Text Track
Text Track takes all of the comments in the chat from the time StreamAlive was connected to the live session and turns the comments into a beautiful word cloud.
Text Track differs from Wonder Words in that it considers all the messages that have been typed during the meeting. Wonder Words only considers the messages that are typed while the interaction is on the presenter’s screen.
Inspired by the interactive nature of word clouds, this feature works seamlessly across platforms like Zoom, YouTube, Teams, and more, ensuring that every key word is captured as it’s sent.
This interaction is perfect for identifying trending topics, gauging audience sentiment, or sparking further discussion during your session. In this guide, we’ll explore how to set up Text Track, customization options, how to run it, and frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use Text Track or Wonder Words to run a word cloud?
Both Text Track and Wonder Words create word clouds based on audience input, but they function differently depending on your needs:
Text Track breaks down chat messages and highlights the most frequently used words. It’s great for identifying trending topics, key themes, or commonly mentioned terms in real time.
Wonder Words builds a word cloud from single-word responses that participants type in the chat. It’s ideal for structured interactions where you prompt the audience to submit specific keywords, such as reactions, ideas, or takeaways.
If you want to analyze and visualize the most popular words from full chat messages, use Text Track. If you need a focused, one-word response interaction, go with Wonder Words.
How Does Text Track Collect Responses?
Text Track automatically analyzes chat messages from platforms such as Zoom, YouTube, and Teams to identify and tally the most frequently used words. As participants type, the system processes the text in real time and highlights the words that appear most often.
How Does It Work in the Presentation Live Screen?
Once Text Track is activated, it appears on the Presentation Live Screen, visible to both the presenter and the audience.
The display updates dynamically as chat messages are analyzed, showing a word cloud of the most popular words.
The words are sized according to their frequency, offering a clear snapshot of the prevailing themes and interests of your audience.
Can You Customize the Text Track Display?
Yes! You can adjust the color scheme, fonts, and overall layout of the word cloud to match your presentation’s theme. This customization ensures a visually cohesive and engaging experience for your audience.
What Happens if a Lot of Responses Come in at Once?
If multiple responses are submitted simultaneously, Text Track efficiently processes and aggregates the data, updating the word cloud in real time. This ensures that the most popular words are accurately reflected without overwhelming the display.
What Are Acceptable Audience Input Options?
Text Track analyzes all text responses from the chat. Whether participants type single words or longer sentences, the system breaks down the input to focus on individual words. It then highlights the words that are mentioned most frequently, regardless of the length of the original response.
Creating a Text Track Interaction
To run Text Track during your session, you can choose to:
Using Quick Interaction Links
Adding Text Track to your presentation
Go to My Presentations
Click on New Presentation
Click on New Slide
Add Text Track
To learn more about how to create a presentation, click here
Once the interaction is added, customize the interaction using the tabs on the right hand side.
Edit the heading, add the options and configure its settings in the Content tab.
You can also edit the design of the interactions like the background color, background image, and heading color/font.
For a more in-depth guide on how to edit your presentation, click here
Alternatively, try our pre-designed Themes to completely change the look of your word cloud.
Click on Preview to see what it will look like during a session
Now that your presentation is complete, you can present it immediately or schedule it with a future session
Follow the instructions on how to connect StreamAlive to your preferred meeting or streaming platform, or even use it for in-person events.
Click here to get an in-depth guide on connecting to your preferred platform
Creating an Ad-hoc Text Track Interaction
What’s the Purpose of Creating an Ad-hoc Text Track Interaction?
An ad-hoc interaction in StreamAlive allows you to launch audience engagement features instantly during your live session, without needing to pre-plan them. With Text Track, this means you can capture spontaneous input by breaking down chat messages into the most popular words in real time. (If you’re new to ad-hoc interactions, check out this help article for more details.)
Why Use an Ad-hoc Text Track Interaction?
