Announcements

Announcements overview
The Announcement button (highlighted above) allows you to broadcast text messages to every user located in a region, or to individual users via a drop-down menu. 
After accessing the moderator controls, click the Announcement button in the panel that appears on the right-hand side. This will open the Announcement panel. A quick rundown of the UI will be helpful before we delve into the various messaging options.
UI component
Function
User drop-down menu
Allows you to send your message to everyone in the region or a specific user.
User search field
Allows you to search for a specific user.
AZ↓ button
Sorts the User drop-down menu in alphabetical order.
AZ↑ button
Sorts the User drop-down menu in reverse alphabetical order.
Near proximity button
Sorts the User drop-down menu by users closest to the Moderator.
Far proximity button
Sorts the User drop-down menu by users farthest away from the Moderator.
Template drop-down menu
Allows you to select a pre-defined message template.
Message field
Allows you to compose your own message.
Message drop-down menu
Allows you to choose whether users can respond to your message, and how they can respond.
Send button
Sends the current message.
Send and Close button
Sends the current message and closes the Announcement window.
Close button
Closes the Announcement window.
Message types
Region announcements
Region announcements are incredibly useful when it comes to managing event logistics. You can use them to keep everyone in your region on task, announce schedule changes, or provide event transition cues.
Here's an example of a message intended for everyone within the region. Notice how the options are set up:
The User drop-down menu is set to Everyone, so everyone in the region will see the announcement.
The Message drop-down menu is set to Message, so the announcement will be displayed with no expectation of a reply.
Here's how the example announcement above may appear to users located in the region.
To send a region announcement, follow these steps:
1.Navigate your avatar to the region where you want to communicate with your users.
2.Click the Moderator controls/Key button located on the right side of the screen.
3.Click the Announcement button.
4.In the Announcement panel that appears, enter the following information:
1.Set the User drop-down menu to Everyone.
2.Enter your announcement text.
3.Set the Message drop-down menu to Message.
5.Click the Send or Send and Close button.
Direct messages
You can also send direct messages to individual users in a region using the Announcement panel. To do so, follow these steps.
1.Navigate your avatar to the region where you want to communicate with your users.
2.Click the Moderator controls/Key button located on the right side of the screen.
3.Click the Announcement button.
4.In the Announcement panel that appears, enter the following information:
1.Set the User drop-down menu to the name of the user you want to contact.
2.Enter your direct message text.
3.Set the Message drop-down menu to Message.
5.Click the Send or Send and Close button.
Yes-or-no messages
In certain cases, you may want to gather feedback from users in the form of a yes-or-no response. You can broadcast an open question to everyone gathered within your region, or limit your question to a particular user. 
Here's an example of how you might approach a specific user. Notice that:
The User drop-down menu is set to a particular user.
The Message drop-down menu is set to Yes or No Response.
Here's how the example message above may appear to the intended user.
You can see that in addition to being able to close the message, the user can answer Yes or No by clicking a button.
In our hypothetical example, the user has responded by answering that yes, she is lost. Here's the return message a Moderator might receive. From here, the Moderator can reply again through the message pop-up by clicking the Reply button. Alternatively, the Moderator may close the message  by clicking the Close button, and approach the user directly through text or voice chat.
To send a yes-or-no message, follow these steps:
1.Navigate your avatar to the region where you want to communicate with your users.
2.Click the Moderator controls/Key button located on the right side of the screen.
3.Click the Announcement button.
4.In the Announcement panel that appears, enter the following information:
1.Set the User drop-down menu to Everyone or a specific user.
2.Enter your announcement text.
3.Set the Message drop-down menu to Yes or No Response.
5.Click the Send or Send and Close button.
Input messages
Input messages allow Moderators to solicit detailed responses from users. These messages can be broadcast to an entire region, or targeted at a single person.
In the example image above, a Moderator has sent a message to everyone. Notice that:
The User drop-down menu is set to Everyone.
The Message drop-down menu is set to Input Response.
Here's how the example message above may appear to users located in the region.
You can see that a user has received this message and has entered her thoughts in the response field. She can now click Send to reply to the Moderator, or dismiss the announcement pop-up by clicking Close.
Here's an example of how the user's response may appear to a Moderator. The Moderator can now respond to the user by clicking Reply, or Close the conversation.
To send an input message, follow these steps:
1.Navigate your avatar to the region where you want to communicate with your users.
2.Click the Moderator controls/Key button located on the right side of the screen.
3.Click the Announcement button.
4.In the Announcement panel that appears, enter the following information:
1.Set the User drop-down menu to Everyone or a specific user.
2.Enter your announcement text.
3.Set the Message drop-down menu to Input Response.
5.Click the Send or Send and Close button.