Gather - Town Gather - Town Knowledge Base PDF Knowledge Base PDF

Gather.
Town
Knowledge Base PDF
Created on: 03/05/2021 11:53 am
EST
Table of Contents
Getting Started ............................................................................................................................... 6
Gather 101 ................................................................................................................................ 6
Setting or Changing your Name ........................................................................................... 6
How to View and Navigate Your Video Calls ......................................................................... 9
Video and Audio Settings Introduction ............................................................................... 11
Browser Settings and Permissions ...................................................................................... 14
Messaging .......................................................................................................................... 15
Status Messages ................................................................................................................. 17
Blocking users .................................................................................................................... 19
Gather 102 .............................................................................................................................. 22
User Roles .......................................................................................................................... 22
Screen Sharing ................................................................................................................... 24
Spotlighting ........................................................................................................................ 30
Dancing! ............................................................................................................................. 32
Ghost Mode ........................................................................................................................ 33
iCal Calendar Integration .................................................................................................... 34
Audio and Video Troubleshooting ....................................................................................... 36
I can't unmute my audio or video! ..................................................................................... 36
I still can't unmute my audio or video after checking my browser settings (Apple or Mac)
..................................................................................................................................... 45
Still can't unmute after checking my bowser AND system settings! .................................. 48
I can see myself but can't see or hear anyone else! .......................................................... 49
Why won't Gather work through my VPN? .......................................................................... 50
Hearing Unexpected Voices in your Gather Space ............................................................. 51
Mapmaker ...................................................................................................................................... 52
Objects ..................................................................................................................................... 52
Objects 101 ........................................................................................................................ 52
Activation Distance ............................................................................................................ 54
Embedded Websites ........................................................................................................... 56
Embedded Images .............................................................................................................. 57
Embedded Videos ............................................................................................................... 60
External Call / Zoom Call Integration .................................................................................. 62
Note Objects ....................................................................................................................... 64
Embedding a PDF ............................................................................................................... 65
Embedding a PowerPoint .................................................................................................... 66
Embedding Office 365 Documents in Gather ..................................................................... 68
Tiles .......................................................................................................................................... 69
What are Tiles? ................................................................................................................... 69
Private Areas ...................................................................................................................... 71
Spotlight Tiles ..................................................................................................................... 74
Spawn Tiles ........................................................................................................................ 76
Portal Tiles .......................................................................................................................... 78
Custom Maps .......................................................................................................................... 81
Custom Map Troubleshooting ....................................................................................... 81
Copyright Gather Presence Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

Gather Public Tile Sheet ..................................................................................................... 81
Common Mapmaker Questions ............................................................................................ 82
Can I change the Name of My Space? ................................................................................ 82
I can't get Google Sites or Google Drive to embed! ........................................................... 83
What are the Object Limits? ............................................................................................... 84
How do I embed a Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation? ........................................... 85
How do I embed a Miro Board? ........................................................................................... 87
How do I upload a PDF? ...................................................................................................... 88
My video shows a picture of a play button and won't play! ................................................ 89
How do I delete one object on a stack of objects? .............................................................. 90
How do I get Synced TVs to work? ..................................................................................... 91
How do I get Live Streams to work? ................................................................................... 93
How do I point to something on my poster? ....................................................................... 94
Why does this site show "Refused to connect"? ................................................................. 95
Copying a Room or Space ......................................................................................................... 96
Old Mapmaker ........................................................................................................................... 99
Account and Billing ..................................................................................................................... 103
Your Account ........................................................................................................................ 103
Signing In to Gather ......................................................................................................... 103
Signing Out of Gather ....................................................................................................... 106
Reservations and Space Management ............................................................................. 107
Premium Dashboard ......................................................................................................... 107
Setting Up My Reservation ............................................................................................... 109
Monthly Subscription vs. One-Month Purchase ................................................................. 112
Cancel or Edit a Reservation or Subscription .................................................................... 113
Moderator Settings ........................................................................................................... 115
Space Access Permissions ................................................................................................ 116
Deleting a Space .............................................................................................................. 117
Common Space and Reservation Questions ..................................................................... 118
Common Reservation and Space Questions .................................................................... 119
What if I have less than the expected number of attendees? .......................................... 119
How do I Increase Space Capacity? .................................................................................. 120
Where's My Receipt? ........................................................................................................ 121
What happens to my space after my reservation is over? ............................................... 122
Can I Upgrade My Space While My Reservation is Happening? ........................................ 123
What happens if I reach my Space's Capacity? ................................................................ 124
I made a reservation but my Space is still listed as Basic! ............................................... 125
I deleted my Space, why is it still listed in my Recent Spaces? ........................................ 126
Can I Rename My Space? ................................................................................................. 127
Can I upgrade my space multiple times? ......................................................................... 128
Common Pricing Questions ................................................................................................ 129
How much does it cost? .................................................................................................... 129
Do I only pay for the number of users over 25? ............................................................... 130
What if I only have a 1 or 3 hour event? ........................................................................... 131
What is the difference between Free and Premium Spaces? ............................................ 132
How do I upgrade to a Premium Space? ........................................................................... 133
Do you offer Flexible Pricing? Or let us pay after the fact? ............................................... 134

Will I be charged if more than 25 people enter my Free Space? ...................................... 135
Privacy, Security, and Terms of Use ........................................................................................ 136
Space Access Permissions .................................................................................................. 136
Password Protection ......................................................................................................... 136
Guestlist Only Access ....................................................................................................... 138
Domain Access ................................................................................................................. 142
Moderator Settings .............................................................................................................. 143
Persistent Chat History ..................................................................................................... 143
Banning ............................................................................................................................ 144
Disable Screensharing ...................................................................................................... 145
Disable Chat ..................................................................................................................... 146
Temporarily Shut Down Space ......................................................................................... 147
Data Protection and Encryption ........................................................................................ 148
Are you GDPR Compliant? ................................................................................................ 148
Privacy Policy ................................................................................................................... 149
DPAs and SLAs ................................................................................................................. 150
Document Security and Usage Rights .............................................................................. 151
Deleting User Data ........................................................................................................... 152
Data Encryption ................................................................................................................ 153
Terms of Use ........................................................................................................................... 154
Common Privacy and Security Questions ........................................................................ 155
Can my kids or children use Gather? ................................................................................ 155
How do I unblock Gather on my personal or company firewall? ....................................... 156
Does Gather Record My screen? ...................................................................................... 157
Troubleshooting and FAQ .......................................................................................................... 158
Common Audio and Video Questions ................................................................................ 158
Common Space and Reservation Questions .................................................................... 158
Common Mapmaker Questions .......................................................................................... 158
Common Privacy and Security Questions ........................................................................ 158
Common Pricing Questions ................................................................................................ 158
Emerging Issues ................................................................................................................... 158
January 2021: Spectrum Wireless Issues .......................................................................... 158
When I enter the Space, all I see is a black background! ........................................................ 159
What is the font you use in your demo spaces? ...................................................................... 160
How do I use a Virtual Background? ........................................................................................ 161
How do I close the side panel? ................................................................................................ 162
Additional Resources ................................................................................................................. 163
Feedback & Feature Requests ........................................................................................... 163
Mobile Support ................................................................................................................. 163
Adding Music or a DJ ......................................................................................................... 164
How to Make a Feature Request ....................................................................................... 165
Can I Import My Own Avatar? ........................................................................................... 166
API Integration ......................................................................................................................... 167

Setting or Changing your Name
Last Modified on 02/26/2021 12:14 pm EST
You set your name in the preview screen when you first enter a Gather Space. The name you enter is tied to the Space.
This means you can have a different default name for every Space that you enter. You can always change your name on
a Space by Space basis. If you have created an account, you can set a default name that will automatically be used when
you enter a new space.
When you first use Gather, you will be asked to enter your name and choose
your avatar. You will see this screen again if you need to edit your character.
Whenever you return to Gather or visit other Gather Spaces, you can always change your name by clicking "Edit
Character" which will take you to the dialogue box shown above.

You can change the name you set for yourself for the Space by clicking "Edit
Character."
Changing Your Name After Entering Space

If you're already in a Gather space, go to the control panel at the center bottom of your screen and click on you name to
open your User Options.
Click your name at the bottom of the screen to open you User
Options
Click "Edit" near the top of the new window that pops up. That will open your User Settings where you have the option
to change your name and microphone/webcam/speakers.

To change your name, click the "Edit" button next to it.
Your name will be automatically edited and changed dynamically as you type into this box. You can close the menu once
you have entered in your desired name. There is no need to click a save button.
Enter your desired name in the box at the top of your User Settings

How to View and Navigate Your Video Calls
In Gather, when your avatar approaches others, a video call automatically starts between you and the people you
approach. All videos will initially appear at the top of your screen. In an open area, you will be connected to everyone
within 5 tiles unless you activate Quiet Mode. When you are in a Private Area, you will be connected to everyone who is
also inside of the private area.
When there are multiple participants in one gathering, a select number of video call windows will be shown at the top of
your screen. The number of video participants shown depends on the size of your browsing window and resolution of
your screen.
Video Carousel
You can scroll between the videos manually by clicking the arrows to the left and right of the videos shown. This is
called the "video carousel".
You can navigate through your video carousel by clicking the arrows on either side of your screen.
Grid View
To increase the number of videos visible to you or to enlarge the videos you are currently seeing, you can enter Grid
View. Grid View will display up to 9 videos in a grid format at the same time with their names and avatars visible. To exit
Grid View, click button in the upper right of your screen with the arrows pointing towards each other.

When you are in Grid View, you can collapse back to the regular Video Carousel by clicking the button in the upper right corner of the
screen.
Video Prioritization
When someone first joins your an on-going group conversation, they will appear at the end of your video carousel.
Whenever they speak, their video will be brought to the front of your carousel if they aren't already visible on your
screen. This helps sort the videos you see such that the most active contributors to a conversation will automatically be
brought to the front of your carousel.