While you can integrate Text Track into your presentation ahead of time, running it as an ad-hoc interaction gives you the flexibility to capture live audience insights exactly when you need them.
For example, if you're discussing a key concept and want to quickly gauge the prevailing themes or sentiments in your audience's chat, you can trigger a Text Track interaction on the spot. This ensures that the display reflects the current buzz by highlighting the most frequently mentioned words, rather than aggregating data from earlier parts of your session.
By using an ad-hoc Text Track interaction, you foster real-time engagement and create a dynamic, interactive environment that adapts to the flow of your session while providing instant feedback on audience sentiment.
Connect StreamAlive to your session
To learn how to connect to your required platform, click here
Once you’re connected and on the Presentation Live screen, click on the "+ New Interaction" button
Click on the Text Track
Customize your interaction
Here, you can edit the heading, add the options and configure the word cloud’s settings.
Remember: Everyone can see your screen at this point so don’t spend too long on it. Alternatively, you can plan your interaction’s question and settings in advance using the presentation builder method discussed in the section above.
Choose a theme [Optional]
This step is optional, but if you choose to continue without choosing, the interaction will use your default theme.
Remember: Spending time customizing your design in the middle of your live session is likely to be an attention killer, so consider using the presentation builder to create your interactions in advance if you plan on customizing them.
Once ready, click on Go
Share the StreamAlive window to your audience
Text Track automatically shows the most popular words from the chat.
StreamAlive picks up all these words and powers the interaction in real time
Using Quick Interaction Links for Text Track
What’s the Purpose of Using Quick Interaction Links for Text Track?
Quick Interaction Links in StreamAlive allow you to instantly launch audience engagement features without needing to pre-set them in a presentation. With Text Track, this means you can activate the interaction with a single click, enabling the system to analyze chat messages and display the most popular words in real time. (If you’re new to quick interaction links, check out this help article for more details.)
Why Use Quick Interaction Links for Text Track?
While you can plan interactions in advance, Quick Interaction Links offer the flexibility to trigger Text Track on the fly—perfect for moments when you want to capture trending keywords and key topics from your audience instantly without disrupting your session’s flow.
For example, if you're hosting a live webinar and want to quickly gauge the predominant themes emerging from the discussion, you can instantly trigger Text Track. As participants type their messages in the chat, the system dynamically aggregates and displays the most frequently mentioned words, providing an immediate snapshot of audience sentiment and popular topics.
This interaction is ideal for brainstorming sessions, Q&A segments, or discussions where understanding the prevailing conversation is crucial.
By using Quick Interaction Links for Text Track, you ensure that audience contributions are captured and showcased in real time, keeping your session interactive, engaging, and focused on the most relevant points raised by your audience.
Go to the Quick Interactions Links tab and click on “Show link” next to Text Track
Copy the link.
When ready to use, open the link in a new tab or you can paste it into your presentation file or Google Slides and so on.
A pop-up will appear where you can choose your required platform. Learn more about connecting to your preferred platform.
Enter your session details and click on Present when ready
A pop-up asking you to admit the bot will appear (In cases like Zoom with the waiting room disabled, or YouTube/Twitch and similar platforms, it will join automatically)
Go to your live session and admit the bot.
Customize your interaction
Here, you can edit the heading, add the options and configure the word cloud’s settings.
Remember: Everyone can see your screen at this point so don’t spend too long on it. Alternatively, you can plan your interaction’s question and settings in advance using the presentation builder method discussed in the section above.
Choose a theme [Optional]
This step is optional but if you choose to continue without choosing, the interaction will use your default theme.
Remember: Spending time customizing your design in the middle of your live session is likely to be an attention killer, so consider using the presentation builder to create your interactions in advance if you plan on customizing them.
Once ready, click on Go
Share the StreamAlive window to your audience
Text Track automatically shows the most popular words from the chat.
StreamAlive picks up all these words and powers the interaction in real time
Learn how to use the Presentation Live screen to manage your interactions during your live session