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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Connect with the newest and most vibrant online community Though it was originally a virtual meeting place primarily for gamers, Discord's userbase has quintupled in size in just two years and branched to include discussions on a multitude of topics. Discord For Dummies shows readers how to connect with the massive Discord audience, both within and well beyond the gaming niche. Celebrated writer, broadcaster, gamer, and technologist Tee Morris teaches readers how to set up a profile, establish channels, and join other conversations. Along the way, he'll show you how to grow your audience and utilize Discord in your business. You'll also learn to: · Play by the rules of Discord, both written and unwritten · Build a Discord studio · Create a community · Acquire must-have accessories With an audience of over 250,000,000 active users, you can't afford to ignore the Discord community. Discord For Dummies is perfect for businesses seeking a larger audience, established media looking for a presence in private chat, and groups looking to organize their communication.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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Discord® For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. Discord is a trademark of Discord, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020934813
ISBN 978-1-119-68803-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-68801-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-68809-9 (ebk)
Discord® For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Discord For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with Discord
Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Discord
So What Exactly Is VoIP?
So What Exactly Is In-Game Chat?
So What Exactly Is Discord?
Setting Up Your Discord Account
Joining a Discord Server
Chapter 2: Hailing Frequencies Open
Connecting with Friends
Something to Talk About: Channels
Sharing Is Caring: Putting a Post Together
Wanna Come on by for a Chat?
Chapter 3: Straight Talk
Formatting Text
Talk to Me: Making a Discord Post Personal
Role-in’, Role-in’, Role-in’: Roles in Your Community
Just Between Us: Direct Messaging
Security Clearance: Roles and Permissions Revisited
Part 2: Communication in Discord beyond Text
Chapter 4: Discord beyond the Browser
Using Discord on Your Desktop
Working with the Desktop Discord
Using Discord on the Go: Mobile Options
Leveling Up: Discord Nitro
Serving Up Awesome: Server Types in Discord
Chapter 5: Audio Check
Sound Strategy: Audio on Discord
The Mystery of Microphones
Thingamajigs, Whammerwhips, and Doodads: Audio Accessories
Chapter 6: Ready for That Close-Up: Video on Discord
Moving Pictures: Video on Discord
A Go for Launch: Using Discord’s Go Live
Building on the Basics: Video Accessories and Upgrades
One More Thing: Integrating Twitch with Discord
Chapter 7: Setting the Stage: Making Discord Your Digital Hangout
Greetings, Fellow Programs: The Value of a #Welcome Channel
Attention, All Personnel: The Value of an #Announcements Channel
Getting in the Last Word with Discord
Chapter 8: Discord in Name Only: Etiquette
Bye, Felicia: Causing Discord on Discord
Getting Your Gab On: Interview Tips
It’s All in the Planning: Preparing for Interviews
Recording Discord with OBS
Part 3: Working Discord into Your Routine
Chapter 9: Building on Your Foundation
Forward Momentum: The After-Show on Discord
The Importance of Your Own Presence on Discord
Meet and Greet: Working with Meetups in Discord
Other Kinds of Engagement
Why Engagement Matters
Chapter 10: A Day on Discord
Discord in the Morning
Discord in the Afternoon
The Unexpected Alert
Discord in the Evening
Part 4: The Part of Tens
Chapter 11: Top Ten Essentials for Discord
Corsair’s Void Pro Headset
Blue Microphone Yeti X
MXL 990 XLR Microphone
Shure X2u XLR-to-USB Microphone Adapter
Røde Boom Mic Stand
Logitech C922 Pro HD Stream Webcam
ZOMEi 16-Inch LED Ring Light
Mee6
Carl-bot
Nightbot
Chapter 12: Top Ten Ideas for Channel Topics
Five Topics for the Fun of It
Five Topics for the Professional
Index
About the Author
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: Welcome to Discord, a Swiss Army knife of communications for you an...
FIGURE 1-2: Skype brought free international communications to everyone around ...
FIGURE 1-3: Thanks to in-game chat, streamer BBXH (
https://twitch.tv/bbxh
) can ...
FIGURE 1-4: What do people call you on Discord? Create a username for yourself ...
FIGURE 1-5: When you create a server on Discord, you christen it with a name an...
FIGURE 1-6: An avatar is a representative image of you and your Discord server....
FIGURE 1-7: My Account offers you options to change your user name, avatar, ver...
FIGURE 1-8: Discord integrates with Twitch, Spotify, YouTube, and other popular...
FIGURE 1-9: Voice & Video grants you audio and video chat, using either the bui...
