Getting Started

The Annoto Comments Space enable a discussion between all the viewers of a video - learners and instructors. Every comment that is added gets a time-tag, meaning: you can always see to what specific moment in the video each comment refers and understand its context.

Illustration: Annoto widget, Comments space

Adding a comment

How to add a comment?

If you want to add a comment, simply start typing in "Add a comment..." section. The video will be automatically paused (so you won't miss anything while writing).

Illustration: Annoto widget, click to add a comment

Once your comment is ready, simply hit Enter, or click the submit button (green arrow, as you can see in the image below):

Illustration: Annoto widget, click to submit the comment

and your comment will be added to the discussion:

Illustration: Annoto widget, with the submitted comment

Who wrote the comment?

The Educator indicator

In addition to the name of who wrote the comment, every comment (or a reply) provided by the instructors is marked with the Educator indicator (the graduation hat beneath the user image).

Learners' comments do not have the Educator's indicator icon.

Illustration: Annoto widget, Educator's indicator

Anonymous comments

Learners can even have the ability to post questions or comments as anonymous. In this case, only instructors will see the user's name. Click here to see how Anonymous comments look in instructor's view, as you can also see in the following images:

Illustration: Anonymous comment, Instructor's view

Illustration: Anonymous comment, fellow Learners' view

When Anonymous comments are enabled, each learner can choose whether to post the comment as anonymous or not. This is how it looks in the learners' widget:

Illustration: Anonymous comment, Learners' view

Comments & Notes Time-tag

Each comment (in the Comment Space) and each note (in the Personal Notes Space) gets a timetag that reflects in what specific moment in the video it was added. Therefore every question, comment or a note is always in the context of the video.

Illustration: Comment's time-tag

Clicking on the timetag will take you to the exact moment in the video that it was written about.

The Annoto Timeline

The Annoto Timeline provides a quick overview of the discussion and indicates specific moments in the video that includes many comments or questions.

Illustration: the Annoto interactive Timeline

To learn all you need to know about the Timeline - Click here.

Additional actions in the widget

Adding a sentiment

If you wish, you can add a sentiment to your comment, to indicate its type:

You may choose your sentiment by clicking on the icon near the comment that you are typing, as you can see here:

Illustration: Annoto widget, click to add a sentiment

Multiple lines

If you want to move to the next line in your comment, click Shift + Enter.

Rich Text messages

You can format your messages:

• Ordered list (Type 1. (or any other number followed by a dot) at the beginning of a new line and it will magically transform to ordered list)

• Bullet list (Type * , - or + at the beginning of a new line)

Shift + Enter to a new line

Illustration: Rich-text comments

• Emojis (Add smiley faces, hearts, winks etc. by typing their shortcuts and a space after them: :-), <3 , ;) or :p )

Illustration: Rich-text comments

• Bold - Type double asterisks for **Bold text**

• Italic - Type underscores for _Italic Text_

• Highlight - Type equal signs ==like this== to highlight

• Blockquote - Type > at the beginning of a new line

Illustration: Rich-text comments

Mention a user

Whenever People Space is enabled on the widget, you can mention a user in the comments space by using '@' .

To mention someone, type '@' in the editor then start typing their name. Then, choose the person you want to mention from the list of suggestions.

Enhance the discussion:

• Drive a specific user's attention to a certain moment in the video

• Empower a learner by mentioning them in the discussion

• Learners can mention one another in the context of the video content

Edit\ Delete a comment

You are free to edit or delete any comment you write.

Editing or deleting a comment is done by clicking on the 3 dots menu, that is revealed when hovering the comment's date:

Illustration: Click to edit/delete

Reply to a comment

If you want to reply to a comment - all you have to do is click on Reply below the comment, write and hit send, as you can see here:

Illustration: Click to reply

Read replies

Whenever a comment has replies, the number of replies is mentioned below the comment. Clicking on that will open the reply so you can read it, as you can see here:

Illustration: Click to read replies

Like a comment

A comment can be “liked” simply by clicking on the red heart near the “reply” button.

The number of "likes" a comment received is shown as well.

Whenever an instructor “likes” a learner's comment or a reply, that comment\reply is marked with “Educator’s thumbs up” (yellow medal on the comment).

As you can see in the following images:

Illustration: Click to like a comment

Illustration: Read replies and Educator's Thumbs Up

Delete learners' comments

An instructor has the ability to delete learners’ comments from the discussion (in case of inappropriate comments, for example).

Deleting a learner's comment is done by clicking on the 3 dots menu, that is revealed when hovering a comment's date:

Illustration: Hover to see the Edit/Delete menu

Illustration: Click to delete a learner's comment

You will see that the comment was deleted:

Learners will not see this comment at all (as if it was never written).

Instructors can also delete learners' comments directly from the Annoto Dashboard. Click here to see how.

Moderating comments

An instructor has the ability to manually approve any comments before it becomes public.

Setting the option for "Managed Comments" is done in the Annoto Dashboard.

Approving comments is done via the Annoto widget.

When moderating comments is enabled, once a comment is submitted, it will await instructor's approval.

This is how the instructor will see the comment (with "Pending approval" message below the comment):

The instructor can publish the comment, dismiss it, or choose any of the additional options (Reply and Publish, Private Reply or Delete) - based on the Managed Comments features enabled in the Preferences.

The learner who posted the comment will see it with "Pending approval" message, until approved by the instructor:

Other learners will not see the comment until it is approved.

Once approved, the comment will be shown in the discussion,

If deleted, the comment will appear as "Deleted by moderator", both for the instructor and for the author (the learner who wrote it). Other learners will not see the comment at all (not even "Deleted by moderator" comment).

If dismissed, the comment will disappear from the Instructor's discussion but will still appear as "Pending Approval" for the author (the learner who wrote it). Other learners will not see the comment at all.

Taking a closer look at a comment

If we take a closer look on an added comment, here is the info we have on each comment:

Illustration: Comment's features

Adding an external video as a comment

In order to add an external video (a YouTube video, for example) in your comment:

1. Go to the video

2. Copy the video's link (URL)

3. Go to "Add a comment" in Annoto:

You may either write a comment in addition to the video, or not - as you wish.

4. Paste the video's link (URL)

5. Hit "send".

The video will be embedded in the discussion, as you can see here:

Illustration: An external video as a comment

Recording a video as a comment

You may comment with your own video: a camera recording (of you) or a screen recording.

Click here to learn all about recording video as a comment.

Different uses of Comments Space

To learn about all the ways you can use the Annoto Comment Space (to engage the viewers, encourage a discussion, use it for assignments, etc. - visit the Annoto Use Cases.