same page and sharing the same experiences sparks new ways to communicate and helps to unify the Family as one body.

One of the special features of the multi-channel function is that you can easily create channels based on certain themes and set the members. This release makes it easier for users to have more and more diverse conversations and interactions than before.

5. Past Family Chats

Past Family chats will no longer be available after the September update.

Rather than reworking the old Family function, we are actually creating something completely new. Because of this, old chat logs can’t be transferred over.

If we were to save all of that past data, we would need to develop another feature to do so. This would take several months and considerably delay the new functions we introduced today and future updates we have planned.

Considering the above, we thought it was best to push forward the multi-channel function, pins, video sharing, and other functions that we’ve been planning.

Please take screenshots or videos of any past chats that you’d like to save.

• Support will not be able to retrieve any of the past data.

Please look forward to the upcoming release!

We’ll be making another blog post in late August with further details and explain how to use the upcoming functions.

• Support will be unable to answer any inquiries about the new update prior to the release.
• If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free let us know by sending us feedback.

6. Q&A

Changeover Q&A

Q. If 3 Families are being merged into 1, what is the maximum number of Family members a Family can have?

A. The maximum number of members will stay at 300.

As before, the maximum number of members will depend on the Family owner’s level. 100 people for level 10 and above, 200 people for level 25 and above, and 300 people for level 80 and above.

We have not changed the maximum number of Family members because we still believe that it the ideal number is around 300. This allows broadcasters to communicate with all Family members and maintain a united Family.

There aren’t many broadcasters who can manage a large Family of over 300 members. If we raise that upper limit, many Families may lose their ability to have quality interactions and maintain order.

Q. Can we still choose whether the Family is open or Core Fans only?

A. Yes, that won’t change.

Q. Can we only choose 1 Family icon?

A. Since multiple Families will be merged into a single Family, you will only be able to set 1 icon. However, you can set a separate Family icon to show up on Feeds.

Data Transfer Q&A

Q. How many assistants can we have? What will happen to the assistants that we have now?

A. The number of assistants will depend on the maximum number of Family members. 5 assistants for up to 100 members, 10 for 200 members, and 15 for 300 members.

It may be too much to have 15 assistants for 1 Family but we have it set at that number so that all assistants can be safely moved to the new Family during the transfer.

If we hear that many broadcasters, assistants, and Family members are finding that there are too many assistants, we may consider decreasing the maximum number of assistants.

Q. Will the Category Rankings be based on the current amount of time viewed and total amount of coins carry over?

A. The total amount of Items, time viewed, and number of comments will all be carried over to ensure that the data doesn’t get duplicated. (The previous month will also carry over for the monthly Category Rankings.)

For example, if you were in Family A for July, Family B for August, and in Family A and B for September, the time viewed and total amount of coins will be calculated in the following manner:

Family A in July + Family B August + Family A/B (depends on which has the larger amount) September

Q. Will the past chat log be carried over?

A. We will not be able to transfer the past chats because we are creating a completely new system, rather than reworking the old Family function.

If we were to save all of the past data, we would need to develop another feature to do so. This would take several months and considerably delay the new functions we introduced today and future updates we have planned. If there is anything you wish to save, please take screenshots or videos before the September update.

Q. Will all of the current Family members be transferred over?

A. All current members will be transferred over. If you originally had 3 Families with a total of 230 members, all 230 members will be transferred into the new Family.

Instead of the 3 Families, you’ll be able to create new channels inside the Family based on Fan Noise level or for a selected group of individual users.

Initial Setup Q&A

Q. Will there be premade channels immediately after the switchover? What about viewing and posting access?

A. Depending on the level of the Family owner, the number of channels they start out with after the change will be different. Family owners at levels 10 – 24 will have 1 channel. At level 25 and above, they will have 4 channels. (Please note that, at level 25 and above, it is still possible to create more channels.)

All Family members will start off with full access to all channels. The default channels will be something along the lines of: 1 Channel = General Chat 4 Channels = General Chat, Welcome, Brainstorm, Announcements

(The channel names here are just examples and can be changed. Feel free to rename the channels to fit various topics and themes that suit your needs!）

It will be necessary for the broadcaster (Family owner) to change the channel names and edit viewing and posting access. You can also delete the default channels and create new channels instead, but it will still be necessary to set the name and access privileges.