FIGURE 1-10: If you prefer your Discord UI to be light or dark, or if you need ...
FIGURE 1-11: Server Discovery is one way of finding new communities with other ...
FIGURE 1-12: By clicking on the Add a Server icon (the green “+” sign), you hav...
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: The Friends list in Discord offers you the ability to see who is on...
FIGURE 2-2: Making friends on Discord is easy once you know how. Click a userna...
FIGURE 2-3: When creating a channel, spaces are rendered as hyphens and the tit...
FIGURE 2-4: Channels help organize your Discord server in providing topics visi...
FIGURE 2-5: In Discord, it is easy to share links, images, and YouTube clips in...
FIGURE 2-6: To build your community in Discord, invitations should be circulate...
FIGURE 2-7: By adjusting the expiration period and number of users, you can eas...
FIGURE 2-8: Nightbot's Custom Command feature triggers frequent messages in you...
FIGURE 2-9: TweetDeck is a fully integrated Twitter account management tool, of...
FIGURE 2-10: Your Twitter Profile offers up details on who you are, where you a...
FIGURE 2-11: The Edit Profile window in the browser (left) and mobile app (righ...
FIGURE 2-12: Share an aspect of your Discord on Instagram and cover several pla...
FIGURE 2-13: In the Author Pro theme from StudioPress.com, a social media menu ...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: The Welcome channel is a read-only channel on your server that offe...
FIGURE 3-2: When you want to make sure a posting reaches a specific person, sel...
FIGURE 3-3: Permissions grant privileges to members of your chat that carry spe...
FIGURE 3-4: Once roles are assigned — as seen here in my own server — you now h...
FIGURE 3-5: By creating roles in a server, you can now send out concentrated “b...
FIGURE 3-6: By turning off the Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles (highlig...
FIGURE 3-7: The Profile window grants you the ability to make personal notes on...
FIGURE 3-8: General Permissions grants roles different administrative rights ov...
FIGURE 3-9: By clicking the Reactions icon, located on the right side of a post...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: Discord as a stand-alone app.
FIGURE 4-2: The Edit Channel option is a series of preferences, allowing you to...
FIGURE 4-3: When editing a channel, preferences and roles can be assigned witho...
FIGURE 4-4: Jessy a/k/a SheSnaps is host of a massive Discord community, and re...
FIGURE 4-5: To adjust settings in group folders, open the folder and then tap a...
FIGURE 4-6: On the desktop and the browser app, different group folders reveal ...
FIGURE 4-7: Discord Nitro levels up your server with more emotes, better bandwi...
FIGURE 4-8: In your Account Settings, found by tapping your avatar at the far r...
FIGURE 4-9: Boosting a server can either be accessed from your Server List (lef...
FIGURE 4-10: When creating a private server, the @everyone role is replaced wit...
FIGURE 4-11: A badge appearing by the name of a verified server is your first i...
FIGURE 4-12: Getting partnered in Discord is not an easy feat. This is why when...
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: Creating a new voice channel is easy. You create a new channel as y...
FIGURE 5-2: When others join your server’s audio channels, you can access detai...
FIGURE 5-3: The Channel Options window allows you to name your voice channel as...
FIGURE 5-4: By denying @everyone’s permission to connect to a channel, you now ...
FIGURE 5-5: While one is a professional desktop microphone, another a gaming he...
FIGURE 5-6: The
Corsair Void Pro Headset
offers audio quality and ergonomic com...
FIGURE 5-7: Shure’s MV5 (left) and MV51 (right), part of the MOTIV series, offe...
FIGURE 5-8: The Shure SM58 is an XLR dynamic microphone, considered an industry...
FIGURE 5-9: MXL’s Overstream Bundle comes with everything you need to effective...
FIGURE 5-10: XLR male (right) and female (left) plugs are standard plugs for ph...
FIGURE 5-11: The Shure X2U provides a simple, plug-and-play connection for XLR ...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Video Settings options offer a test for your incoming video sources...
FIGURE 6-2: Video calls on Discord tend to be a private affair between those in...
FIGURE 6-3: Keep the Go Live permission reserved for Moderators and roles that ...
FIGURE 6-4: When using Go Live, your activity appears as inset video while Disc...
FIGURE 6-5: Streaming with Twitch is commonly a two-camera setup with gameplay ...
FIGURE 6-6: Stream Settings adjust the quality of your stream, but remember — r...
FIGURE 6-7: The Go Live window, when games are not running, looks for what moni...
