Messages
Everything anyone sends you on Famlo arrives in one inbox. Announcements about an activity you registered for, replies from an organization, and messages from people you already talk to all land in the same list, newest first.
Open it from Messages in the account menu, from Messages in the bottom bar on a phone, or from the bell in the header. The bell and the tab both carry a count of what you have not read.
What lands in your inbox
Each row is one conversation, not one message.
- An activity you registered for. Announcements from the organization and your own questions about that activity share a single row, so the announcement and the reply it prompted read as one conversation.
- An organization. The thread that opens when you message an organization directly.
- A person. A one-to-one thread with someone you already correspond with.
- Notifications. Anything that told you something but has nobody to reply to is grouped into its own row.
A row shows who it is from, the most recent message, and how long ago. Unread rows are bold and carry a dot or a count.
Filter and search
Three filters sit under the header: All, Unread and Archived. All shows everything that is not archived.
To search, select the magnifying glass in the header. The box is labeled "Search by name, activity, or message" and matches on the row's name, the activity it belongs to, and the most recent message shown on it. Results respect the filter you are on.
Mark all read appears in the header only when you actually have something unread. Opening a row marks it read on its own.
Message an organization
Writing to an organization reaches the organization, not one person.
- Open the organization's page.
- Select Message.
- Type your message and send it.
Anyone on that organization's team with permission to answer messages can see the thread and reply. That is deliberate: your question does not go stale because one volunteer is away. Replies come back labeled with the organization's name rather than the name of whoever typed them.
The thread is not created until you send the first message, so opening the page and changing your mind leaves nothing behind.
Ask about an activity
An activity gets its own row in your inbox once there is something on it — an announcement from the organization, or a message from either side. Open that row and write in the box at the bottom. The placeholder reads "Ask a question…", and a line above it confirms who can see what you write: "Replies are private between you and" the organization's name.
Your reply stays attached to that activity, so the organization answers with the announcement in front of them.
If an activity has no row yet and you need to ask something now, use the Message button on the organization's page instead.
Select Show details at the top right of a thread to slide out a panel with the activity's date, place and what you booked, without leaving the conversation. It is available on wider screens.
Start a new conversation
- Select the compose button — the pencil icon in the inbox header.
- In the New Conversation box, type at least two characters of a name.
- Choose a result to open the thread.
Search finds organizations, and people you already have a thread with. It does not find families you have never spoken to, and it does not find individual staff members inside an organization. To reach an organization you have never contacted, use the Message button on its page.
Composing to the same person twice reopens the existing thread rather than starting a second one.
React to a message
Hover over a message — or focus it — and a small smiley appears beside it. Select it to open a palette of six reactions and pick one.
Your reaction shows as a chip under the message with a count. Select the chip again to take your reaction back. Chips show the count only, never who reacted.
Archive a thread
Archiving clears a row out of All without deleting anything.
- On a computer, hover over the row and select the archive button at its right edge.
- On a phone, swipe the row to the left.
Archived rows move to the Archived filter. The same control sits in the same place there and puts the row back.
Archiving is not permanent, and that is on purpose. If someone writes in an archived thread, the row returns to All so you do not miss it. Archive again once you are finished with it.
Health and medical details
Famlo will not accept a message that reads like a health record — a line such as "Allergies: peanuts" or "Medication - inhaler". Sending one is refused with an explanation rather than delivered.
Record that information in your family profile instead, where it is stored privately and shared only with the organizations that need it. See Your family profile.
Ordinary conversation is unaffected. You can ask an organizer whether a class is nut-free.
Troubleshooting
My message will not send and mentions health information. Your message contains something formatted like a medical or emergency field. Rephrase it as a sentence, or better, put the detail in your family profile and reference it.
A thread I archived is back in my inbox. Someone wrote in it. Archiving hides a quiet thread, not an active one.
I cannot find someone in the new conversation search. You can only search for organizations and for people you already have a thread with. Reach a new organization through the Message button on its page.
There is no box to type in. The conversation has been closed. You can still read everything in it.
I am not being told about new messages. Check your notification settings. Messages & followers is its own category there, with separate In-app and Email checkboxes. See Notifications.
I do not see an activity I registered for. A row appears once there is something on it. Until the organization announces something, there is nothing to show. Message the organization from its page if you need an answer before then.