Video and Audio Settings Introduction
Gather Settings
Every time you enter a Gather space, you will be asked to select your input devices (microphone and camera).
A screenshot of the input selection window that appears when you enter a gather space. The camera is set to 'OBS
Virtual Camera' in the example, and the microphone is set to (HD Webcam 270). Your hardware settings will be
different. There is a 'Join the Gathering!' button at the bottom of the window.
To change settings inside Gather, click on the cog on the left side bar to open your Space settings. In the upper left
corner of that window, click 'User' to see user settings.

A screenshot of the options window, which you can open by clicking the gear icon, which is the first / top most option in the
left side menu bar. In the window, there are two tabs for User and Space. User is selected, and the information below
relates to the what is in the User options.
Several fields are relevant here:
Switch Inputs
This allows you to select which webcam and microphone to use for audio and video.
If you do not see your camera and microphone in the drop down menu, you may need to change your browser settings
and permissions.
Smooth Movement
This is a feature that allows your avatar (and background) to transition smoothly from tile to tile as you move through
your Spaces. With this turned off, your character and map will jump from tile to tile as you move through space.
As smooth movement may put additional strain on your machine and impact performance, we have offered the option
to turn this off.
Auto Idle Muting

Auto idle muting will trigger whenever you are tabbed away and not connected to others. This means that in an office
environment, if you're sitting in a desk next to your auto-muted coworker, tabbing away will also turn off your camera
to maximize your privacy. When you return to your Gather browser tab, you will automatically be unmuted and your
camera will turn back on.
The first time you tab away from your Gather tab, you will see this message when you return:

A screenshot of the Gather auto muting alert window
If you disable this in your user settings, you will always have your camera and microphone on, even when you are
tabbed away from Gather.
When you are inside of an iframe and not connected to others, you may also experience being automatically
muted. This is due to the iframe being in "focus" as opposed to the Gather Application itself which has a similar
effect to being tabbed away. When you close the embedded object or click on the sidebar to put gather back into
focus, Gather should automatically unmute you.
Use HD Video Quality

By default, you will always see an HD Quality video if you are connected to only one person (if they are transmitting an
HD video stream). When others join your conversation, your video quality will automatically switch to standard quality
to help with general performance. You can instead change your settings to always make all videos HD whenever
possible in your user settings.
This will make your computer work harder to show videos, and take up more of your network, but the video quality will
improve significantly!

Browser Settings and Permissions
Gather must request permission to use your mic and camera from the web browser. Right now, Gather is supported on
Chrome, Firefox, and Desktop Safari (in Beta). Here's how to check your browser and system settings to make sure you
have a smooth experience in Gather.
To work properly, Gather should be Allowed access to the microphone and camera.

Messaging
Users can send and view messages in the Chat Panel, located above the participants tab, second from the bottom on the
left of your screen. Here, you can view past messages, as well as send messages of your own.
You can access the messaging system by clicking the chat bubbles icon in the bottom left of the screen
There, you can send messages to three different kinds of recipients, which you can toggle using the options located in
the drop box at the bottom of the Chat Panel.
These options allow you to send a message to:
1. Everyone - Your message will appear in the chat panel for every user in the space.
2. Nearby - Your message will appear in the chat panel for every user that you are currently video chatting with.
This could be whoever is standing within your interaction distance, or whoever you are in a private space with.
3. Individuals - The remaining options will display the names of other users in the room. You can scroll through this
to select a user to send a private message to. You can also click on a users name in the chat history to make them
the recipient of your next message.

A screenshot with examples of messages to everyone, nearby, and
private messages.
You can also click on a person's name in the chat panel to automatically start private messaging them.
Note that you can only send private messages to users that are currently online and in the Space with you.

Status Messages
You can set status messages for others to see in the Participants pane! To edit or set a status message, click on your
name in the control panel at the center of the bottom of your screen.
Edit your status by clicking your name at the

bottom of the screen
Text Statuses are displayed under each users name in the Participants Tab. The set emoji will appear to the right of
your name. To have an emoji appear below your name, include it in the status text box. (Press windows key+. (period) to
open the emoji panel on a Windows Machine).
Status messages will appear in the Participates Pane

under your name
All of your past status messages will be saved so you can easily search and reselect old status messages! They are listed
in the order that you first used them, not necessarily based on what was most recently used

You can search your past status messages to easily
reuse them!

Blocking users
Blocks are done by account and can be undone if needed. This is very different thanBanning a User which is done by IP
and cannot be undone. Blocking a user will disable all communication between you and the other person, but not for
anyone else in the space. Other Participants will still be able to see and hear both of you, and you will still be able to see
that user's avatar in the space.
How to block a user:
1. Hover your mouse over their video feed.

2. Click the circle with the cross through it.
3. Click the "Confirm Block" button that appears on their video feed.
A screenshot of the video window when you hover your mouse over to display
the "block" button.
A screenshot of what you will see after clicking the "block" button asking you
to confirm that you want to block that person.

A screenshot of the transparent window you will see when you have blocked
someone.
To unblock a user follow steps 1 and 2 above.
After you block a user a space will still show where their video will be, but it will appear to be transparent for you. They
will not be notified that they have been blocked and for them your video will show as a black box which looks similar to
if you turned off their audio and video.
You can also block someone from the participants list.

A screenshot of how to access the block feature from the participants list.

User Roles
There are 4 levels of User Roles inside of your Space:
Owners have full controls of this space, including the roles below.
Moderators have all controls in the Space Preferences and Space Access tab, and can also add other moderators.
Builders are allowed to modify the maps of this space.
Visitors are the default role for anyone who enters your space. Visitors have no special permissions
By default, when you create a space, you are automatically added to all of the role types.
Note: Moderators do not have the same permissions as Builders and vice-versa. If you would like someone to have
both moderator and builder privileges, you will need to add them to both lists.
You can add someone to a role inside of your Space through your Premium Dashboard or, if you are inside of your space,
through your Space Settings by clicking the gear icon on the left side panel, under the "User Roles" category as shown
below:
You can grant roles to others through your Space Settings under the User Roles Category
If you can an error saying their emails are not recognized, that means they have not created an account with gather
yet. Please ask them to head to https://gather.town/app to sign up. Once they have logged in, you will be able to

Once users are added, your settings menu will look like this:
Your Space Settings will list all users who are added under different roles with large "Remove" buttons next
to each user
Although Moderators do have have the capabilities of Builders, they can add other Builders including themselves.
Builders can add other builders, but they cannot add other moderators.
Owners can remove other Owners and Moderators can remove Other Moderators, and so on and so forth. So be
careful when you grant others User Roles in your Spaces.

Screen Sharing
You can share your screen with all of the people you are connected to on Gather.
Troubleshooting Screen Sharing

If you are having trouble sharing your screen on Gather, start by checking your browser's permissions. If Gather does
not have permission within your browser, you may not be able to share, or may only be able to share a blank black
screen. If your browser does not have permission within your system, similar issues may occur.
Browser Permissions
Chrome
In Chrome, whenever you screen share, Chrome will prompt you to select what to share.
This is a screenshot of Chrome screen sharing permissions window. The options along
the top row are for sharing Your Entire Screen, the Application Window, or a single
Chrome Tab.
Firefox
In Firefox, you can click the lock on the left side of the address bar to check which permissions your browser has.

Firefox will also prompt you for Screen Sharing; you must click the drop down window and 'Allow' Firefox to share
what you select.
A screenshot of Firefox's screen sharing permission dialogue box.

There is a dropdown menu in the middle of the box with a list of
things you can share.
Safari (Desktop Beta)

When you click the 'screen share' button in Gather.Town, Safari will prompt you to allow access.
User prompt from Safari, which reads

'Allow gather.town to observe your
screen?' with three options, Allow,
Never for This Website, and Don't Allow
Clicking 'Allow' will let you screen share for that session. If you accidentally clicked 'Don't Allow', refresh the page to be
prompted again.
If you accidentally clicked 'Never for This Website', or if you want to have Safari automatically authorize Gather, open
your Safari preferences and click 'Websites'.

Safari's preferences window, with the 'Websites' tab selected. On the left is a list of available permissions, Screen Sharing is
selected. On the right is a list of currently open websites. Gather.town is one of them, and the permission is set to 'Ask'.
On the left, select 'Screen Sharing'. On the right, you can grant Gather access by clicking the drop down window and
making sure it says 'Ask'.
You will be prompted every time you wish to screen share in Gather; there is no option to automatically authorize a
website for screen sharing.
System Permissions
On a Mac , you may need to enable screen sharing or screen recording through your Apple security and privacy
settings.

1. Open up your Apple System Preferences by clicking on the icon in the upper left corner of
your screen.
2. Select your Apple Security and Privacy Settings

3. Selecting "Screen Recording" from the left side menu and clicking the box next to Chrome or Firefox.
Note: You may need to click the lock on the bottom left corner and enter your password to make changes.

4. Quit and restart your browser to enable the new screen share settings to take effect.

Spotlighting
Being spotlighted means having your video an audio broadcasted to everyone in the same room. Spotlight broadcasts
override private area connection limits. This means that you will still receive a spotlighted video broadcast even if you
are in a private area. Attendees in private areas, playing games, or interacting with objects will still be able to hear the
spotlighted speaker.
When you are spotlighted, you will be able to see up to 100 other users in the same room, however, their audio will be
muted for you unless they are in the typical connection range to see and interact with you. This is to avoid confusion as
the users you can see when you are spotlighted are not necessarily connected to each other and may not be able to
hear each other speak.
The 100 users you are able to see when spotlighted are currently randomly selected if there are more than 100 users in
the room you are broadcasting to.
More than one participant can be 'spotlighted' at once by either . We recommend that the number of spotlighted
individuals stay under 20. but participants cannot 'stack' on the same tile without entering ghost mode (holding g to
walk through people). Otherwise, you can have the moderators manually spotlight multiple speakers at once.
Either you can create as many spotlight tiles in the room as you would like people able to spotlight or you can have a
moderator 'spotlight' each participant by right clicking their name in the participant list and clicking 'Spotlight'.
Manual Spotlighting using Moderator Controls within your Gather Space
Below are examples of what the spotlight looks like in action:

Ethan is Spotlighted on the Right. You can see the global icon on the top right of his video display to
distinguish that he is the one spotlighted.
Example of spotlighting yourself, and the 'spotlight' text showing up at the top of your personal
video display in the bottom right corner.
When you are the individual spotlighted, you will be able to view up to 100 participants in the current room through
your video carousal at the top. However, regular attendees can only see the videos of the people in their current
conversation interaction distance/private areas.