FIGURE 6-8: Screen-sharing, another feature of the new Go Live feature, allows ...
FIGURE 6-9: When upgrades and changes like Go Live happen in Discord, a change ...
FIGURE 6-10: The Logitech C920 webcam, priced at just under $50, offers streame...
FIGURE 6-11: Using OBS, you can emulate the full streaming experience, complete...
FIGURE 6-12: LED ring lights, like the Aixpi 10-Inch LED Ring Light here, provi...
FIGURE 6-13: The Connections options, located under your User Settings, offer u...
FIGURE 6-14: After Twitch is integrated with your Discord, you can grant extra ...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: A simple welcome channel lays down the law for everyone arriving to...
FIGURE 7-2: Hierarchy in your roles matter.
FIGURE 7-3: Carl-bot, found at
https://carl.gg
, offers your Discord added capab...
FIGURE 7-4: By going into your server categories, you can make global changes t...
FIGURE 7-5: With Carl-bot, we will create a reaction role that uses the basics ...
FIGURE 7-6: Tee’s #welcome channel, complete with rules, streaming schedule, an...
FIGURE 7-7: When the emote is clicked, the server is unlocked. Note in the left...
FIGURE 7-8: An #announcements channel can be manual posts, bot-driven posts, or...
FIGURE 7-9: Mee6 (
http://mee6.xyz
) allows you to send out on designated channel...
FIGURE 7-10: Mee6 makes automatic notifications of when you are going live extr...
FIGURE 7-11: Announcements can sometimes be a combination of text and animated ...
FIGURE 7-12: The Notifications option is a global look at how you are alerted t...
FIGURE 7-13: Most of Discord’s features are on the mobile app, but due to scree...
FIGURE 7-14: If a channel is getting too noisy either on your server or elsewhe...
FIGURE 7-15: Discord developers have worked within the desktop and mobile envir...
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: The Server Member Options menu, accessed by right-clicking on a use...
FIGURE 8-2: When you set up rules for a server, sometimes it is best to go into...
FIGURE 8-3: When having guests over for interviews, make sure you can handle th...
FIGURE 8-4: OBS transforms your computer into a working broadcast studio, compl...
FIGURE 8-5: In the Settings window, you can designate where recordings made in ...
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Streamers create content, and Discord plays into this be keeping th...
FIGURE 9-2: With Nightbot, you can create commands that quickly post answers to...
FIGURE 9-3: Timers are automated commands that fire off at intervals you set fo...
FIGURE 9-4: The Washington DC Community Meetup group, powered by Twitch, not on...
FIGURE 9-5: A banner graphic promoting your event should cleanly and concisely ...
FIGURE 9-6: Announcements can either be formal with the graphics specifically c...
FIGURE 9-7: On Alkali Layke’s Discord, the #share-creative channel is a place w...
FIGURE 9-8: The
spoiler
option is offered when you post media into Discord chan...
FIGURE 9-9: Selfies, whether they are focused on location or furry family membe...
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Find who you need to reply to by starting out your post with an @ ...
FIGURE 10-2: It’s more than okay to go into detail with a post. Add artwork as ...
FIGURE 10-3: GIFs provide quirky, fun ways of engagement, sometimes even answer...
FIGURE 10-4: During your review, don’t forget to check any channels you are mod...
FIGURE 10-5: Your writing prompt earned you a short story. A really good one. S...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: The Corsair Void Pro Headset offer comfort and quality of audio ca...
FIGURE 11-2: Blue Microphones, known for their work in developing USB microphon...
FIGURE 11-3: Regarded as the best of first-time microphones, the MXL 990 is an ...
FIGURE 11-4: Turn any XLR microphone into a USB mic and control the strength of...
FIGURE 11-5: The Røde Boom Mic Stand frees up desk space for where you are chat...
FIGURE 11-6: The Logitech C922 Pro HD Stream Webcam adjust to the needs and abi...
FIGURE 11-7: The ZOMEi 16-inch LED Ring Light Kit is a complete lighting soluti...
FIGURE 11-8: Mee6 offers Discord servers a little help in completing redundant ...
FIGURE 11-9: First introduced in Chapter 7, Carl-bot is a virtual assistant tha...
FIGURE 11-10: Nightbot’s Custom Command feature allows you to create frequent m...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
I’m just going to come out and address the massive gorilla in the room: naming a communications platform Discord is just plain weird.
And naming a platform as powerful, as efficient, and as awesome as the one I’m about to introduce you to Discord makes no sense to me.
Yet here we are. Discord For Dummies.
