Discord is one of the fastest growing and largest messaging platforms with more than 87 million users around the world since its launch in 2015, and it has established itself as an excellent alternative to Skype and TeamSpeak in the gaming community, with more than 130,000 servers. If you have never used Discord before or you’re just about to join the platform, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about the app so that you can have a smooth experience. Let’s dive in! What to Expect When You Join Discord
An Intro to the History
Table of Contents
Founded in 2015, San Francisco-based startup Slack has exploded onto not only Silicon Valley’s tech scene but into mainstream consciousness. The company, which launched with $42 million in funding, is best known for its secure team chat app that focuses on real-time messaging and file sharing. But perhaps more importantly, Slack is famous for having scaled so quickly it has become an integral part of how thousands of organizations do business.
An Intro to How it Works
Discord is an instant messaging app that was built with gaming in mind, but it can be useful for all sorts of other activities. It has been described as Skype on steroids by The Next Web, and PC Magazine named it one of their top three picks for video chat apps. Although you can use Discord just like you would Skype or FaceTime, there are some things you should know before jumping in.
The Basics – Joining & Leaving
In order to join a channel, you’ll have to get a link from its creator. Since all messages are public, that means anyone will be able to see who you are and what your account looks like. If you want an added layer of privacy, then it’s suggested that you create an entirely new user and add no personal information about yourself into it.
Understanding Direct Messages
Direct messages are a fantastic way to privately converse with your friends, especially if you’re in different servers. If you want direct access to another person or even just a small group of people, make sure they add you as a friend before messaging them or joining their chat channel. Your account will be set as online and it will show that you have sent them a message. They can then check their friend requests and get back to you.
An Intro to Chat Rooms
Chat rooms have been around forever, from AOL in 1994 to Skype and Google Hangouts today. They allow you to chat with a group of friends while connected online. If you’re not familiar with chat rooms, then you might want to try it out at least once.
An Intro to Voice Chats
If you’re new to voice chats, it can be a little intimidating at first. Make sure your microphone is on before you start chatting and that your audio levels are decent, or you might have trouble being heard. Don’t worry if your microphone picks up a lot of noise—there are ways around that (see #3). Try not to get frustrated if nobody responds immediately—you may need to give people some time to recognize what you’re saying in chat.
An Intro to Servers
Find a server that sounds interesting. Click through to its page, and you’ll be taken through a list of its rules, general information about it, as well as specific information about its purpose (for example, Casual Pokemon). Take note of how many people are members and check out their profiles. If there aren’t any profiles available—or if you don’t like what you see—don’t join!
Conclusion and Wrapping Up
At some point, your head will be buzzing with terms, features, and other information about Discord. To keep it all straight—and to make it easier for you to start chatting on a variety of channels—here’s a quick recap of what we talked about in these tips