Dancing!
You can make your Avatar dance by pressing "Z" on your keyboard.
You will get a heart over your head

when you hold the Z key to dance!

Ghost Mode
If you are 'blocked in' by other people, you can use ghost mode to pass through them by holding down the "G" key on
your keyboard as you move. This allows you to pass through tiles that are occupied by other people. Consequently, this
means you can use Ghost Mode to have multiple people 'stack up' on the same tile.

iCal Calendar Integration
To display the events from a specific calendar inside of your Space, paste the public iCal link under the Calendar
heading in your Space's Settings inside of the Space Preferences and click the "Save"
You must click the Save button after you paste your iCal link into the calendar field inside of your Space Settings.
Anyone who enters your Space will see the events listed on the calendar when they open the Calendar Panel on the left
side.

Example of what an event will look like in the side Calendar Panel
Note: Only publicly listed events from the current day on a public facing calendar will be displayed.
Unfortunately, the calendar integration is something we have not been able to dedicate as much time to as it deserves -
and as such, there are several known issues such as:
Events with titles longer than 15 characters don't scroll correctly, so event titles can be truncated.
Events do not show time zones.
Sometimes all events are shown with the same start time.
Sometimes start times will appear in the wrong time zone.
We apologize for any issues or confusion this might have caused, but we are working to improve the calendar feature
because we know how important and useful that can be in certain situations. Updating and improving the calendar's
functionality is on our medium-long-term priority list. You can keep an eye on our changelog for more information
about those and other changes.

I can't unmute my audio or video!
If you dismiss or block the initial mic/camera permission pop-up window, you may see a message stating that "Gather
needs your permission to access your Camera/Microphone..."
The warning you will see when your browser has blocked Gather from accessing either your camera and/or microphone.
You may close this warning, but if you do not change your settings, others may not be able to see or hear you inside
of Gather.
Here is how to find your browser settings and grant Gather access to your camera and Microphone.
Chrome Settings
When you first enter Gather, you will see a pop-ups asking for camera and microphone access permissions. Click
"Allow" in order to provide the best experience in Gather.

The pop-up asking for your camera and microphones permission will appear on the upper left side of your browser. Click Allow to
continue.
If you accidently blocked Gather from accessing your camera or microphone, you will see a camera icon in the upper
right of your site address bar with a red "x" to indicate that you have denied the site access. You can click on this to
change your preferences.

If you accidently blocked camera or microphone permissions, you can click the icon in the upper right to see what you have blocked
and adjust your permissions.
After selecting the radio button to allow Gather access to your camera and microphone, you will need to refresh the
page for the changes to go into effect.
After allowing access to your camera and microphone, you may

need to refresh your page before changes will go into effect.
You can always check or change your permission settings by clicking the lock icon in the upper left of your site address

bar.
Privacy and Security settings for each webpage you visit are easily accessed on the left side of your site address bar.
Firefox Settings
When you first enter Gather, you will see a pop-ups asking for camera and microphone access permissions. Click
"Allow" in order to provide the best experience in Gather.

A pop-up asking for camera and microphone permissions will appear on the upper left of your screen when you first use Gather.
If you accidently blocked Gather from accessing your camera or microphone, you will see a camera and/or microphone
icon in the upper left of your site address bar with a grey slash through it to indicate that you have denied the site
access. You can click on this to change your preferences.

If you have denied Gather access to either your camera or microphone, it will show you icons with a grey slash through the camera
and/or microphone icon.
To remove the blocked permissions and allow Gather access to your camera and microphone, click on your site privacy
and security settings by clicking the lock icon on the left site of your site address bar and then clicking the "x" next to
each blocked permission. Refresh your page.

Click the "X" next to each blocked permission inside of your site privacy settings located on the left side of your site address bar.
Once all permissions have been granted, you can always check or change your settings by clicking on the lock icon in the
left side of your site address bar. Your site security settings should look something like this:
Site settings with both camera and microphone permissions temporarily

allowed.
If you get this message instead, you need to refresh the page.

Site settings after canceling blocked permissions but not yet refreshing.
Desktop Safari (Beta)

Safari will prompt you for camera and microphone permissions when you first log into a space.
A screenshot of Safari's permissions

prompt. It says "Allow "gather.town" to
use your microphone? You can change
this setting in Safari Websites
preferences." There are three options:
Allow, Never for This Website, and Don't
Allow.
Safari will prompt you twice for camera and microphone permissions when you first log into a space. Click 'Allow' to
permit Gather to use your microphone, and to use your camera.
If you accidentally click 'Don't Allow', refresh the page and try again.

If you accidentally click 'Never for This Website', you can change this setting in your Safari Preferences.
In Safari Preferences, open the 'Websites' tab and scroll down on the left side bar until you see 'Camera' and
'Microphone'.
Safari preferences window, with the 'Websites' tab highlighted. In the list of permissions, Microphone is selected. In the list of
websites, gather.town is selected, and the drop down menu is set to 'Allow'.
Click into each one of these and find gather.town on the list of websites to the right, then set the drop down menu to
'Allow' (or 'Ask', if you wish to be prompted every time).

I still can't unmute my audio or video after
checking my browser settings (Apple or Mac)
You might get stuck with a screen saying "Awaiting Audio and Video Permissions" if you dismiss or block the initial
mic/camera permission pop-up window or if you have not previously enabled security permissions for your browser on
a Macbook or Apple computer inside of your Apple Privacy and Security Settings.
To access these settings, open System Preferences and select Security and Privacy.
Open your Apple System Preferences by click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.

From your system preferences, select and open your Security and Privacy settings.
Enable permissions for both your camera and microphone for the browser you are
using.

In the menu on the left side, find and select 'Camera' and 'Microphone' and check the box on the right to enable
permissions for your web browser to use your camera and microphone.
You might need to click the padlock in the bottom left corner to allow changes to your system preferences.

Still can't unmute after checking my bowser
AND system settings!
The biggest culprit of this error is another app capturing your camera, and preventing other apps from accessing it. This
happens especially often if you are using other video calling tools like Zoom or video effects programs like OBS or Snap
Camera. To fix this, double check that all of the other applications that use your camera or microphone or closed.
Additionally, check your other browser tabs to make sure there aren't other instances of Gather or another website
using your camera or microphone.

I can see myself but can't see or hear anyone
else!
If you have any extensions blocking autoplay permissions, or blocking WebRTC make sure these are disabled (These
may have been installed this to prevent your IP from getting leaked).
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

Why won't Gather work through my VPN?
Because of the nature of the server infrastructure of virtual private network (VPN), Gather is unable to properly
function on some kinds of VPNs, campus networks, or corporate networks. If you're in such a situation, you can try:
disabling your VPN

visiting your VPN provider's support website and trying different connection options
changing your connection to a different server or network if your VPN will allow you to do so
asking your network administrator to unblock Gather.

Hearing Unexpected Voices in your Gather Space
If you hear a voice announcing "TRIAL MODE" or similar in your Gather space, check for any participants using audio or
video programs or plugins such as OBS or 'e2esoft ivcam'.
Gather cannot make sounds in your browser aside from the chat notification, and will not announce whether your
space is free or paid.

Objects 101
This article offers a summary of what object types are with links to find out more about each individual object type. You
can also watch the following Video for a quick overview of objects and a walkthrough of the Object Picker:
Objects are the images that appear inside of your Space, on top of your Space's background image. They can be
uploaded as custom object images, or selected from the large variety of pre-generated objects inside of our Object
Picker. Objects can be almost any size, but are often scaled to match your avatar's size and can be moved, edited, and
deleted without affecting the main background image. There are 2 primary categories of objects:
Decorative Objects - Purely aesthetic with no interaction (Does not count towards Object Limit)
Interactive Objects - Can be activated when your avatar is near the object
Only Interactive Objects are counted towards your object limit when selecting the Town or City plans for upgraded
Space Reservations. Non-interactable objects such as chairs, tables, and other custom uploaded objects that are purely
decorative will not count toward your limit.
It is possible to turn a chair, table, or other traditionally Decorative Object into an Interactive Object. Once an
interactive effect is placed on an object, it becomes an Interactive Object, regardless of what the image originally
was.
Interactive Objects
Interactive Objects are further broken down into 2 categories:
Basic Interactive Objects - View images or text uploaded to Gather

Advanced Interactive Objects - View or open a link external to Gather + Spotlight Tiles

The Town price allows 10 Basic Interactive Objects and 3 Advanced Interactive Objects, whereas the City plan allows
50 Basic Interactive Objects and 10 Advanced Interactive Objects. There is no limit on Interactive Objects on either
the Free or Metropolis plans.
Basic Interactive Objects

Embedded Image - Upload an image (.png, .jpeg, .gif) to display inside a Gather iframe.
Note Object - Display typed text or provide text links for users to open in a new window.
Advanced Interactive Objects

Embedded Video - link to any embeddable video or live stream to display inside a Gather iframe.
Embedded Website - link to any embeddable website to display inside a Gather iframe.
External Call / Zoom Call Integration - link to an external call (Zoom, Webex, Teams, etc.). Call will open in new window
and auto-mute your Gather browser tab.
Spotlight Tiles - Allows the user standing on this tile type to broadcast their video and audio to everyone in the Room

Activation Distance
The activation distance is the number of tiles away from which you can interact with an Interactive Object. This
distance includes all diagonals and is measured starting from the outermost edge of all of the tiles the object image is
contained within.
This Document takes up 1 tile and has a default activation distance of 3 which means anyone
standing within 3 tiles of the object in any direction will be able to interact with it .
If you do not set an Activation Distance for an Interactive Object, the Activation Distance will default to 3. If set to 1,
only those directly adjacent to the object will be able to interact with it. If set at 0, only those who stand directly on top
of the object will be able to interact with it.

This Piano has a 2x3 tile size and an activation distance of 3. The Activation distance begins
at the edge of all of the tiles the object exists within.