Maybe you’ve already heard of this platform and are looking to broaden your skill set on it. Maybe you are, like me, on a streaming platform — Twitch (https://twitch.tv) being my preferred place for streaming shenanigans — and people on your chat are asking about your Discord. Maybe you are looking to find something to replace your Facebook seeing as Discord hasn’t been called before Congress concerning privacy issues. Maybe you are just plain curious about this platform. (Or maybe you are one of those folks who has mastered Discord, is making a nice chunk of change from it, wanted to see who the heck I was in writing this book, and intend to poke fun at it next time you’re online, to which, all I can say is “Yooooo, thanks for the shout-out!”) Whatever the reason, you’re here, and I appreciate it. I’m here to talk to you about Discord. It’s a chat engine. It’s an audio app. It’s a video chat app. A lot is happening here, and I’m your guide in this beginner’s approach to this communications platform.
Discord For Dummies offers you a deep dive and a step-by-step approach to an exciting platform that, while designed for gamers, offers so much more in the ways of communication. Beginning with the question at the forefront of your mind — what is Discord? — this book takes you through an up-and-coming platform that serves as primary game comms for fireteams worldwide and virtual meeting spaces for event organizers. By the time you reach the end of this book, you should know where to go in Discord to get things done, how to build a community, how to connect with people through audio and video, and even have some fun on this journey with me.
About This Book
Discord For Dummies should be these things to all who pick up and read it (whether straight through or by jumping around in the chapters):
A user-friendly guide in how to establish a server, work with audio, work with video, and build a community
A terrific reference for choosing the right hardware and software to improve on your Internet communications, whether it is for gaming or otherwise
The starting point for the person who knows nothing about audio, video, VoIP, chat, community building, community management, or how to turn a computer into a communications bank
A handy go-to think tank for any beginning server manager who’s hungry for new ideas on what goes into a good stream and fresh points of view
A really fun read
There will be plenty of answers in these pages, and if you find the answers too elementary, I will provide you plenty of points of reference to research. I don’t claim to have all the solutions, quick fixes, and resolutions to all possible Discord queries, but I will present to you the basic building blocks and first steps for building a community around your favorite game(s), charity, non-profit, podcast, or stream. As with any For Dummies book, my responsibility is to offer you a foundation on which to build your Channel and grow. You may not hear me talk about your favorite Discord server. In fact, you may think “Why didn’t you talk to [insert favorite Discord server admin here]? They would have been a great feature.” My mission is to teach you the basics, and in covering the basics, I might have missed some details. However, this book should provide you with a solid foundation.
This book was written as a linear path from setting up a profile for yourself to strategies in community engagement and management. However, not everyone will read this book from page one to the end. If you’ve already gotten your feet wet with the various aspects of Discord, feel free to jump around from section to section and read the parts that you need. I provide plenty of guides back to other relevant chapters for when the going gets murky.
Foolish Assumptions
It doesn’t matter what platform you’re on. If you have a browser, Discord can work for you. If you have a computer, a solid connection to the Internet, and a lot of curiosity, you are ready to go. Just remember, the operating system just makes the computer go. It’s the browser that offers you a first look at the platform. I’m here to provide you tools not only for making Discord work, but also for making all aspects of it work — text, audio, and video.
What you have in your hands here is a detailed look at Discord, a mix of how-to exercises for a variety of the platform’s features, and offered strategies on how to build, engage, and manage a community. I go into communication via text, via audio, and via video. There’s a look in here at working on Discord through your browser, on your desktop, on your smartphone, and on your tablet. So if you know nothing about Discord, “You have chosen wisely,” as we heard in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you know something about Discord, you might gain some insight into community management strategy, in working with bots, or upgrading your Discord rig. So, yes, Discord For Dummies offers something for everyone.
However, as I’ve seen after For Dummies books hit the shelves, there are going to be assumptions made about this title. So let’s cover the short list on what this book is not, and never will be:
This book offers suggestions and strategies on creating a community around your Discord. This platform is not a turnkey solution. Your community just won’t “appear” nor does this book make the claim “If you build it, they will come.” Building a community takes time and effort, and
Discord For Dummies
won’t build a community for you.
There is a revenue-generating option in Discord, and although I cover it, I do not encourage you to quit your day job. This is not a “Make Money with Discord” book.
This book will have some answers for you, but when changes happen, this book will not instantly update. (Not until a 2nd Edition, at least.) I will, however, try to address any major changes on my stream. See “
Beyond the Book
” for details.
