# Follow a record: chatter, notes, followers and attachments

Use the chatter attached to a record to message its followers, log internal notes, plan activities, attach files and choose who follows it, shown here on a contact.

Most records on the platform carry a chatter: contacts, requests, documents and more. The chatter is the record's own history: the messages sent to its followers, the internal notes, the planned activities and the attached files, newest first. This page shows it on a contact, but every chatter works the same way. Any internal user can read it; to post on a record you need the right to edit it (a few apps allow posting with read access only).

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- Open a record that has a chatter, for example a contact from **Contacts/Contacts**.
- Decide who should read what you write: a *message* reaches the followers, a *note* stays internal.
- A follower who has a user account receives messages the way they chose in their own preferences: by email, or in their inbox in **Discuss**. A contact without an account is reached by email.
- The chatter sits beside the form on wide screens or below it; you choose in the theme's settings hub (**Chatter**: **Side** or **Bottom**). The side chatter can be dragged wider or narrower by its inner edge.

## Steps {#steps}

1. Open **Contacts/Contacts** and click a contact. The top bar of the chatter holds **Send message** (Alt+M), **Log note** (Alt+Shift+M) and **Activity** (Alt+Shift+A), a magnifier (**Search Messages**), a paperclip (**Attach files**) and the followers button (**Show Followers**) with the number of followers.

![The chatter bar: "Send message", "Log note", "Activity", the paperclip and the followers button.](https://jaah.app/web/image/6784-c6149df4/essentials-chatter-chatter_bar-en.png)

2. To write for your colleagues, click **Log note**. The composer opens with the placeholder **Log an internal note…**. Type your text, mention a colleague with @ to notify them, then click **Log**. A note is never emailed to the contact or to the followers; the people you mention are notified.

![The note composer is open; nothing is posted in this scenario.](https://jaah.app/web/image/6788-fbddef7b/essentials-chatter-log_note-en.png)

3. To write to the followers, click **Send message**. The **To:** row lists the recipients; you can add or remove some. Write the message and click **Send**. Every follower receives it by email or in their inbox, according to their preference.
4. To plan work on the record, click **Activity**. In the **Schedule Activity** dialog pick the **Activity Type**, write a **Summary**, set the **Due Date**, choose who it is **Assigned to** (you by default) and add a **Note** if needed. Click **Save**; **Mark Done** records it as already done; **Discard** closes the dialog.

![The "Schedule Activity" dialog: activity type, summary, due date and assignee.](https://jaah.app/web/image/6792-ef638b55/essentials-chatter-schedule_activity-en.png)

5. Planned activities appear in the **Planned Activities** block at the top of the chatter, with how soon each one is due. From there you mark an activity done when it is finished (**Mark as done**).
6. To attach a file, click the paperclip (**Attach files**). While the record has no attachment, your file picker opens directly. Once it has some, the button opens the **Files** box that lists them, with **Attach files** to add more and, on each file, **Download** and **Remove**. While the composer is open you can also drop files onto the chatter.
7. To manage the followers, click the followers button (**Show Followers**). The list shows who follows the record. **Follow** or **Unfollow** applies to you; **Add Followers** opens a dialog to add colleagues or contacts; **Edit subscription** selects which kinds of events a follower receives.

## Result {#result}

The chatter shows the messages, notes and activities in order, newest first, with the files in their box. Followers are informed of every message sent from the record; notes stay inside the team. The magnifier (**Search Messages**) finds a word anywhere in the history of the record.

## FAQ {#faq}

### What is the difference between a message and a note? {#message-or-note}

A message goes to the followers of the record and to the recipients listed in **To:**, by email or in their inbox. A note is logged on the record only; nobody receives it unless you mention them with @.

### Why did a colleague not get my message by email? {#no-email-received}

Each user chooses in **My Preferences**, under **Notification**, between **By Emails** and **In Jaah**. With the second choice, messages arrive in the inbox of **Discuss**, not in the mailbox. A colleague who does not follow the record receives nothing unless mentioned.

### How do I stop following a record? {#stop-following}

Click the followers button and choose **Unfollow**. You can still open the record; you only stop receiving its messages. Someone can add you back with **Add Followers**.

### Can I move the chatter under the form? {#move-the-chatter}

Yes. Open the settings hub in the top bar (the sliders icon, **Settings**) and choose **Bottom** under **Chatter**. The choice is saved on your user account and applies on every device.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/essentials/follow-a-record-with-the-chatter
- Updated: 2026-10-13
- Version: Essentials 19.0.2.0.5
- Verified: 2026-10-13