Embedded Websites
You can link any embeddable website inside of an object and have it open directly inside of Gather within an iframe.
This includes individual Google documents, spreadsheets, and forms, but not Google Drive File Directories. Almost any
site can be embedded as long as the website administrator allows embedding.
To make sure the website you want to use can be embedded, you must make sure that:
1.) It is an HTTPS site. Unfortunately, HTTP sites will not work due to security concerns.
2) The website administrator allows embedding. If they do not, you will get a message saying "refused to connect" or
something similar. You can test this here: https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml_iframe .
Note: Some sites might require that you allow 3rd party cookies to display properly.

Embedded Images
You can embed your own images or posters inside of an object and have it open directly inside of Gather within an
iframe. Embedded Image Objects include a preview of your image that appears when you approach the object and are
within its activation range.
An example of the preview seen when you approach an embedded image.
In order to upload and embed an image, the image must be:
in .png, .jpg, .gif, .webp format

at least 1000px for the width
at least 600px for the height
max 3MB in size
We recommend a minimum DPI of 72, but this is not a requirement. All images will be stretched to fit inside of the
iframe, so exact dimensions and proportions are not required. Transparent backgrounds will be filled with a black
background.
When you interact with the embedded image, the full image will open inside of an iframe.

This is what it looks like after you interact with an embedded image object with the 3 additional image navigations tools on the right
side.
Optional Caption
You have the option of including a caption or short blub when you first create your embedded image object. This will
appear when you interact with the image object when you mouse over the information icon on the right side of your
image.
An example of the caption appearing when you mouse over the

information icon on the right side of your opened image object.

Presenter Mode
Here's a video of how to use our poster set templates.
(Note that this video is from an older version of our Mapmaker's object picker.)
Here's a great article one university wrote up about their poster upload experience as well -
https://photonicsonlinemeetup.org/virtual-poster-session-gather-town/.

Embedded Videos
Interactive video objects let you embed videos from other platforms, like:
Youtube
Vimeo
Youtube live (live streaming)
Twitch (live streaming)
Or really anywhere with HTTPS and a video embed link.
Embedding a Youtube or Twitch live stream into an object is also another way to do large talks or performances in
Gather. If you choose to use a live stream link, please do not set up a start/sync time. This will mess with the video and
will not allow the live stream to play.
Screen capture of the TV object options screen. An explanation of the different fields and
what they do follows.
Embedded Video Options

Link to Video - This should be the link to the video page. If it doesn't work, try pulling the link to the video out of the
code that appears when you click 'share', then 'embed'.

A screen capture of the 'Embed Video' box which appears after you click the share button then the embed button
on a YouTube video. The youtube video used as the example is 'lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax / study to'. The
preview image is an anime girl wearing headphones and sitting at a desk.
Activation Distance - This is the distance which defines how far away from the embedded video object the user can be
before a video preview no longer appears in the lower left corner.
Change Map Image - Changes the image that appears on the map when the object is not interactable. Doesn't have to
be a TV, but this is helpful visual shorthand.
Active Image (Highlight) - Changes the image that appears when the object moves into activation range. (By default,
this is the yellow highlight).
Synchronized Start Time - Automatically plays the video to everyone within the interaction radius at the specified
time.
Object Active Start time - Sets the time when the object appears on the map.
Object Active End Time - Sets the time when the object disappears from the map.
More About Syncing Video

More about Livestreams

External Call / Zoom Call Integration
Here's a short video on how to place External Call Integration objects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tENbKZVtMLY&list=PL1kH0DAGlAzARA4fovEAfsPfnHUCcQtWv&index=8
This feature currently works for any pre-set meeting link; Zoom, Google Meets, Teams, Webex, etc.
How does the user interact with this object?

User enters a Gather room that has a press 'x' to enter zoom call button.
They see this text
Text User sees after clicking 'x' to interact with the external call integration object.
Click on the zoom link and open the zoom application ins a separate window, Gather will auto-mute the user's
video and audio output.
Enter presentation is hosted on Zoom directly
They exit the zoom call, and head back to Gather to see this message. They click the green button to enter the
Gather space exactly where they last left off.
Button to re=enter Gather space after the external call
Tips and Tricks:

Make sure to increase the activation distance (found under the advanced options for the external call integration
object). This will guarantee that anyone who walks into the entire room/area that you designate for the external
presentation will be able to press 'x' to interact. Otherwise, you will have too many people crowded in one small
area.
We also frequently see hosts create larger custom objects rather than using our blank object image, so it is
visually obvious to users that there's an object to interact with.
We also frequently see hosts place multiple instances of the same external call object around the room (or in
multiple rooms) so more users can interact easily with the object.

If you choose to rotate zoom links throughout the day, you will need to either:
a) designate someone to enter builder mode in the space, erase the object with the old call link, and place a new one
(with a new link) during the period of time between speakers, or
b) create visually different objects or places (eg: signs) in the room where people can walk to to get the next zoom link.
Both of these might be trickier than hosting one big zoom call for the room, depending on what you are comfortable
with; by default, the 'zoom call integration' object is invisible, and so it will not appear to either participants or builders
visually on the map.
If you expect less than 100 participants, using Gather's spotlight feature (and screenshare for slides) might also be an
option, although that 100 is a fairly hard limit.

Note Objects
You can place messages inside of note objects. The messages will appear inside of an iframe and can include links to
other sites that will open in a new tab.
When you interact with an open a note object, you will see the message inside of an iframe.
Unfortunately, at this time, the note object does not support carriage returns, but you can insert emojis!

Embedding a PDF
With the embedded image, you cannot upload a PDF. If you would prefer to have a pdf rather than a png or jpeg
displayed, you would need to upload it to a public site (such as Google Drive) and use an embedded website object
rather than an embedded image object.
If you upload your PDF to Google Drive, you have to alter the shareable link before you can embed it.
For instance:
Original Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlIH-FVz0BO_4G6ktrsbCTiBrqbaTEx2/view
Embeddable link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlIH-FVz0BO_4G6ktrsbCTiBrqbaTEx2/preview

Embedding a PowerPoint
In order to share your Powerpoint, you first need to upload it to a site that allows embedding. One place you can upload
your ppt is to Google Slides. Once you have your presentation on Google Slides, you can embed it after publishing it to
the web: from the Files menu. Makes sure that the bottom of the prompt box says that your presentation is published.
This Google Slides presentation is listed as published at the bottom of the dialogue box.
You’ll get a URL like this: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-

1vSbaMdqLEgO0CjXPzEahfQm4mJIDhaGjU2waSy6DJz4m1hRXQNOBsRaoR74hYwH8s6atXylVla2ODM8/pub?
start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
Delete everything from the original link that begins with "pub?" and replace it with the word “embed” so it looks like this
instead: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-
1vSbaMdqLEgO0CjXPzEahfQm4mJIDhaGjU2waSy6DJz4m1hRXQNOBsRaoR74hYwH8s6atXylVla2ODM8/embed
Copy that modified link and paste it into the URL field for embedded websites.

Embedding Office 365 Documents in Gather
You can embed Office 365 documents into Gather using the following process:
1) Go to your OneDrive folder in your web browser. ( https://onedrive.live.com/ )
2) Right-click the file you wish to embed.
3) Click 'Embed'.
4) In the panel that appears on the right, copy the text in the 'Embed' box and paste it into a text editor.
5) Extract the embed link from the IFrame text. What the link will look like is highlighted below (it's everything
between the quotes that comes after 'iframe src='"https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=
[NUMBERS]&resid=[MORE NUMBERS]%[NUMBERS]&authkey=[NUMBERS AND CHARACTERS]&em=2"
width="402" height="346" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">
6) Paste that embed link into the 'Website (URL)' field.

What are Tiles?
In general, a tile is one square of the grid on which you build your maps for your Gather Space. When you are inside of a
Space, a single, quick press of your arrow keys will move your avatar one tile in the direction of the arrow key you
pressed.
All tile squares in Gather are 32 x32 pixels in size.
In our Mapmaker, we have special tile types that are used to create specific effects. Each type of tile provides a
different function for your Gather space.
You can find and place the special Tile Types in the Mapmaker by selecting the Tile tab or pressing the hotkey [t].
Special tiles are placed while in Tile mode or while the Tile tab is active in the Mapmaker,
Note that the icon at the top left of the screen will change based on the Tile Type you have selected.
The default Tile Type is "Impassible Tile" which is represented by an X. In the above image, the "Spawn Tile" type is
selected and the icon in the upper left has changed to the corresponding matching map pin image.
You can only add or delete the tile type you have selected. This helps you edit the different layers of tiles you have
placed rather than accidently deleting an Impassible Tile when you only wanted to delete the Private Space Tile in the
same location.
Please feel free to check out our 2-minute walk through on how to place and use each of the tile types

Private Areas
Usually in Gather, you see and hear the people around you. For more flexible conversation dynamics, you can create
"Private Areas." Here's a short YouTube tutorial on how Private Areas work:
What are They and How do they work?

Private tiles are areas in the map where users in the private areas can only see each other, no matter how far they
are with no video/audio fading.
Only other users in the same private area can see or hear you.
This is frequently used for one-on-one conversations, poster sessions, or sponsor booths.
In this example, each of the 4 chairs at the table are labeled with a private tile. Users will have to sit directly on the red chairs
to participate in this private conversation.
Below is an example of what the colored check box does when creating private tiles. This is a great way to visually let
users know how many available spots are included in that private area.

Colored Private Tile Checkbox
Colored Private Tile Example. In this case, up to

3 users can join the private conversation with
the company representative (a total of 4 users).
A Neat Trick: for those of you building complex escape rooms or obstacles in Gather maps, you can use private tiles to
connect people from completely opposite ends of the map to chat with each other while figuring our different tasks to
complete.
Private Area Highlights

To address confusion regarding who is and isn't in a private conversation area, we have added highlights and fading to
clearly indicate who you are and aren't talking to.
Now, when you walk into a private conversation area, the connected private tiles will be highlighted and the rest of the
map will darken.

Spotlight Tiles
Spotlight tiles are tiles that can be walked on and let you broadcast your voice and video to everyone in the current
room, not the entire space. Spotlighting overrides private area connection limits. This means that you will still receive a
spotlighted video broadcast even if you are in a private area.
How do I place a Spotlight Tile?