If you are looking for a solid start to Discord, this is the book for you. I’m thrilled you’re here.
Icons Used in This Book
You might be working through an exercise or reading a chapter, making some real progress with understanding Discord, when suddenly these little icons leap out, grab you by the throat, and wrestle you to the ground. (Who would have thought Discord was so action-packed. Like an episode of Altered Carbon, huh?) What do all these icons mean? Let’s take a look.
When I’m in the middle of a discussion and suddenly I have one of those “Say, that reminds me …” moments, I give you one of these tips. There are those handy little extras that are good to know and might even make your background in Discord a little better than average.
So you’re working hard on one of these exercises, and you come across this icon. Skip this at your own peril. This is one of those “Seriously, you can’t forget this part! Otherwise the bus drops under 55 mph and explodes!” Okay, maybe you don’t have to worry about the bus, but the Remember icon is one you want to pay close attention to.
Sometimes I interrupt my train of thought with a “Taihoa, Bro.” (That’s Māori for “Pump the brakes, man.”) moment — and this is where I ask for your completely undivided attention. The Warnings are exactly that: flashing lights, ah-ooga horns, dire portents. They’re reminders not to try this at home because you’ll definitely regret it.
Beyond the Book
You can find a little more helpful Discord-related information on https://www.dummies.com, where you can peruse this book's Cheat Sheet. To get this handy resource, go to the website and type Discord For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
In addition to the website, this book comes with a companion stream on Twitch, airing on Sunday afternoons. From your browser of choice, visit https://www.twitch.tv/theteemonster, and follow (or subscribe) to receive notifications when I go live to take your questions on Discord, Twitch, podcasting, and content creation. And maybe, on occasion, I may be joined online or in-studio by special guests. Your questions are encouraged, as I’ll try and cover concepts in this book explored in greater detail, and maybe touch base on topics too advanced for this title but more than suitable for the stream.
Where to Go from Here
At this point, many For Dummies authors say something snappy, clever, or even a bit snarky. Chuck and I did so often throughout editions of Podcasting For Dummies and Twitch for Dummies. My best tongue-in-cheek material is saved for the pages inside, so here’s a more serious approach.
If you want to hop around the book, that’s your decision, but I suggest planting yourself in front of a computer, pointing a browser to https://discordapp.com, and starting with Chapter 1. Together, we check out a few links, put together a profile (and eventually a server), and then we start working on that streaming persona. Along the way, I’m going to suggest ideas, concepts, and strategies that will educate, inspire, and enlighten you. And through it all, we are going to work together to create a community that will rally around you for whatever cause you believe in, be it a favorite game or worthwhile charity.
Limber up, folks. This is going to be a fun ride. Don’t forget your towel.
Part 1
Getting Started with Discord
IN THIS PART …
Set up your Discord profile.
Set up your server.
Communicate with people with text.
Chapter 1
The Lowdown on Discord
IN THIS CHAPTER
Finding out what Discord is
Creating a Discord account
Understanding the Discord landscape
When social media offers up a new platform, it fills me both with excitement and dread. I love learning something new. Any opportunity to teach myself something to add to my arsenal of life hacks, daily routines, and day-to-day productivity, I look at as a good thing, in social media especially. I’ve always been a believer that social media is a fantastic tool of communication. With so many ways to get your message out, its possibilities are endless. A new platform means new options other platforms may not offer or possible replacements for routines that once worked wonders for you but seem to be losing their efficiency. Additionally, if the platform becomes a sensation, you become something of a founder in its community, a trustworthy voice on how the new communications avenue works. Awesome!
But here is where the dread settles in with me. When I hear about something new, whether new to social media or new to me, my first thought is always the same: Great. One more platform to add to the stockpile. See, the downside of learning something new is that you won’t necessarily become an expert within the first day or two of picking it up unless you spend uninterrupted hours diving into every aspect of it. Then, once you have a grasp of it, you have to fit it into the rotation of all the other social media platforms you have tied to your name. This also means setting aside time, or pockets of time, to manage this new platform with all the other platforms you have active. There is only so much time in the day, and if your full-time job is social media, you know how tough it can be creating content for audiences across platforms. If your full-time job isn’t social media, then content creation across platforms just got a lot tougher. And now you have a new platform to contend with. And that’s if the platform takes off, lest it become like other social media hot flashes in the pan that everyone joins only to abandon a week or two later. Awesome.
Welcome to a look inside my brain when I first started streaming — creating content live online through a service like Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv), Mixer (http://www.mixer.com), or YouTube (https://www.youtube.com) — and I was asked, “So what’s your Discord server?”
