Public chat threads (channels)
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Visibility: Messages are visible to any member with access to the channel. Some channels may be open to all, others may be restricted to certain groups (like moderators or specific user groups).
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Participation: Any member with access can participate in discussions.
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Use Case: Designed for group discussions, quick questions, live conversations, or informal chat.
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Privacy: Not private; all members in that channel can read and search the history (unless deleted according to retention settings).
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Threaded Conversations: Discourse offers threaded chat within channels, organizing replies neatly under the original message.
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Retention: Messages are typically short-lived (default is 90 days, customizable by admin).
Private chat (personal chats/direct messages)
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Visibility: Only the directly invited participants can view the messages. These are entirely private.
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Participation: Limited strictly to the people invited; you can have 1-on-1 or group DMs.
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Use Case: Used for private, confidential, or sensitive conversations one-on-one or within a small group.
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Privacy: Highly private; only invited users can read, search, or participate.
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Threaded Conversations: You can thread messages in private chat as you do in public channels
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Retention: By default, direct messages are retained indefinitely unless deleted by participants.
Key differences
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Public threads = open group chat; private chat = confidential DMs.
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Participants: Public threads allow many, controlled by channel membership; private chats are only for invited individuals/groups.
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Privacy: Public threads are visible to all channel members, private chat is totally restricted.
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Use Case: Public threads for open discussion; private chat for personal or small-group conversations.