Spotlight tiles can only be placed in our mapmaker. They can be placed by selecting the "Tile" option in the mapmaker
and selecting the "Spotlight Space Tile".
Spotlight Tile is the 5th tile selection
Spotlight tiles show up as an orange tile in the mapmaker but note that the tile is invisible when you are in your space.
For this reason it is recommended to put an object in front of it such as a podium to show that there is a tile in front of
it.
You are also welcome to add multiple spotlight tiles in your space, if you plan to have multiple simultaneous speakers
during that session.

Orange Spotlight Tile Indication
If you have concerns about users abusing the spotlight tile, you can alternatively just place the podium object and
having moderators manually spotlight speakers instead.

Spawn Tiles
What are Spawn Tiles and How to Use Them

Spawn tiles are used by the mapmaker/host to designate where new attendees spawn in your event space! These
spawn tiles can be placed directly near the entrance door of your space if you have guiding materials in your space for
new users. They can also be placed throughout the room if you'd like users to enter in a specific area of your entrance.
Spawn Tiles are designated by these green highlighted tiles in the Mapmaker.
Example of how Spawn Tiles look when placed in your entrance.
For larger conferences, you are welcome to create multiple spawn areas within your entrance room so that users
spawn randomly and spread out in the space.
Example of having multiple spawn entrances.
Changing your Spawn Default Entrance Room

Currently every room requires at least one spawn tile, just in case you decide to change the default entrance room. To
change your default entrance room, you can right click on the room name in the top left room list and click set as default
room.

Changing the Default Room.
Please note that changing the default room will automatically push new attendees in your space to that room.
However, if you have already entered the Gather space before the new default room has been made then please
note you will have to click the reset button in your bottom menu to check if it worked.
Reset Position Button

Portal Tiles
Portal tiles are used by the mapmaker/host to connect various rooms within your space, as well as connecting separate
Gather spaces together.
Please note that portal tiles are ONE-WAY only, so you will need to place portal tiles from both sides of the origin
room as well as the destination room.
When you select the portal tile option, you will be able to place a blue highlighted tile and the following two prompts
will show up.
Portal Type Options
Portal to a Room (Same Space)

The option to "Portal to a room" will allow you to place portals in the same room or a different room within the same
space you are currently working in. When you select this option, you will see a drop down list of all rooms in the current
space. Select the designated room you'd like to connect, then place the portal tile in the destination room. Please
remember to then switch to the destination room and place another portal tile linking back to the original room. Best
practice is to place portals at the back end of a door way, as indicated, and the exit destination as in front of the door
way.

Best practice is to have the blue portal tile at the furthest point of a doorway and the
destination be infront of the doorway. This example shows a "Spawn" tile at the ideal
destination location, however, when you select a destination there will be no indicator
placed.
There will not be an indicator for the destination tile chosen. Unfortunately origin and destination information is
not available at this time. You can manually check your portals from within the space (Just remember to set a
return portal!) We apologize for the inconvenience!
Portal to Another Space

This will allow you to link your space to a different space. When users enter these types of portals, they will be
prompted to "Press Enter" to confirm that they are comfortable leaving the existing space to enter an entirely
difference space.
The prompt users will encounter when portaling from one space to a different one.
When you select "Portal to Another Space," you will be prompted to enter the destination Gather space URL. This
option will automatically spawn your user into the default spawn location of the linked Space if it is the first time they
entered the space. Otherwise, they will spawn in the last location they were in when they were last in the linked Space.

Portal Type Options
Connect destination Gather space to the

portal tile.

Gather Public Tile Sheet
Our in-house Tileset is publicly available on Github! Anyone can download these tilesheets and anyone can submit
their own custom tilesheets to be included on our repository by submitting pull requests. These Tilesheets are designed
to import straight into and be used with the map creation application called Tiled, but you can still use them if you are
using any other photo editor.
To access the files:
1. Go to https://github.com/gathertown/mapmaking
2. Click the green [Code] button
3. Select "Download Zip" to get the zip file
Alternatively, for those of you who are already git-savvy, you'll find that you're allowed to clone/fork/contribute, etc.

Can I change the Name of My Space?
Last Modified on 03/04/2021 11:38 am EST
Unfortunately, you cannot rename a space at this time. However, you can copy or clone your existing space and give the
new space the name that you prefer.
Learn more here: Copying a Room or Space

I can't get Google Sites or Google Drive to embed!
Google does not allow the embedment of any websites created through Google Sites. Google also does not allow the
embedment of their file directories. This means that you cannot view your Google Drive folders.

What are the Object Limits?
In the town package, we can guarantee functionality for 10 basic objects (interactable images) + 3 advanced objects
(embedded sites/videos) without degrading server performance. Additional objects can be placed, used, and
experimented with, but we recommend reducing the objects to the stated limits for a smoother experiences for your
guests.
For City, this limit is 50 basic objects and 10 advanced objects.
On the Metropolis plan, you can have unlimited objects.
For more information, please see our pricing page: https://gather.town/pricing.

How do I embed a Powerpoint or Google Slides
presentation?
In order to share your Powerpoint, you first need to upload it to a site that allows embedding. One place you can upload
your ppt is to Google Slides. Once you have your presentation on Google Slides, you can embed it after publishing it to
the web: from the Files menu. Makes sure that the bottom of the prompt box says that your presentation is published.
This Google Slides presentation is listed as published at the bottom of the dialogue box.
You’ll get a URL like this: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-

1vSbaMdqLEgO0CjXPzEahfQm4mJIDhaGjU2waSy6DJz4m1hRXQNOBsRaoR74hYwH8s6atXylVla2ODM8/pub?
start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
Delete everything from the original link that begins with "pub?" and replace it with the word “embed” so it looks like this
instead: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-
1vSbaMdqLEgO0CjXPzEahfQm4mJIDhaGjU2waSy6DJz4m1hRXQNOBsRaoR74hYwH8s6atXylVla2ODM8/embed

Copy that modified link and paste it into the URL field for embedded websites.

How do I embed a Miro Board?
To embed a Miro board into Gather, you will need to obtain the embeddable link for the board (which is different than
the board's regular shareable link). Click Embed on the board Export menu like so:
Once you have the link, simply paste it into the URL field of an embedded website object!
For more detailed instructions on how to obtain your embeddable link, please visit Miro's article on Embedding
Editable Boards into Websites.

How do I upload a PDF?
With the embedded image, you cannot upload a PDF. If you would prefer to have a pdf rather than a png or jpeg
displayed, you would need to upload it to a public site (such as Google Drive) and use an embedded website object
rather than an embedded image object.
If you upload your PDF to Google Drive, you have to alter the shareable link before you can embed it.
For instance:
Original Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlIH-FVz0BO_4G6ktrsbCTiBrqbaTEx2/view
Embeddable link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlIH-FVz0BO_4G6ktrsbCTiBrqbaTEx2/preview

My video shows a picture of a play button and
won't play!
If you are using a livestream:

For livestreams you need to leave the "Synchronized Start Time" field blank. Meaning you should not fill out the
"synced tv" field. This is because the synced TV function automatically moves the time dial forward or backwards to
ensure all participants are seeing the same part of a video and Livestreams on Youtube do not have a time dial. Youtube
already handles the video synchronization on their end which means you only need to link the live stream as if you were
embedding a regular video.
Otherwise:
Check to see if you have a firewall/VPN issue blocking your ability to see the video. If not, try clearing your cache.

How do I delete one object on a stack of objects?
This must be done inside of the Mapmaker and is not currently possible in Builder Mode while you are inside of a
Space.
You can rearrange and re-prioritize how the the objects are view in any given tile by dragging and dropping the objects
on the right side object list panel inside of the Mapmaker. The object you have highlighted on the right panel is the
currently selected object that you can drag and drop on the actual map itself.
To delete a single object, drag the object you would like to delete out of the stack of objects into a square that does not
have other objects. Switch to Object Erase Mode and select the object again.
Make sure you are in Object Eraser mode by having both

the object icon and eraser icon highlighted in the upper left
of your screen.

How do I get Synced TVs to work?
Gather supports "synced" objects, that are set to start playing an embedded video at the same time for everyone. To set
a synchronized start time, simply select the time and date you would like your video to automatically start in the
appropriate field.
Embeded video options with the Synchronized Start Time field circled.
Note that this field does not currently populate correctly in Firefox. Please use Chrome to set your synced TVs. We
apologize for this inconvenience.
To test your Synced TV to see if the video plays back properly, set the 'time' for a time ~1 minute in the past, and make
sure the video plays accordingly. (It should start ~1 minute in.)
Video objects with a sync time set that have not yet reached their sync time will appear on the map, with a blank black
screen. The blank screen will continue to display until the start time you have entered. Guests will not be able to start
playing the video on their own.

A black screen with small white text that reads "There's
no video playing right now!"
Note that you cannot use the Synchronized Start Time in conjunction with Live Streams.

How do I get Live Streams to work?
For livestreams you need to leave the "Synchronized Start Time" field blank. Meaning you should not fill out the
"synced tv" field. This is because the synced TV function automatically moves the time dial forward or backwards to
ensure all participants are seeing the same part of a video and Livestreams on Youtube do not have a time dial. Youtube
already handles the video synchronization on their end which means you only need to link the live stream as if you were
embedding a regular video.

How do I point to something on my poster?
After interacting with an embedded image, you and anyone else who has opened the image may use the "Presenter
Mode" tool on the right hand side to click and indicate specific areas of the image or poster that you are discussing.
Everyone who has the image open will see the locations that you click on while in Presenter Mode. The indication will
appear as a small colored circle that will disappear after a few seconds.
Presenter Mode will appear on the right side of an opened image

object, below the caption and above the zoom tool.

Why does this site show "Refused to connect"?