Are you kidding? I have to know this thing called Discord (see Figure 1-1) if I want to know Twitch?
FIGURE 1-1: Welcome to Discord, a Swiss Army knife of communications for you and your team.
No, Discord is not necessarily a necessity for streaming, but if you want to build a community, if you want to extend your reach as a content creator, and if you want to level up your online communications game, yes, you will need Discord.
Awesome.
So What Exactly Is VoIP?
All right, maybe learning something new won’t be so bad if you have a good reason for picking up yet another platform. That is a sound reason to get behind taking time to traverse the learning curve, so where do you begin with Discord? Or where do you begin your serious look at why you need yet one more platform added to your growing palette of applications?
So let’s step back a bit and talk about what is at the heart of Discord: audio chat. Discord is one of many apps taking advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a method commonly used for the delivery of media communications (audio, video, and data files) through online connections using audio and video codecs (formats used for compressing a lot of data into order to make it manageable for exchange). Think of how the JPEG format takes a huge image file and makes it only a few megabytes. Codecs are similar to that. Instead of data being transmitted over a circuit-switched network, digital data is transmitted over a packet-switched network: the Internet.
Perhaps the biggest name of early VoIP that changed the way the world communicated was Skype (see Figure 1-2; https://www.skype.com), offering free calls anywhere internationally by using closed networks for private user bases. The Danish software first reached the public in the summer of 2003. Provided you have broadband Internet, Skype offers up audio and video calls of better quality than standard telephone connections. Along with VoIP, a handy chat function is included for the exchange of data files.
FIGURE 1-2: Skype brought free international communications to everyone around the world with a broadband Internet connection.
Here’s where things start to get a little dicey with VoIP. While the audio and video quality of these calls was unparalleled, a lot of factors would come into play, beginning with the quality of the broadband Internet. Not all broadband is created equal, and in rural areas and developing nations, dial-up was still the way to connect in 2003 and later. Even if broadband is up and running on both the sending and receiving ends of a VoIP call, sending files during a call could disrupt or outright end a call on account of the size of the files being exchanged, the upload/download limitations of the broadband connection, and the amount of traffic on both parties’ end.
Then there’s security. Each point of a VoIP connection creates a potential vulnerability, as firewalls, if not configured properly, can block incoming and outgoing calls. Additionally, distributed denial-of-service attacks can easily take down VoIP systems, rendering them busy. And these are just two of many vulnerabilities that VoIP can bring to a professional or home network. Free global communication is a very cool thing, but it also comes with a lot of compromising possibilities. So while an improvement over your usual hard-wired telephone calls, VoIP is hardly perfect.
So What Exactly Is In-Game Chat?
Now as VoIP has its checkered reputation, it did introduce the idea of open communications within online games. The concept of built-in chat options, a feature that is usually expected in team-oriented games, be they MMOs (massively multiplayer online games), FPS (first person shooters), RPGs (role playing games), or some other flavor of video game with communications between team members, completely changed how we play on our chosen platforms. In-game chat was introduced in 2006 with Nintendo’s Metroid Prime Hunters, offering gamers real-time audio through the Nintendo DS’s built-in microphone. In-game chat was also offered that year with Nintendo’s Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl.
Today, in-game chat is everywhere. Bungie’s Destiny offers Fireteam Chat to keep Guardians connected when you lead a raid team into the Garden of Salvation. Epic Games’ juggernaut Fortnite also comes with native chat, allowing you to tell that 10-year-old who just fragged you the best place to store his or her Legendary pump shotgun. Even cutthroat pirates can make new friends through in-game chat in Rare Studios’ Sea of Thieves, pictured in Figure 1-3.
FIGURE 1-3: Thanks to in-game chat, streamer BBXH (https://twitch.tv/bbxh) can give the order to raise the main sail, drop anchor, and give a sloop to starboard a broadside in Sea of Thieves.
Then you have Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Consoles are offering their own audio channels to give their gamers a more social experience. Can’t game with your friends in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, as you are enjoying an adrenaline rush from Dead by Daylight? No worries. Sign on to Xbox LIVE or PSN and enjoy some casual hangout time with your crew. So long as you are logged into your console’s respective network, you can chat with your friends, build your network to include others, and swap media ranging from screen captures to game play. And don’t worry about not having the right gear straightaway. Consoles will offer you the basics (such as an earbud with a mic and an audio jack in your controller) so you can start chatting straight out of the box.
