Cracking Discord: The New Member’s Guide to the Platform

All the cool kids are on Discord!

This may be true but I am too old to know what the “cool kids” are doing these days (old Millennial noises).

Image from the Discord Blog

Discord was designed for gamers as an interactive platform but it has expanded well beyond the gaming communities due to its customizable nature. Discord is a wonderful platform that allows you to find servers that may be of interest. However, it can be difficult to navigate, especially for those that are new, and become overwhelming if you do not know how to program your personal settings. This guide is designed for new users who are feeling puzzled by the sheer amount of information and unwritten rules. We also recommend you check out the Beginner's guide on the Official Discord Website and the succinct video below.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a server? A server is like a niche where individuals gather to discuss a topic of common interest. There are as many servers as there are possible topics to discuss. They can be simple or complex, big or small.
• What are the categories? Categories are used to group channels within a server so that the users have an easier time navigating them. They are usually descriptive enough and collapsible so if you wish to mute and hide an entire category you can.
• What are the channels? Channels are the sub-topic discussion areas. Some channels are read-only and used by the staff to make announcements or provide information to the members while others are active and live melting pots of discussion. Channels are designed based on specific discussion topics and as users, it is our job to remain on-topic for the specific channel you are in so as not to disturb the current theme and the experience of other users. Some channels will be designated “dumpster fire”, meaning that anything (within server rules) goes.
• Why are there so many channels? Channels are often created to allow certain discussions that would otherwise overrun an already established channel. As servers grow, topics get added and channels are created for these topics. As servers age, topics die and get replaced. It is the staff’s duty to ensure that all the channels in a server are relevant and used frequently to avoid “dead channels” which are cluttering to users.
• Who are the Admins, Moderators, and Staff? Moderators and staff are appointed by the server owner to help run the server. These individuals know the server rules by heart and are tasked with ensuring that they are followed. This is especially critical in larger servers where a heavier moderation is needed.
• What is “ping/pinging”? The word ping is used to describe when you tag a user or role using @[name]. We will discuss the pinging etiquette below.
• What are the server roles? Roles are custom tags used to group users into categories. They can be optional or required. For example, most public servers will have a “verified” role which you obtain by reading the rules and performing some tasks to gain membership privileges. Other roles are self-assignable and allow members to describe their interests so other users know what they like to discuss.
• What are the reactions? Reactions are (server or regular) emojis used on messages. They can be very useful for member polling (ex. react with green to indicate you like this) but also for fun (ex. Harold emoji when you feel like giving up), to indicate agreement or disagreement with a post, and to express your feelings about a post. Some bots on discord have the ability to read who has reacted to a message and assign specific roles to them (based on the reaction). This is how the majority of the role system works on Biocord.
• What are the bots? Bots are like computer programs designed to do tasks on a server. They are as diverse as needs arise. You will find game bots, which allow you to play mini-games in the server, music bots designed to play music on command, or moderation bots that help the staff to carry their duties.
• What is Discord Nitro? Discord is a free platform but if users would like to enjoy a few extra perks while supporting the developers, they can subscribe to Discord Nitro. Nitro allows you to use server exclusive emojis in every server, have discounted server boosting, have animated profile pictures, etc. It is not needed to have a full user experience in discord, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. I subscribe because I love the concept, not because I have to.
• What is up with all these acronyms? As a gaming-born platform and a typing based platform, acronyms are used often by us lazy writers who prefer to not write too much or rather type faster. Here you can find some common acronyms and online sayings. If you don’t know what something means, you can always do a quick google search since these terms are rarely obscure.

Managing Notifications

One of the biggest problems when it comes to Discord for new users is the notifications which if not set properly can be overwhelming to downright maddening. Fret not, because you have the power to design how you want your notifications to be! A couple of things to have in mind:

• @ mentions only: Make sure that for each server you have this enabled. While servers are set this way by their owners (at least those who are not insane) your own personal preferences will override this feature. Meaning that if you have your notifications set to anything, you will see everything pop up.
• Channel specific notifications: Within a server, you have the ability to mute channels and even entire categories. This is a powerful feature since you can choose which channels get the “new notification” mark when you are on a server. I personally always review channels first and decide which ones I want to hear about. For example “joins/leaves” channels can be safely muted, bot-spam channels should be muted, and generally, anything that you do not feel is worth a notification.
• Hiding unwanted channels: Once you mute a channel, you may also choose from the server settings to hide muted channels. This is useful in servers with dedicated NSFW channels if you are not interested in seeing those messages.
• Privacy Settings: You can decide whether or not you want to keep your private messages open for members from a specific server. This is a nice security feature if you get triggered by DMs.

How to manage notifications on Discord.

Common Etiquette

• To ping or not to ping. Different servers will have different pinging policies. It is your responsibility to inform yourself about the etiquette in each server you are on. Pings can be very useful but they can also be very intrusive and annoying to people on the other end. Opt to err on the side of caution and not ping unless you know you should.
• To DM or not to DM. Again, check the server rules before sending a direct message to anyone on the server. Same reason as above, intrusive and unnecessary in most cases. Also, do not DM advertise! There is a special place in hell for people who send unsolicited DMs

Spoiler alert: The answer is, usually, do not ping/DM!

• Writing in channels. Just write normally. Don’t go crazy with the caps, key smash, or press enter after each word and you will be fine. We all get frustrated sometimes, but understanding and following common online etiquette is needed in discord.
• How to properly use bots. There will always be a designated bot room so you can spam to your heart’s content without disturbing members. Stick to those and we can all be happy.

Terms of Service

• Read them, at least once in your life!

Last remarks

• If you like a topic, there probably exists a discord for it. If there isn't one, make it!
• This is not Facebook! Do not send message chains or you will be teased :harold:.