Copying a Room or Space
Whether you want to duplicate an existing room you already have or you want to clone an entire space from someone
else, you need to first make sure you have the proper access permissions and then follow the steps below.
Access Permissions
To clone or duplicate a room or space, you first need:
To be logged into the destination account you want to copy the room or space to
Have Build Access to or be an Owner of the space and/or the space the room is located in
To give someone build access to your space See this page on User Roles.
Copying a Room
After being logged in an making sure you have the appropriate permissions, click the "+ " to create a new room, type in
a name, and hit the enter key on your keyboard.
Make sure you type in a name and press the "Enter" key on your keyboard when you create a new room.
[Image of clicking +sign: Caption: Make sure you type in a name and press the "Enter" key on your
Click "start with an existing space" then select the space and then select the room.

To copy an existing room, click the button on the right that says "Start with an
existing space"
Copying an Entire Space

Making sure you are logged in and have the appropriate permissions as outline above. To clone a space from someone
else, you need to give the receiving account build access to your current space. On the receiving account, you will then
click "Create space" and clone the existing space, which should be found under the custom tab:

You will need to open the "Custom" tab and scroll all the way down

Old Mapmaker
If you are looking for some basic information on how to use the Old Mapmaker, you've come to the right place. Note
that the functionality is very limited on the older version and you are not able to upload images, but you are able to link
to images that are uploaded elsewhere. You can access the old mapmaker here: https://gather.town/old/mapmaker
Changing your Background

You can upload backgrounds and foregrounds similarly to our current mapmaker by clicking the appropriate button.
Switching Rooms
To switch rooms, use the "Load room" button.
Adding and Editing Objects

To add or edit an existing object, you must first be in Object Mode.

To edit an object, hold shift and then click on the object you want to edit.
To add an object from our library, simply click on the square you would like to insert the object while you are in object
mode and the object picker will open.
To insert an object with a custom on-map image, you will need to
1. Upload your image in a location where it is publicly available.

2. Go into "object mode"
3. Select an object on the list with a similar capability that you want the new object to display
4. Past the URL of your image into the "normal image" field. (This is the image that will appear on the map by
default)
5. Additionally paste the URL of your image into the "active image" field. (This is the image that will appear when
someone is within activation distance)
Examples of objects
A non-interactive object:

An embeddable video object:
An embeddable website:

Link to the old map maker: https://gather.town/old/mapmaker

Signing In to Gather
By default, every Gather user is anonymous - you are not required to sign in. There are benefits to signing in, though,
including retaining control over the spaces you make after your browser cache is cleared or overwritten, and being able
to access Gather spaces created by other users which have an email guestlist.
Step 1: Sign In Button

Click 'Sign in' to begin the sign in process.
You can sign in from the control panel at the bottom of your screen inside of any space by clicking your name:
Clicking your name will bring up your User Menu
You can sign-in by clicking the "Sign In" button inside of your
user menu.
You can sign in by from you personal Gather Homepage (Accessed by either clicking "Launch Gather" from our main
page or by going directly to http://gather.town/app). Once on your Gather Homepage, you can sign-in by clicking either
the "Sign In" button on the upper right side of the page or in the center of the page if you have never created or visited a
Gather Space before.

On your Gather Homepage, you can sign in using one of two buttons that say "Sign In."
On the Desktop App, your Gather Homepage will look identical to the Web App page seen above.
Step 2: Choose Magic Link or Google

You can sign into Gather using your Google account, or you can have a magic link sent to any inbox.
The magic link is a time-limited, one-time-use token that ties your account to your email address by confirming that you
have access to that inbox.
You will have to send a new magic link every time you wish to sign in, although you will remain signed in in a browser as
long as you do not clear your cookies.
The magic link expires after about five minutes; please be prompt in clicking, and if you have requested one but have
not received it, please wait up to two minutes before requesting another one.
Step 3: Finish Signing In: Magic Link

After you get the email with the magic link, you can open the link in the browser of your choice to sign in in that
browser. Or, you can select 'desktop app' and pass the login to the Gather desktop app.

Signing Out of Gather
To leave a space, you do not need to log out. You can simply close the tab or web browser to leave the space when you
are done for the day. The moment the tab is closed, Gather will no longer be transmitting audio or video from your
device to others in the Space.
If you have logged into an account and would like to sign-out in order to log into a different account, you can head to
https://gather.town/app and find your name on the bottom right. Click on your name, and the below image should pop
up where you can click the Sign Out button.
Sign Out Button Through Your Homepage
You can also sign out by directly pressing on your bottom menu inside your Gather space and clicking the 'Sign Out'
button.
Sign Out button Within Your Gather Space

Premium Dashboard
Your Premium Dashboard is where you can set up and pay for reservations as well as manage many of the moderation
settings for your Space. Each Space has it's own Premium Dashboard that is directly tied to all of the reservations and
moderation settings of that particular space. You can find the Premium Dashboard for your Space in the following two
way:
Inside Space Settings

While you are inside of your space, you can access your Premium Dashboard by opening your settings, selecting the
"Space" tab and clicking on the "Advanced" category
From Your Gather Homepage

You can access your Gather Homepage by either clicking the "Launch Gather" button from our main website or by
going to https://gather.town/app
From your Gather Homepage, you must first select your space and then click on the "manage space" button.

Here's a brief walk-through of what the Premium Dashboard looks like:

Setting Up My Reservation
Where and how can I make my reservation?

You can head to your Premium Dashboard to purchase and finalize your reservation.
To get started, you can click on the right hand "New Reservation" button to start inputting your event details.
View of the Premium Dashboard with an arrow pointing at the "New Reservation
Button"
Once that opens up the main reservation menu, you will see the option to toggle on/off the Monthly Subscription
option. For automated payment charges each month, click on the toggle until it turns blue. For a one-time event, leave it
as it greyed out.
Toggle Monthly Subscription Button
Next, you will need to add in your event start time and end time, as well as your expected max concurrent user
headcount for your event.
**Please note that the Dashboard should pick up and reflect

your Local Time Zone while selecting the start and end time**

Time Selector UI
Next, you can select which pricing plan you would like: Town, City, or Metropolis. The Premium Dashboard is dynamic,
and will show updated quotes based on your selected pricing plan, time frame, and number of users.
How to finalize and complete my payment for my

premium reservation:
Once you've completed that time and capacity section, the Dashboard will automatically open the payment menu.
There are two main methods to purchase your reservation:
1. Direct Credit Card payment: enter your typical credit card information in the prompt for an immediate purchase
Credit Card Payment Prompt
2. Pay by Invoice through Stripe:

Invoices will be sent directly to the email linked to your Gather account and can be paid through
direct bank transfers
OR you can download a pdf copy of your invoice to send to your financial department to purchase
Please note that invoices must be paid in full and in advance of your Gather premium reservation, otherwise
your event will not become active.

Invoicing Prompts
*If you have received a special discount code, you can select this action button to enter your discount code. Your
Premium Dashboard should automatically update your final quote.
Discount Code Hidden Prompt
Once you've purchased, you are all set for an exciting and successful Gather event!
Here's what upcoming and active reservations look like! Make sure you can see your event on your dashboard!

Monthly Subscription vs. One-Month Purchase
There are two ways you can purchase a monthly license.
1) Toggle ON the monthly subscription button at the top right of your dashboard. This will allow you to automatically
get charged on the same day of every month, based on your first month's purchase.
Monthly Subscription Toggled ON is blue
2) Toggle OFF the monthly subscription to purchase just a one-time 30 day license, and the dashboard pricing page will
dynamically calculate your one-time fee and will not auto-charge you for the next month until you personally set
another month up.
Monthly Subscription Toggled OFF is Grey

Cancel or Edit a Reservation or Subscription
To cancel an upcoming reservation, go to your Premium Dashboard and click the red "cancel" button next to the
reservation you would like the cancel.
To cancel a monthly reservation, you can press the same red "cancel" button. As long as you cancel before the next
billing cycle, you will not be charged for the following month. If you cancel mid-month, your reservation will still be
active for the remainder of your billing cycle and you will not receive a refund.
Your reservations will be listed in the upper right corner of your Premium Dashboard. Click the red
cancel button on the right.
To edit your reservation to either change the time, number of users, or pricing tier, click the grey pencil icon. A blue box
will appear that will allow you to edit your reservation. Additionally, you can tell which reservation you are editing
because it will be listed as "editing" in the same line as the original reservation:

After clicking the grey pencil button, a blue box appears where you can edit your reservation.
If you do not see your reservation listed, check your other Spaces to see if the reservation was accidently placed on
the wrong Space. If this is the case, simply cancel the reservation and make a new one on the correct space. Your
refund will be processed in approximately 5 to 10 business days.

Moderator Settings
Learn about what features you can turn on and off to help moderate your Spaces.

Space Access Permissions
How to limit and/or protect access to your Gather Spaces

Deleting a Space
You can delete a Space on the Space's Premium Dashboard.
You can delete your space by clicking the red button indicated by the purple arrow inside of your Premium
Dashboard
If you are not logged in, when you click the 'manage space' button, you will see a white page with a login form; if you
choose not to log in or create an account, your space will remain unclaimed / anonymous, and it will disappear naturally
after ~21 days of inactivity.

Common Space and Reservation Questions
Click here for Common Reservation and Space Questions

What if I have less than the expected number of
attendees?
Currently, we do not reconsolidate pricing or offer prorated refunds based on actual attendance numbers vs
forecasted numbers. We bill based on the expected max concurrent user capacity, as we need to reserve and allocate
resources on our servers prior to the start of your event to prevent complications .
If you are unsure how to estimate your number of attendees, aim low; you can always increase your reservation cap
during the event.
Some things to remember:
- It takes ~15 minutes for a capacity increase to show on the user end.
- Expanding an existing reservation cancels the original reservation and creates a new one; the canceled reservation
can take up to 5-10 business days to refund (per our payment processor).
- Any discount codes can also be applied to the new reservation with increased capacity.

How do I Increase Space Capacity?
You can increase your Space's capacity before or during an event using your Space's Premium Dashboard. Note that it
will take roughly 15 minutes for the change to work its way through our system and reallocate resources to increase
your event's capacity.
First, click 'manage space' to open the Dashboard. You will see your upcoming reservation on the top right of the
screen. Click the pencil icon to edit it.
An example of two reservations are shown, one is active and the other is upcoming. Both can be
edited by clicking on the pencil icon
Your old reservation will be refunded, and you will be charged the new price immediately. Note that refunds can take
up to 5-10 business days.