In-game chat has become so prevalent, it is now a feature expected by gamers. It’s the ability to connect that appeals to players, as the gaming experience becomes something more social and more inclusive. From my own experience with in-game chat, it’s always fun to be able to work with fellow gamers in a tight scenario (be it PvP or PvE) and execute audibles. Feels good, man. However, the quality of the chat varies from game to game. Destiny’s native Fireteam Chat, for example, is barely better than the audio quality of a hard-wired telephone call. Another limitation of native in-game chat is that it is native to that game, so if you want to just hang out with your mates while gaming, you have to be in that particular game.
Console chat tends to have better audio quality as opposed to native in-game chat, provided that the network you’re on is having a good hair day. If someone in your party is suffering from connection issues, their audio will be spotty at best, popping and locking harder than a Cirque du Soleil performer. Sometimes, incompatibility in gaming gear (microphones, headsets, and so on) may also complicate things. A common audio issue on PSN, for example, is a Network Address Translation (NAT) error, which can occur when network settings on an individual’s console are not set properly or a firewall is active. Troubleshooting can be something of a challenge and may not always be a one-solution-fits-all kind of thing. And if Xbox LIVE or PSN is offline? No soup for you.
VoIP is free and able to connect you with friends everywhere in the world, but not without a fair share of problems ranging from spotty reception to security vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, game and console developers offer their own brands of in-game communications, but if the audio quality doesn’t make you suffer, connection issues will.
And that is what brings us to the subject of this book.
So What Exactly Is Discord?
Perhaps the trickiest thing to do right off the bat is define Discord (https://discordapp.com). On the surface, it looks and sounds like Skype on steroids, but it’s a robust, stable communications platform available as a browser application, a stand-alone desktop application, and a mobile app for both smartphones and tablets. Discord offers the following features:
Text chat
Audio and video chat (group and private)
Private text messaging
News feeds
Link and media sharing
Streaming and screen sharing
Discord provides gamers, streamers, and many other creative individuals and organizations an all-encompassing platform for topic-specific chat streams, private audio channels and open public chats, interviews for podcasts and streams, and much more.
One of many reasons this platform is so closely associated with gaming is due in part to its founder, Jason Citron. Citron was the founder of OpenFeint, a social gaming platform for mobile games, and Hammer & Chisel, a game development studio. Being a gamer himself, Citron noted problems with available options providing real-time game comms. His development team introduced Discord in May 2015 to Reddit communities, where it gained popularity with eSports gamers and Twitch.tv hosts and took off from there. Within its first year, Discord was hailed by PC Gamer as the best VoIP service available, praising its ease of use and its stability.
Oh, and Discord costs now what it did when it was introduced: free.
Discord stands apart from other game comms solutions — and for many professionals reliant on using the Internet for communications — for its stability, audio quality, video quality, and ease of use. It may seem a little intimidating when you first launch it, but setup and use are incredibly easy.
CUT ME SOME SLACK, WHY DON’TCHA?
If Discord is sounding familiar to you, you might be using Slack. For myself, that confirmation came when I was introduced to it.
Program manager: So this is Slack. It’s a platform for topic-specific chat streams, private audio channels and open public chats, and videoconferencing.
Me: Like Discord?
PM:*blinks* Well, I wouldn’t know. I’m not a gamer.
Trust me, dude. You know.
Slack (https://slack.com), which stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge, found its roots in gaming, used as an internal communication tool for development of the online game Glitch. Slack, the cornerstone of Slack Technologies and launched in 2013, is a freemium product (the basic app is free, but additional services expanding its capabilities are unlocked at a fee) based on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) technology. While predating Discord, Slack experienced some growing pains on account of the same problems that inspired Discord. Today, Slack is considered to be one of the tech-industry standards for communications. There are a lot of similarities between Slack and Discord, and if you know Slack, you have something of a head start with Discord. If you know Discord, Slack shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
Setting Up Your Discord Account
There are a lot of flavors of Discord. You can use the communications app:
Through a browser
As a stand-alone desktop application
On your smartphone or tablet
You have an entire book to explore what you can do with Discord, so you’re going to spend some quality time using Discord through your browser. You’ll get comfortable with things and then gradually stretch your reach to other ways to enjoy connecting with old and new friends.
Setting up your server
Your first to-do item with this new platform is to set yourself up on Discord first. Again, it does not cost a thing for you to do this, apart from time. And remember that part I was telling you about how easy it is to set yourself up on Discord?
This investment of time you’re about to make will amount to pocket change, believe me.
Launch your browser of choice, and go tohttps:// discordapp.com.
