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Topic: Discord channel (Read 3141 times) previous topic - next topic

Discord channel

Let's be honest, how often do you spend 30 minutes to an hour typing a forum post when talking to the same people (assuming people were in the same room as you) would be faster, more productive, and get your question resolved within mere minutes?

Back in the old days, programmers used a chat system known as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to speed up conversations and increase productivity. Today, Discord (designed for gamers, but used for all types of online communities) is probably the most popular way to chat, and is packed with powerful features that make it more convenient and easier to use than any other platform.

I'm not suggesting we stop using the forum-- in fact, the forum is a great tool for many circumstances-- but that we strengthen the community by adding this method of communication to our toolbox. Many communities still use forums in addition to Discord, and it's a great combination.

I'll check this post again later for replies (I confess I'm not as good with checking forums as I was 10 years ago), but I'm going to go ahead and set up an unofficial (for now, unless someone officially decides to endorse the idea) Discord server for NWC in the hopes this catches on, even if there are only a handful of users.

Re: Discord channel

Reply #1 –
I think Discord could be a good idea, but the NWC Forum works well.  There's an old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Users live in various time zones, so right now it's almost supper time where I live, but it's midmorning tomorrow in Australia, it's late evening on the other side of my country, and it's the middle of the night in Europe. 

Unless I'm writing charts (a few times a year only) and need help, I won't visit the Forum unless I have a little downtime and want to see what's happening.

Help almost always comes within a couple of hours, and will remain in the archive, umm, forever? I can research my problems in the forum before pestering other users.

Does Discord save discussions in a searchable format?  That would be my major concern.  I wouldn't want to find the experts who use the Forum have moved away to a system I'm not familiar with.
  

Re: Discord channel

Reply #2 –
Quote from: David Palmquist –
I think Discord could be a good idea, but the NWC Forum works well.  There's an old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
On the other side, if it does break, what happens next? If NWC takes the forum offline, right now there is no plan B.

If there is NWC on Discord, I would register for it but would only occasionally use it unless I need a spare tire.
Since 1998

Re: Discord channel

Reply #3 –
I run a Discord server for another of my hobbies, so I can speak from experience about the pros and cons that have been raised here. It's nice to have more immediate interaction with the people in the chat, and for problem solving, that can be a plus, where you don't need to wait an hour or more for an answer. On the other hand, there is the time zone issue, and in our community, we have people in the US, Europe, Australia and other places, which can make it more difficult to find a time when the person you want to reach will be online the same time you are.

To answer a couple of questions, the discussion in Discord is archived and searchable, so that discussion that takes place when you aren't online is still there when you return.  A server can be configured with multiple channels, much like the separate forums on this site. Within each channel, there is the general stream of discussion, as well as the ability to create a "thread" for a specific topic. Images and sound files can be uploaded and viewed, although there is a limit to the size of such files (25 MB). Another option that is available is multi-user voice chat, and it's also possible to have video chat, either with a webcam or with a view of your computer screen. This can make it possible to demonstrate a program in real time.

I personally think that a Discord server could be a nice adjunct to what we have here in the forum, without trying to replace it.