Where's My Receipt?
If you pay through the dashboard, you will get a receipt sent directly to the email you used to log into Gather. You can
search specifically for "Gather Presence, Inc." or "Stripe".

What happens to my space after my reservation
is over?
You have roughly 15 minutes between the time your reservation ends and the time your space will be moved back to
our free servers. When this happens, you may encounter slight connection issues that will resolve upon refreshing your
browser. Anyone new who enters your space may not be visible to you until you you refresh your browser. If you have
more than 25 people in your space when it is returned to a free server, those who refresh and reconnect to your space
first will enter your space until the 25-person free server limit is reached.
If you'd like to re-use the same space for a future event then you can take the same steps at your Premium Dashboard
to make another premium event reservation using the same space.

Can I Upgrade My Space While My Reservation
is Happening?
Unfortunately, switching from a free space to a paid space in the middle of an event will cause connection issues since
all of our paid events are on a separate server that provides increased reliability.
If you already have a reservation for a paid event, decreasing the capacity will cancel the event and cause a new
reservation to be created. We don't recommend this as it can cause large disruptions during your event.
It is possible increase your capacity during an event, but note that it will take roughly 15 minutes for the change to work
it's way through our system and reallocate resources to increase your event's capacity.

What happens if I reach my Space's Capacity?
If more than allocated number of users enter your space, then you will receive a notification that your space has
reached capacity. Those additional users will still be allowed to enter, but your premium server connection will
degrade.
If more people than you paid for show up to the space, then there won't be enough server space allocated for your
event and you may experience performance degradation / lag.

I made a reservation but my Space is still listed
as Basic!
The way the Gather Dashboard functions is that it will show that your space is "Basic" until your reservation for an
upgraded space is active. This means that if your reservation is for tomorrow then your Dashboard would show "Basic"
until the start of your event.

I deleted my Space, why is it still listed in my
Recent Spaces?
There is a known issue where deleted spaces are still listed in your "Recent Spaces" list on your Gather Homepage.
Although it is listed, you won't be able to enter that space (nor can anyone else) because it is deleted from our servers
the moment you confirm your desire to delete it. This issue will be resolved when the redesign of the landing page is
completed. Sorry about the confusion!

Can I Rename My Space?
Unfortunately, you cannot rename a space at this time. However, you can create a new space by cloning a previous
space.

Can I upgrade my space multiple times?
Yes! You can set up multiple reservations on the same space. All of your active and upcoming reservations should be
listed on your Space's Premium Dashboard.
An example of active or upcoming reservations listed in the upper right of a Space's Premium Dashboard
You can find out more about setting up a reservation by clicking here!

How much does it cost?
From the moment you create your space, it is always available and free for up to 25 concurrent users. If you are looking
to just hang out with your friends and chat, you are probably good on our free account. If you are looking to run a bigger
event, you can test and experiment for free until you are ready to book a reservation for your event.
Premium reservations can be booked through the Premium Dashboard associated with each particular space. Our
pricing is a factor of three things: how many people you want to have *concurrently* in the space (User capacity), how
long your event lasts (Duration), and how many objects are in your space. You can find out more on our pricing page
here. If you want to see how many objects are in your map or you are ready to schedule and pay for your event, you can
do that on your Premium Dashboard.

Do I only pay for the number of users over 25?
All Premium Reservations are based on the highest expected user capacity as well as the duration and pricing tier
(Town/City/Metropolis). Since all premium reservations set aside dedicated server capacity to increase reliability for
your event on our Premium Servers, you do pay for all of the anticipated server space that will be used, not just the
number of users over the basic tier's 25 free users.
Spaces on our free servers all share server space and, as a result, you may encounter lower reliability on our free
servers as opposed to our Premium Servers.
If you expected 30 users (peak number of users expected at any given time) for a 2-hour event on the Premium
Upgraded Town Tier, the cost would be calculated as follows:
Town pricing ($1 per 2 hrs per user) X 30 users = $30 total.

What if I only have a 1 or 3 hour event?
Since 2-hours is the smallest time-increment available, 1-hour events will be at the same rate as 2-hours events.
Similarly, a 3-hour event would have the same price as a 4-hour event.

What is the difference between Free and
Premium Spaces?
All newly created spaces are automatically added to our Free Servers. When you make a reservation for a special event
or subscribe to a monthly plan, your Space will be moved to one of our Premium servers for the duration of your
reservation or subscription. After the event or the end of your subscription period, your Space will be moved back to
our Free Servers.
Our goal was to make as much of our platform available on our free spaces as we could. A few benefits to premium
spaces are increased capacity (spaces for more than 25 concurrent users), guaranteed reliability, and more customized
security options.

How do I upgrade to a Premium Space?
You can learn all about setting up a reservation on your Space's Premium Dashboard by clicking here.

Do you offer Flexible Pricing? Or let us pay after
the fact?
We do not do flexible pricing right now (pay afterwards depending on how many people show up) because we don't
want to give people surprise bills, and because we need to know how much server space allocate beforehand. Having
the appropriate user capacity reserved on our Premium Servers will provide you and your guests with the smoothest
experience during your event.
We recommend you make a conservative estimate on how many people show up. You can also increase the capacity of
your reservation, even during the event, but it will take up to 10 minutes for our system to process.

Will I be charged if more than 25 people enter
my Free Space?
If more than 25 users enter your space during a free event, then the connection stability will decrease. We will not
automatically charge you if more than 25 users show up in your free space.

Password Protection
You can easily protect your space with a password by opening your settings, going to the "Space" tab and clicking on
"Room Access."
Change Space Password through the Space Settings Menu
Alternatively, you can also find this option in your space's premium dashboard under "Room Access."
Change Space Password through the Premium Dashboard
When someone tries to enter your password protected space, they will see this message:

User Experience with Password Verification
Note: Currently, if someone has accessed your space using a password, they will still be able to access your space
after a new password is set. If they accessed your space before setting a password and you then set a password,
they will need to enter a password before gaining access.
Unfortunately "removing" your password and setting a new password will not revoke permissions if someone has
ever entered your space using a password unless their cache is cleared.

Guestlist Only Access
For an added level of security, you can instead limit access to your Space to a guestlist. Having a guestlist will override
password protection. Guestlists are tied to individual Spaces, not accounts.
Guest lists can be uploaded from your space's Premium Dashboard and must be formatted as Comma-Separated
Values (.csv)
If you are using Microsoft Excel, you will need to Export to a CSV. Files that are saved as a CSV but not previously
exported as a CSV may not upload properly.
The Columns "e-mail" and "name" are required fields. The other valid headings include "role" and "affiliation." These
are optional fields.
An example valid guestlist spreadsheet. This must be exported as a CSV before being uploaded
to Gather.
If you leave the name field blank, those individuals will be able to change their names. If you have this field filled
out, it will be a fixed name that is locked from editing. The only way to change their name moving forward would be
to alter the guestlist and re-upload it.
Once you've uploaded your list, it will not appear at the top, but you will have a preview of your list at the bottom of the
Guestlist Setting Section.

Your active guestlist will be listed at the bottom of the guest list settings, circled here in purple.
The Role Column is for your own reference and does not appear within the space, and does not directly translate to our
Owner, Moderator, and Builder roles within your space controls.
The Affiliation Column will show up on the user's information menu as seen below:

This is the user interface attendees will see when attempting to enter your guestlist protected space. They will need to
enter their email account to both sign in and verify their email against your set guestlist.
Initial Guestlist Pop Up
They will receive a one-time magic link in their personal email inbox in order to enter your space for the first time. After
that, if they are still logged in to Gather through their browser then they can easily re-enter the space at anytime. We
recommend setting up a Guest List Help Contact, in case their email is not in your provided guestlist then they can
personally contact you to immediately update the guestlist during the event.
Setting a Guestlist Help Contact

Domain Access
You can add the additional security method of restricting through one domain access. This feature currently only works
with one domain, so if you would like to host partnering companies then we recommend switching to the Guestlist
option.
Please note that the email domain access restriction feature is only available on the City or Metropolis Premium plans
at this time.
Email Domain Access Prompt in the Premium Dashboard

Persistent Chat History
Space administrators have the option to store chat on Gather's servers. This function is called 'Preserve Chat History'.
You can toggle on and off the Preserve Chat History button through your Space Preferences (shown below) or through
your Space Dashboard.
Preserve Chat History toggle is found inside your Space Settings while inside of your space under the
"Space Preferences" option.
If this is turned on, chat history will be stored on Gather's servers. Users will be able to log in from any computer and
see messages they previously sent or received.
New and returning users will only see messages they were personally present to receive while in your space - so a new
user cannot 'scroll up' and see chat messages sent before their arrival in the space. Message history is stored with the
individual user's authentication key and is only visible to that user.
If this is turned off, chat will be stored in the user's browser cache only, and every time the user refreshes Gather or
reloads the space, the entire chat log will be empty.

Banning
Bans are done by IP Address. Unfortunately, bans are permanent and cannot be reversed for that space (as opposed to
'blocks' which can be reversed).
However, if you accidentally banned someone you have a few potential other options to still be able to interact with
them:
1. If that person is able to use a different wi-fi network, sometimes they can enter a space.
2. If that person is able to use a VPN that allows access to Gather, they may be able to enter the space.
3. Sometimes, due to how ISPs identify users, a ban can expire when that users IP address expires, which can
happen over several days or weeks.
4. As a case of last resort, you can always duplicate the space, creating an identical copy of that space in which no
one is banned.

Disable Screensharing
Screensharing may be disabled at the Metropolis tier. This will disable it for everyone, including owners and
moderators.
You can Disable Screen sharing in your Space Settings under the "Space Preferences" option.

Disable Chat
Chat may be disabled completely at the Metropolis tier. This will disable it for everyone, including owners and
moderators.
You can Disable Screen sharing in your Space Settings under the "Space Preferences" option.

Temporarily Shut Down Space
You can head directly to your Space Settings menu while inside your Gather space to temporarily shut down a space.
Found under the Space section, in the Space Access Tab, this feature will automatically remove everyone from the
space.
Settings Menu Shut Down Space Option
You must be an owner to shut down a space. Moderators and Builders will not be able to shut down a space.
To reopen the room, simply click on your Gather space URL while signed in as an owner OR moderator to click the Open
Space button.
You will see this button when entering a space that was
shut down if you are the Space's Owner or one of the
Space's Moderators.