Q. Does the broadcaster have to change all of the initial settings?

A. The broadcaster will need to change the channel names, create new channels, and edit viewing and posting access. We understand that this puts a huge weight on broadcasters, but we believe that broadcasters should have the executive decision to choose what kind of channels to create. What topics or themes should be made? How will the channels be used? Will creating separate channels based on Fan Noise Level improve how they contribute to broadcasts? With all these in mind, broadcasters should be responsible for utilizing channels to build a strong foundation for your Family and broadcasts.

However, if we hear that many people want to let trusted assistants have that authority or want to have more freedom to create channels so viewers can have more fun, we’ll consider updating in the future to allow broadcasters to pass on that authority.

Functions Q&A

Q. Can users outside the Family see channels and what’s inside?

A. Only Family members can see what channels are available. Family members will need to be given access to see what’s inside certain channels. (This is to protect everyone’s right to privacy.)

Q. Is there a limit to how many people can be added to 1 channel?

A. There isn’t. The maximum number of people that can be in a channel is the same as the maximum number of Family members.

Q. If channels are set by Fan Noise Level, when will I no longer be able to see the current channel? Can access be set individually?

A. Users will be able to view the channel that’s associated with their Fan Noise Level for the current month until the following month.

For example, User A reached 40k in June and was able to see the channels for 40k+. After the Fan Noise Level resets at the beginning of July, User A only manages to get up to 30k for that month. They can still view the 40k+ channel throughout July. However, starting in August, they will only be able to see what’s in the 30k channel because of their Fan Noise Level in July. If the broadcaster still wants this user to be in the 40K channel (even though they only reached 30K one month), the broadcaster can give the user special access to still be in the 40K channel by editing individual permissions!

Q. What is the minimum number of people a channel needs to have?

A. 3. It takes at least 3 people to send messages back and forth in channels. If there are only 2 people, then it’s just DMing.

Q. Will channels show up even if I don’t have permission to view them?

A. No, channels that you don’t have access to will be hidden when you scroll through available channels. This means there won’t be any messages telling you that you don’t have access to certain channels.

We’ll consider adding that option should broadcasters request that Family members be able to see that channels exist despite not having access to them. If you find that it’s an immediate necessity, you can list all your available channels in the Family profile or explanation video.

Q. Is it possible to create channels that the Family owner doesn’t have access to?

A. No. The Family owner has viewing and posting access to all channels.

Some users may want to have a secret channel so that they can surprise the broadcaster. However, having channels that the Family owner can’t access may make it difficult to build trust because they won’t know what goes on in there. Since this could possibly pull Families apart, we’ve opted to ensure that the broadcaster has complete viewing and posting access to all channels.

Q. How many channels can we make?

A. The number of channels that can be made depends on the owner’s level. 1 channel can be made at levels 10 – 24, 5 at levels 25 – 40, 10 at levels 41-79, and 20 at levels 80 and above. The maximum amount of channels is capped at 20.

Only the Family owner can create channels so the number of channels depends on the broadcaster.

Q. Can Android users copy and paste messages now?

A. Yes, Android users can copy and paste messages.

Q. Will we be able to pin messages and use stickers?

A. These functions will not be available in this release, but we plan to introduce them later on.

Q. Can we post videos? Has image resolution improved?

A. These functions will not be available in this release, but we plan to introduce them later on.

Q. Currently, there’s a summary page for Families. Will channels also have a summary page?

A. Yes, you’ll be able to write a description for each channel.

Q. It’s going to be like Discord but will you be able to choose usernames for each channel?

A. You will not be able to have a different username for Families and channels. Changing your username will affect how your name appears in the whole app.

Q. Can you see who is in whose Family?

A. You can see what Families a user has joined by checking their profile.

Q. Will we receive notifications for reactions? Can we set notifications?

A. You will not receive a notification when someone reacts to your post.

Q. Can you see who reacted to your post?

A. Yes. By pressing and holding the reaction, you can see who used what reaction and how many of each reaction was used.

Q. Is there a function to mark messages as read?

A. No. You can use reactions as a way for users to mark that they’ve read your post.

Q. Is there a limit to how many channels viewers have access to?

A. No, there isn’t. For channels where there are 3 or more members, viewers can view or post in any channel that they’ve been given access to.