Discord offers you two options: Download for Your OS or Open Discord in Your Browser.
Select the Open Discord in Your Browser option.
As I mention earlier, we will jump into the stand-alone Discord app later on. For now, we will focus on the browser application.
Enter a username for yourself (see Figure1-4).
Create a name for yourself that people in Discord will know you by.
If you are a content creator or a gamer, or if you’re developing an online persona, it is best to think ahead of how you want to be known. For example, on PSN, Instagram, and Twitch, I use the moniker TheTeeMonster. So when I set up my Discord, I entered TheTeeMonster as my username. Consistency is key, so aim for the same username from platform to platform.
FIGURE 1-4: What do people call you on Discord? Create a username for yourself here, and begin building a brand for yourself or your organization.
Click the arrow button to the right, and verify that you’re not an automated program or bot.
Verify your account by email or by phone.
Choose your preferred method of verification and follow the steps to assure Discord that yes, you are in fact a real person.
When you’re asked to set up your server or jump into Discord, click the Get Started option.
When you join Discord, you create what is called a server. This is your own private corner of Discord, and you decide how public your chat will be.
In the Create Your Server dialog box, come up with a name for your server and a server name, and select the server region closest to your location (see Figure1-5).
This is where you give your server a name people can remember it by. The content creator IAmTeeBot called his server The System. Aura’s Discord server is called The Pit, named after his love for his pitbull Layla. Then you have James Werk’s Discord, named aptly enough The Werkshop. If you don’t like what you initially name your server, don’t worry. You can always change it later in the Settings section of your server.
FIGURE 1-5: When you create a server on Discord, you christen it with a name and establish a region where your server operates.
Claim the server as your own with a valid email and password.
You will be sent an email asking you to claim the server, making you its moderator — the one in charge of the whole operation.
You are given the option of downloading the desktop app. As I mentioned before, I will go into more depth with the desktop app later on, but if you want to download it now and walk through the steps of setting things up there, feel free to jump ahead to Chapter 4. You will always have the option of downloading the app later, but let’s stick together through the browser app, shall we?
When you claim your server via email confirmation, you are live on Discord!
Return to the Discord browser window, go to the top left of the app, where you see your server name, click the arrow to get the drop-down menu, and select the Server Settings option.
A few options are listed here, and I will cover them all eventually. Right now, I’m focusing on just the Server Settings option.
In the Server Overview section, you can upload an icon for your server. (See Figure1-6.) To do so, click the default icon (the initials of your server name in a blue circle) or click the Upload Image button, and find on your computer an image or logo representative of you or your organization. Select it and then click the Open button to upload it.
The server’s unique icon or avatar allows users to recognize your server at a glance. You will want to have an avatar for your server as well as one for yourself. Discord recommends an image at least 512 x 512 pixels for an avatar.
FIGURE 1-6: An avatar is a representative image of you and your Discord server. It’s a good idea to have a unique avatar for both.
Change server regions or rename your server if you find yourself in need of a rebrand.
Scroll to the bottom of Server Settings, click the Save Changes button, and then press the Esc key to return to Discord.
On starting off your server, Discord is very much the blankest of canvases. I mean, it is quiet. Very quiet. Like when you’re wandering through the Nostromo in the opening shots of Alien — that kind of quiet!
Discord gets that and doesn’t want you to feel put off, so when you first arrive, it automatically highlights things to do, such as Set a Status. You might also see an exclamation point floating around the user interface. On clicking the exclamation point, tips are revealed on neat stuff you can do straight out of the box. These tips also appear whenever Discord changes features and functions, so keep an eye out for those.
Just above your server icon, you should see the Discord icon (if it reminds you of a gaming console controller, you would be correct), your shortcut to the Home section. Clicking that icon immediately takes you to the Activity section, the area of Home always featured on your arrival to Discord. The Home feature offers four options:
Activity
Library
Nitro
Friends
CHOOSING AN AVATAR
Choose a good avatar in much the same way you would select a user image or user icon for any social media platform. You want something that represents you at a glance, but not an image with a lot of detail or one so small you don’t recognize it at a glance. The avatars pictured here are all designed to make the most of the limited space given for them. Note there are no fine details or mid-to-wide shots of people, just simple icons, logos, or headshots. Consider this when creating or selecting images for your avatar.
I’m going to do a deep dive into all of these options, but not straightaway. Let’s find a pace crawling before we challenge gravity and start walking. What you need to do first is fill in blanks in your profile and explore some of the control functions that Discord offers you as the moderator of your server.