Are you GDPR Compliant?
We can't save data in the EU or Germany at the current time and thus cannot meet full compliancy for GDPR. However,
we are willing to sign a Data Processing Agreement, that details the Technical and Organizational measures we have in
place to safeguard your data, and which allows you to transfer data compliantly to the US under the framework of
Standard Contractual Clauses. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy at https://gather.town/privacy-
policy.

Privacy Policy
You can see our full Privacy Policy here: https://gather.town/privacy-policy. These are living documents and, as such,
are being updated and clarified on a regular basis. If you have any questions or would like clarifications on any portion
of our privacy policy, please e-mail support@gather.town.

DPAs and SLAs
At this time we are unable to sign or offer Service Level Agreements. You are always welcome to base your decisions on
our past uptime performance which can always be accessed through https://status.gather.town/
If you would like to read our DPA, please contact hello@gather.town for this and other security questionnaire-related
information.

Document Security and Usage Rights
In regards to documents or images uploaded in Gather, we do store a copy on our servers in order to allow others who
enter your space to view the documents or images you have uploaded in the manner that you specify when placing or
moving objects.
Gather does not claim any ownership or right-to-use stipulations over any content that users upload. If you have
sensitive data or are otherwise concerned about hosting or privacy, I would recommend hosting these posters in
whatever way is recommended by your university and then password protecting your Gather space or setting an e-mail
guestlist to better control access to your space.
After your event, you can send an email to support@gather.town to request that specific data be deleted (and that that
deletion be confirmed) by our team - this may take a little time depending on volume.
For more information, please see the section on Data Retention within the privacy policy of our cloud hosting service:
https://www.digitalocean.com/legal/privacy-policy/
As well as our full privacy policy found here: https://gather.town/privacy-policy

Deleting User Data
We can take the following requests for deletion:
we can delete all information associated with a space (map configuration, moderator info, mod message etc.)
we can delete all information associated with an account (email, chats seen)
In particular, note that chats are associated by account -- each individual account keeps track of the chats that it sees.
Also note that audio/video chats are not stored in any way.
To delete your space, send an email with the URL you want deleted, from an email address that is an owner of the space.
To delete your account information, please send an email from the email address associated with that account
requesting deletion of it. Processing time will vary.

Data Encryption
We do NOT store or view any video or audio transmitted within Gather. Audio and video data is sent peer-to-peer
using the open source software WebRTC. This means that video and audio feeds are sent directly to each person you
are connected with, rather than being stored on our servers to maximize privacy and security. This is the same
encryption policy taken by services like Google Meet.
We store everything you upload to our Mapmaker as well as anything you upload while in Builder Mode. This includes
images, assets, and documents. Everything uploaded is encrypted at rest in cloud storage.
To find out more about what data we do store and use, please see our Privacy Policy!

Terms of Use
Our full Terms of Use can be found here:https://gather.town/terms-of-use. These are living documents and, as such,
are being updated and clarified on a regular basis. If you have any questions or would like clarifications on any portion
of our Terms of Use, please e-mail support@gather.town.

Can my kids or children use Gather?
To comply with international privacy laws and standards, you must be 13 or older to use Gather.
For more information, please see our Terms of Use.

How do I unblock Gather on my personal or
company firewall?
To unblock gather.town on a personal or corporate firewall, please add these domains and ports as exceptions (or ask
your administrator to do so):
Domains: *.gather.town
Ports: 80 and 443

Does Gather Record My screen?
Gather does not record your screen nor keep any record of your video session while you are using the platform. There
may be a red circle that is visible on the Gather Tab in your web browser to indicate that your camera is in use, but this
is not an indicator of Gather recording your session.

January 2021: Spectrum Wireless Issues
Spectrum Wireless Issues

In January 2021, our team identified an issue with how Spectrum Wireless handles some of Gather's network traffic.
Right now, Gather users on Spectrum may experience instability or disconnection issues.
We are working hard to resolve this on our end, but do not have a public release date for resolution. If you have any
questions, please drop us a line at support@gather.town .

When I enter the Space, all I see is a black
background!
If you see a black background, but you can still see objects, the background may have been accidentally deleted (or not
saved in the case of using the background painter tool). If you own the Space and you have a copy of the background,
you can try uploading it again using the button in the upper right corner of the Mapmaker. If you used the Painter Tool,
you will need to recreate the background, click the check mark and additionally click the save icon before reloading the
space. Otherwise, the best course of action may be to create a new space. If that doesn't solve your issue, please email
us at support@gather.town and we'll try to get to the bottom of why this is happening.
If your entire screen is black and you do not see any objects, there is a high possibility that you were banned from the
space. Bans are done by IP address. This means if you tested the ban function on yourself or a member of your
household, you may have banned yourself from your space. For more information and available options moving
forward, please see our page on Banning by clicking here.

What is the font you use in your demo spaces?
The font used in our conference spaces is Amatic (aka Amatic SC). It's a free font you can pick up at font
squirrel: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/amatic or with google fonts (if you're using it on the
web): https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Amatic+SC

How do I use a Virtual Background?
Right now Gather doesn't support virtual backgrounds natively, but you can use any number of virtual webcam
software options to get that functionality, and then use those virtual webcams inside of Gather.
Here's a tutorial on how to do that with OBS, which is a free and open source application that we know works well with
Gather on both Mac and PC. Unfortunately, we can't provide support on 3rd party software, but there are lots of great
resources out there to help you!

How do I close the side panel?
To close the side panel simply click the arrow in the upper left. This works for Builder Mode, the Calendar Pane, the
Messaging Panel, and the Participants list.
Click the arrow to close the side panel!

Mobile Support
Unfortunately we are unable to give the mobile/tablet version as much attention as we would like right now. The
mobile experience is limited to explorting the space with your avatar and only outputting your audio but not video. You
will still be able to see videos from others, but they will not be able to see you.
The known issues we have with our mobile/tablet beta experience currently include:
- Embedded videos overlay the directional keys
- Difficulty interacting with objects
- Avatars can not be changed
- Cannot screenshare iPad screens (But you will be able to see what other people screenshare)
- Difficulty activating portals into other spaces or external calls
Some of these issues could be overcome by having an external keyboard connected to your device, or if you are able to
access your touchscreen keyboard while inside of Gather. We understand that this is unideal and in time we hope to
improve the experience, but right now we encourage everyone to access Gather from their personal computers.

Adding Music or a DJ
Right now we don't have a feature to directly stream music. It is definitely on our wish list. In the mean time, here are a
few options:
Low Tech
Use a separate computer and sign in as a "DJ" to pipe music into the room by playing the DJ's avatar on a spotlight
space.
Semi-Low Tech
Use the Sync'd TV option to broadcast a very long youtube video.
Technical
Following this tutorial (Just make sure you follow every single instruction up to the very end):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gbz-V4yvtM&ab_channel=Strifium
Alternatively VB Cabel if you want to both talk and share audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUFbKww5-Vg
Technical (Mac only)

There's an app called Soundflower that allows you to redirect your outputs to your inputs. It's a fairly old program, so it
might be a bit clunky to use, Steps:
1. Download the system extension (do read the "Please Read" section):
https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower/releases/tag/2.0b2
2. Download the latest SoundFlowerBed (an app for the menu bar that allows you to quickly choose input/output
redirect): https://github.com/mLupine/SoundflowerBed/releases
3. To redirect output to Soundflower, open SoundFlowerBed, and under "Soundflower (2ch"), choose your output
device. (For me it's just "Built-In Output.")
4. To make your mic play from Soundflower (which is now taking your audio out as its input), just choose
"Soundflower (2ch)"as the source in your mic setup on Gather.
This setup assumes you have a dedicated device acting as the avatar and running the background music. In this scenario
your only fidelity loss would be due to the connection, not due to the quality of your device mic.

How to Make a Feature Request
To submit a feature request, please visit our Feature Request Board at https://feedback.gather.town. Please feel free to
submit your thoughts or to look through and upvote other features submited by other users you'd like to see!
You can also ask a question publically to help other users who may be encountering the same issues. Our support staff
regularly checks the board to answer questions, though you are also welcome to help answer questions if you have
insight on the situation!

Can I Import My Own Avatar?
We currently offer a selection of ~30 Avatars and outfits at your disposal. Unfortunately, Gather does not support self-
made Avatars or customized Avatars at this time due to how avatars are stored and retrieved. This is a feature we
would like to implement in the future, however it is currently on our list of longer term goals.

API Integration
Some big changes are coming in the next couple months and we want to be able to spread the word as quickly as
possible, so we made this quick google form to collect email addresses of power users. Please feel free to subscribe to
our developer updates through that form.
In the meantime, we do have an HTTP API, however, it is currently not updated or supported by our team. There is the
possibility that upcoming changes will affect how the existing API interacts with our servers and we caution those who
use it to not make any core parts of their Gather Spaces or Experiences dependant on the existing API.
With that said, you can find out more about the HTTP API Here : https://www.notion.so/EXTERNAL-Gather-API-
3bbf6c59325f40aca7ef5ce14c677444


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Gather.

Copyright Gather Presence Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

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Changing Your Name After Entering Space

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Several fields are relevant here:

Auto Idle Muting

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Use HD Video Quality

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These options allow you to send a message to:

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Edit your status by clicking your name at the

Status messages will appear in the Participates Pane

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How to block a user:

1. Hover your mouse over their video feed.

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To unblock a user follow steps 1 and 2 above.

You can also block someone from the participants list.

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There are 4 levels of User Roles inside of your Space:

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Troubleshooting Screen Sharing

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A screenshot of Firefox's screen sharing permission dialogue box.

Safari (Desktop Beta)

User prompt from Safari, which reads

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2. Select your Apple Security and Privacy Settings

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Manual Spotlighting using Moderator Controls within your Gather Space

Below are examples of what the spotlight looks like in action:

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You will get a heart over your head

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After allowing access to your camera and microphone, you may

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Site settings with both camera and microphone permissions temporarily

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