# Live show questions and moderation

Collect live-show questions, reply privately or to everyone, and moderate attendee participation.

*Release 3.3 · operator, supervisor, visitor*

**Settings › Live Shows › Shows** · **Settings › Live Shows › Accounts**

## What it is

Live-show **Questions** collects attendee questions for hosts to handle. Hosts can mark a question as dealt with, dismiss it or send a private or public reply. They can also send show messages and block further questions from a viewer.

## Who uses it and why

- Operators and supervisors acting as hosts review questions and moderate participation.
- Advisors ask questions for their accompanied visitors when operator questions are allowed.
- Visitors submit questions when their attendance and the account policy permit it.

## Where to find it

With the **Live Shows** role, open the broadcast from **Settings › Live Shows › Shows**. Use **Questions**, **Answered** and **Participants** in the host console. Powerfront manages the question policy at **Settings › Live Shows › Accounts**.

## How it works

Eligible participants submit questions to the queue. Hosts see the queue; other participants see their own questions and questions that have received a public reply.

For a queued question, the host can:

- Select **Done** to mark it as already answered without sending a written reply.
- Select **Dismiss** to decline it, or use the undo icon on a dismissed or already-answered item to return it to the queue.
- Select **Click here to answer**, write a reply and choose **Privately** or **Everyone**.
- Edit the displayed question text before sending a reply.
- Select **Block** to stop that viewer asking further questions in the broadcast.

A private reply goes to the asker and hosts. A reply sent to **Everyone** shares the question and response with attendees. In **Participants**, hosts can use **Broadcast to Everyone** or send an individual attendee a private message.

Blocking also dismisses that viewer's unfinished questions. **Click to Unblock** restores participation, but does not automatically return those dismissed questions to the queue.

## Configure it

Ask Powerfront to set **Allow Operator Questions** and **Allow Attendee Questions** on the streaming account. Both are off unless enabled.

| Participant | When they can ask |
|---|---|
| Host | Hosts do not submit questions through this flow. |
| Advisor | **Allow Operator Questions** is on. |
| Viewer without an advisor | **Allow Attendee Questions** is on. |
| Viewer with an advisor | **Allow Attendee Questions** is on and **Allow Operator Questions** is off. |

Ad hoc shows created from Store Templates suppress questions regardless of these options. With the **Settings** role, give moderators **Live Shows** access and have them join the broadcast as hosts.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allow Operator Questions | Settings › Live Shows › Accounts › Questions | website | Off | Powerfront, on request | Allows advisors to ask questions and makes the advisor the question route for accompanied visitors. |
| Allow Attendee Questions | Settings › Live Shows › Accounts › Questions | website | Off | Powerfront, on request | Allows independent viewers to ask questions. Accompanied viewers can ask only when operator questions are off. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Live Shows | Host shows and use host question, reply, blocking and broadcast-message controls. |

## Limits and good to know

- Questions, replies and show messages are limited to 300 characters. Longer submitted text is shortened.
- Excess line breaks are flattened after the text reaches the line-break limit.
- Blocking applies to question participation in this broadcast. It is not the telephone blacklist or a general website block.
- Public and private replies have different audiences. Choose the intended reply action before sending.
- Unblocking does not undo the dismissal of earlier questions.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Live show broadcasting](RTC-023.md): Host, advisor and viewer roles determine question and moderation actions in a live broadcast.
- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): Live Shows access controls host management actions.
- **Configured in** [Live show setup and scheduling](RTC-022.md): Ad hoc shows created from Store Templates do not allow questions through this flow.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [Live show broadcasting](RTC-023.md): Questions and moderation use the participant's host, advisor or viewer role.
- **Enhances** [Live show recordings and publishing](RTC-027.md): Public answered questions and public messages can accompany replay.
- **Enhances** [Past show attendance and activity](RTC-028.md): Questions, replies and messages appear in the show report.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why can I not ask a question while hosting?

Hosts handle questions rather than submit them. Use the host message controls when you want to address attendees.

### Why can an advisor ask but their visitor cannot?

With **Allow Operator Questions** on, the advisor is the question route for accompanied viewers. The visitor cannot submit independently in that state.

### Can everyone see a private reply?

No. It is sent to the asker and remains available to hosts. Use **Everyone** for a public response.

### Why did pending questions disappear after I blocked a viewer?

Blocking dismisses that viewer's unfinished questions as well as preventing further submissions.

### Why did unblocking not restore those questions?

Unblocking restores participation only. Use the relevant undo control if you want to return a dismissed question to the queue.