By SideQuest · Practical meeting guides
Which SideQuest room mode should I choose?
Use an available Collaborative room when signed-in participants should work together with shared Q. Use an available Interview room when the host and invited interviewers need private Team Q while admitted guests speak or viewers watch. Broadcast is built locally but not released. A dedicated Client mode with configurable shared-Q permissions, plus Workshops, Office hours, and Moderated webinars, are planned rather than available room choices.
Compare access before sending invitations
Decide who needs to speak, who should see the AI conversation, and how each person will enter. Collaborative and Interview are available. The Broadcast rows describe an unreleased local preview. Q in Interview and Broadcast is text-only; their private channels are shared by the invited team.
| Role | Enter | Speak & message | Q | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative member | Sign in + room invite | Speak; room read/write | Shared room Q | Retained shared conversation |
| Interview interviewer | Sign in + team invite | Speak; room read/write | Private Team Q | Prior Team Q + retained human feed |
| Interview guest | No account; host admission | Speak; room read/write | None | Retained human feed after admission |
| Interview viewer | No account; host admission | Watch; room read only | None | Retained human feed after admission |
| Broadcast presenter (unreleased) | Sign in + presenter invite | Stage media; backstage read/write | Private Presenter Q | Retained private presenter conversation |
| Broadcast public viewer (unreleased) | No account; host goes live | Watch only | None | Stage only; no text or archive |
Available: Collaborative for people working together
Choose Collaborative for a product decision, a client proposal review, or a conversation with a customer who can sign in. Participants work in the same room and can use shared Q. The AI discussion is part of that shared setting; it is not a private interviewer channel.
A useful starter is: “We are choosing between a shorter setup flow and an activity feed. Help us compare what each would teach us.” Talk through the options with the people present, check Q’s contribution, and agree on one small next step. Personal research results stay in your workspace until you choose to share a copy with the room.
Available: Interview for a guest conversation with private team AI
Choose Interview when a host and invited colleagues need a private, team-shared AI conversation while talking with a guest. The host and interviewers sign in. Guests and viewers can enroll without accounts through their respective invitations, then wait for the host to admit them.
A guest can speak, use camera or screen sharing, and send room messages after admission. A viewer watches, listens, and reads, without sending messages or publishing media. Neither gets Team Q. Inviting an interviewer deliberately grants access to existing Team Q history; company membership or a matching email domain does not do that.
Ask Team Q for a focused follow-up: “Which part of this workflow is still unclear?” Explain optional transcription separately from the call. Interview does not record calls or provide public viewing.
Built, not released: Broadcast for a watch-only public audience
Broadcast’s local implementation separates signed-in presenters from public viewers. The host would explicitly go live; enabled presenter media would become public while Presenter Q and backstage text stay private. Viewers would not need accounts, but they could not send chat, ask audience questions, or become speakers.
Provider checks with synthetic participants have passed, while deployed end-to-end delivery, production closure operations, and audience load remain unverified. The 256-viewer-session limit counts total enrollments, not tested concurrent viewers. Its eight-hour lifetime begins at creation, including preparation. This preview is not ready for a production event.
Planned: more specific client and group formats
These proposed formats are planned, not available choices or commitments to a release date:
- Client: in development, not released. Proposed host-granted Shared Q would use room-shared context, exclude organization-private sources, and start a new conversation when its audience changes. Private Team Q would remain separate.
- Workshops: breakout groups with their own group Q, followed by selected results shared back to the main room.
- Office hours: a visitor queue with private, one-at-a-time conversations.
- Moderated webinars: audience questions, raised hands, and temporary promotion to speaker under moderator control.
Run a short rehearsal with the intended roles
Before the real conversation, try the invitation flow with the intended roles. Check what each person can see, decide whether to use transcription, and check the screen you intend to share.
Interview’s type is fixed at creation; it cannot become a Collaborative room. If the audience or AI boundary changes, start the appropriate new room and send fresh invitations.
Common questions
Is a company workspace another room mode?
No. Company membership and branding are separate from a room’s audience rules. Company rooms can use a name, initials, and color, but joining a company does not automatically grant access to an existing interview or presenter team.
Which option is available for a client call today?
Use Collaborative when the signed-in client should participate in shared Q. Use Interview for an admitted guest conversation with private team AI. The dedicated Client permission controls remain planned.