Lobby: Threaded Replies & Basic Formatting Support

Lobby chat is a flat, linear feed with no text formatting. This limits usability for group discussions and communication.

Requested Features

1. Threaded Replies

   • Allow users to reply directly to a specific message.

   • Display replies collapsed under the parent message, expandable on click.

   • Show reply count and last activity timestamp.

   • Notifications (separate feature request recently submitted) should include replies to a user’s messages.

2. Basic Text Formatting

   • Line breaks: pressing “Enter” creates a new line without posting.

   • Paragraph separation: Shift+Enter or double line break supported.

   • Nice to have: Bold, italics, inline code (Markdown-style or similar).

   • Retain existing support for links.

3. Allow “@” Mentions

• Users can mention other users

• Nice to have: User can mention companies (sponsors/booth get notifications)

Benefits

• Prevents chat chaos by grouping discussions.

• Makes messages readable and professional.

• Improves Networking