In this article
The Live Discussion activity allows you to set up video meetings with participants in your study.
1: Setting up the Live Discussion Activity
To create a Live Discussion activity, select Activity Builder>Activities & Scheduling from the navigation menu. Open the New Activity drop-down menu on the right side of the page and select Live Discussion.
Give the Live Discussion activity a Name, and add Instructional Text to help the participants understand what to expect from the Live Discussion activity.
When you are finished with your changes, you can Preview, Save, or Save & Close.
2: Scheduling and Assigning Participants
To schedule a Live Discussion activity and assign participants, go to the Activities & Scheduling page (Activity Builder>Activities & Scheduling from the navigation menu).
Important: Participants can only be added to one upcoming Live Discussion activity at a time. Once the session is Completed, that participant can be assigned to a new upcoming Live Discussion session.
Drag the Live Discussion activity from the activity area and drop it on the day of the calendar that you want it to launch. You can add the Live Discussion activity to the calendar multiple times, which will create new live discussion sessions.
Then customize the activity with the following options:
1. Post this activity at: The time that the Live Discussion activity will start.
2. Time Zone: The timezone for the Live Discussion activity.
3. Duration: Select 1 Hour or 2 Hours. The actual duration can be shorter than the duration selected, but cannot be longer than the selected duration.
4. Select moderators...: Select from your project's list of researchers. A moderator can be chosen multiple times for multiple instances of the Live Discussion activity.
Note: Observers in your Digital Diaries project can join and access all scheduled Live Discussion sessions.
5. Select participants...: Select from your project's list of participants. A participant can only be assigned to a single upcoming Live Discussion session per project. Participants can only be removed from a Live Discussion activity before the session start time. Participants from multiple segments can be scheduled for the same Live Discussion session, which allows you to conduct focus groups with people from all groups in your project.
3: Updating the Live Discussion Activity
There are many reasons why you may need to update the Live Discussion activity. Perhaps you need to change the start time or the timezone of the activity. Maybe you need to add another participant, or reassign one or more participants to a different session. You can even change the assigned moderator when you update a Live Discussion activity.
3.1: Changing the Timing
Click the activity in the calendar on the Activities & Scheduling page.
To change the start time, use the Post this activity at drop-down menus . Select Update when you are finished making all changes.
To change the timezone, use the Time Zone drop-down menu . Select Update when you are finished making all changes.
To change the scheduled length, use the Duration drop-down menu . Select Update when you are finished making all changes.
3.2: Reassigning Participants / Moderators
Important: Participants can only be added to one upcoming Live Discussion session at a time. Once the session is Completed, that participant can be assigned to a new upcoming Live Discussion session.
If the session time has not yet started, you can change the moderator or reassign/add a participant.
3.2.1: Reassign Participants
To add or reassign participants, click the activity in the calendar on the Activities & Scheduling page. Select Update participants....
To add a participant to the session, select the participant's name and click Done. Click Update when you are finished making all changes.
To reassign a participant, deselect the participant from the list and click Done. Click Update when you are finished making all changes. You can then reassign the participant to a different upcoming session. (If there is only one participant in the activity, you will need to add a new participant to the activity or Unpost the activity instead.)
3.2.2: Reassign Moderators
To reassign moderators, click the activity in the calendar on the Activities & Scheduling page. Select Update moderators.... Deselect the researcher from the list and select a new researcher. Then click Done. Click Update when you are finished making all changes.
4: Removing a Live Discussion Activity
If the session time has already passed and the session was never started by the moderator using the Live Discussion Sessions page, you can Unpost the activity on the Activities & Scheduling page. This allows you to reassign the participant(s) to a new upcoming session. Participants will receive a cancellation email for the original date and time if you unpost the activity or reassign them to a new activity.
Important: If the session was started/ended by a moderator using the Live Discussion Sessions page, you will not be able reassign the participant to a new session.
5: Learn More
Moderating a Live Discussion Activity (Moderator view)
Observing a Live Discussion Activity (Observer view)
Participating in a Live Discussion Activity (Web Browser) (Participant view--web version)
Visit the Forsta Discussion knowledgebase to learn more about the Live Discussion platform: https://forstadiscussions.zendesk.com/hc/en-us