Using the Host Panel
What is the Host Panel?
The host panel is a dedicated, mobile-friendly interface for managing a live Q&A session in real time. It gives you full control over session status, question moderation, polls, display settings, and participant management -- all from your phone, tablet, or laptop.
Accessing the Host Panel
There are two ways to open the host panel:
- From the admin dashboard: On the session detail page, click Open Host Panel. This opens the panel in a new tab.
- Directly via URL: Share the host panel link with moderators. They will be prompted to enter the 6-digit Host PIN before gaining access.
The Host PIN is shown on the session detail page in the admin area. Share it only with people who should have moderation access. You can regenerate the PIN at any time with the Regenerate PIN button if it is compromised.
Session Status Controls
The host panel header (the StageStrip below the title bar) displays the current session status and provides buttons to transition between states:
From Draft
- Start Collecting -- Opens the session for question submissions without going fully live. Useful for gathering questions before a service begins.
- Go Live -- Immediately activates the session in full live mode.
From Collecting
- Go Live -- Transitions to full live mode.
- Pause -- Temporarily halts submissions and voting.
- Close -- Ends the session.
From Live
- Pause -- Temporarily halts the session.
- Close -- Ends the session and closes all active polls.
From Paused
- Resume -- Returns the session to live mode.
- Close -- Ends the session.
From Closed
- Reopen -- Reopens the session in live mode. If the expiration time has passed, the session is automatically extended.
Submissions Toggle
A separate Submissions: ON/OFF toggle lets you control whether participants can submit new questions independently of the overall session status. This is useful when you want participants to view existing questions but not add new ones.
Expiry Countdown
When a session is approaching its expiration time (within 30 minutes), a countdown timer appears in the host panel header. The countdown turns red when fewer than 5 minutes remain.
To add more time, use the quick-extend buttons next to the countdown:
- +15 -- Adds 15 minutes to the session
- +30 -- Adds 30 minutes to the session
The maximum total duration from the session start time is 12 hours -- once an extension would push past that ceiling, the new expiry is clamped to the 12-hour limit.
The "On Display" Dock
The StageStrip includes an On Display dock that shows which question (if any) is currently being projected to the audience screen:
- When a question is on screen, the dock shows On display along with the question text and author. Use Take down to clear the projector, or Swap... to replace it with another question without showing a blank frame.
- When nothing is on screen, the dock shows Display clear and a reminder that the audience projector is currently blank.
Filtering Questions
The host panel provides filter tabs to quickly find the questions you need:
| Filter | Shows |
|---|---|
| All | Every question in the session (with a live count) |
| Pending | Questions awaiting moderation (shows a red dot when new ones arrive) |
| Top | The top unanswered questions by vote count |
| Answered | Questions marked as answered |
Less-common filters live under the More ▾ dropdown next to the filter tabs:
| Filter | Shows |
|---|---|
| Approved | Questions that have been approved or edited |
| Rejected | Questions that were rejected |
| Blocked | Participants who have been blocked |
Hide Answered Toggle
A dedicated toggle filters out answered questions from the list, making it easy to focus on questions that still need attention. The button reads Hide Answered when answered questions are visible, and Unanswered when only unanswered questions are showing.
Managing Questions
Each question card shows the question text, author name, vote count, timestamp, and status badges (On display, Pinned, Answered, Pending, Rejected, or Blocked).
Quick Actions for Pending Questions
When moderation is enabled, pending questions show two prominent buttons:
- Approve -- Makes the question visible to all participants
- Reject -- Hides the question from participants
Sending a Question to the Screen
For approved questions, the primary action is Send to display -- this pushes the question onto the audience projector. Only one question can be on display at a time; it appears on the display screen and is visually emphasized for participants. Once a question is on screen, the button changes to On display, and you can take it down with Take off display (or use Take down / Swap... in the On Display dock).
Marking a Question Answered
Use Answered to mark a question as answered. Answered questions are moved to the bottom of the list in the host view. (You can switch this back with Unanswer.)
Replying to a Question
Select a question to open it in the Focus panel on the right. There you can type a Written reply (up to 2,000 characters) and choose its visibility:
- Public -- everyone sees -- The reply appears beneath the question for all participants.
- Private -- asker only -- Only the person who submitted the question sees the reply. For anonymous questions, only the device that submitted it will see it.
Click Templates to insert a saved canned response (see Reply Templates below).
Additional Actions (the "More" menu)
Click the More menu (the ⋮ icon on a question) to reveal additional actions:
- Mark answered / Unanswer -- Toggle the question's answered state.
- Reply -- Jump to the reply field in the Focus panel.
- Add note / Edit note -- Add a private host note (see Private Host Notes below).
- Mark as duplicate -- Merge this question into another (see Merging Duplicate Questions below).
- Edit -- Modify the question text (for example, to fix typos or clarify wording).
- Copy text -- Copy the question text to your clipboard.
- Block author / Unblock author -- Prevent or restore a participant's ability to submit questions or vote.
- Delete -- Permanently removes the question from the session.
You can also Pin / Unpin a question directly from its card to keep it at the top of your queue regardless of sort order.
Blocking a Participant
When you choose Block author, a confirmation panel appears with:
- A checkbox to also hide their existing questions from other participants
- Block and Cancel buttons
Blocked participants are listed under the Blocked filter (in the More ▾ dropdown), where you can review and unblock them.
Reply Templates
If you find yourself typing the same answers repeatedly, save them as reusable Reply Templates. Open the template manager to add, edit, or delete templates -- each has a short Label and a Body (up to 2,000 characters). When replying to a question, click Templates to insert a saved response in one tap.
Private Host Notes
Each question can carry a private host note -- a comment visible only to you and your co-hosts, never to the audience. Notes are managed in the Focus panel on the right and auto-save as you type. Use them to jot down context, flag questions for a specific speaker, or coordinate with other moderators. A question with a note shows a filled note indicator on its card.
Merging Duplicate Questions
When several people ask the same thing, use Mark as duplicate (from the More menu) to merge a question into a single canonical one. Search for the canonical question, pick it, and the duplicate's votes are added to it -- keeping your queue tidy and your vote counts honest.
Bulk Actions
To act on many questions at once, click Select to enter selection mode, then tap each question you want (or Select all visible). A bar appears at the bottom of the screen with bulk options: Approve, Mark answered, Reject, and Delete -- each applies to every selected question. Click Done or Cancel to leave selection mode.
Real-Time Updates
The host panel automatically polls the server every 4 seconds for new data (every 15 seconds when the browser tab is in the background). Changes made by the host are reflected immediately through optimistic UI updates -- the interface responds instantly without waiting for the server round trip.
Participant Count
The live participant count is displayed in the header, showing how many people are currently connected to the session. This count updates in real time as people join or leave.
Quick Navigation
The host panel header includes utility links to:
- Audience view (preview) -- Preview what your audience sees
- Audience screen settings -- Open the display settings (theme, font size, QR code, branding) for the projector view
- Open audience display -- Open the presentation display for projection
- Help & shortcuts -- View the icon legend, keyboard shortcuts, and swipe gestures
Next: Display Mode