Discord is the application that is not usually missing on the computer and mobile phone of any person who considers himself gamer. Along these lines we will explain what it is, what it is for, how it is organized and why more and more users who have nothing to do with the world of video games are coming to this versatile communication platform.
What is Discord?
Although it is sold as a chat for gamers, Discord is today a much bigger phenomenon, which has left the world of video games and has established a Another alternative when it comes to communicating over the Internet.
Discord is a platform for voice chat. Or, at least, that was his initial approach. A kind of Skype, but with an approach focused on online video game games. But Discord doesn't just settle for calls. There's also video calls, and rooms can be configured for group text conversations, exactly the same as it happens in alternatives like Telegram.
Over time, Discord has started to reach a lot more users. So much so that many of the new users who register every day on this platform do not necessarily do so to play online. Discord has a series of peculiarities that make it the perfect platform for creating communities, as we will see in more detail below.
How does Discord work?
Discord works with independent groups which are known as servers. Each server is totally separate from the others. This point is key, since each server has its rules, its rooms and its community.
As users, we only need to register once on Discord. Once inside, we will search the Internet for different communities and follow the steps they ask us to be accepted.
One thing that makes Discord special is that it uses a rather peculiar method of managing users. In Discord you can put the name you want. next to you nickname go to a hashtag with four figures, which will be your unique identifier. Also, on each server you can change your nickname, as long as the administrators allow it. You can also choose different avatars on each server with Discord Nitro membership.
Why is it so successful?
There are several reasons that justify the success of Discord. These are the most important:
low latency calls
Robotic cuts and voices are commonplace on many VoIP platforms. Discord fixed this issue with low latency calls and optimization. They did this not to improve communication, but to avoid saturating the Internet connection during their clients' online games.
During calls, Discord does a very good audio optimization. There is hardly any data consumption during silences.
server customization
Discord servers can be incredibly customized. There are all kinds of bots and programs that are integrated into the platform so that each server offers a unique experience.
Despite the fact that many of these bots are paid, some communities choose Discord for the ease it offers server administrators when it comes to managing content, managing users, and even making payment gateways for users with different ranks.
Alternative to traditional forums
The forums of a lifetime were obsolete more than 10 years ago. Very few Internet platforms have been able to adapt to the new times, Reddit being the only example of a community that has done its homework well.
Discord allows you to create monothematic communities, and separate into different subcategories with video, voice and text channels. In short, Discord combines the best of Skype, Telegram, and Slack so you can create a community that's more instant than a forum.
What is Discord Nitro?
La discord premium version It's called Discord Nitro. It is a membership that provides a series of advantages to users. Discord Nitro is priced at $ 9,99 per month or $ 99,99 per year. Its main characteristics are the following:
- Server improvements: Nitro users can apply two improvements to their servers, as well as have a 30% discount on improvements purchased during the period in which the user has this paid membership active.
- Personal profile: Discord Nitro recipients can customize their avatar on each server, as well as add animated images.
- Best Emojis: Gives you the right to create your own set of custom emojis or use those previously created by other users.
- higher limits: Files uploaded to the platform can reach a capacity of 100 MB, compared to 8 MB for the standard version and 50 MB for the Nitro Classic membership.
- HD video- When sharing your screen on live streams, Discord Nitro users can scale to an upscaled 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.
- Extras: a special badge that notifies other users of the amount of time you have been subscribed to this premium program.
Get started on Discord
If you don't have a Discord account yet or are thinking of opening one, follow these steps:
Register an account
Signing up for Discord is completely free:
- Go to the website discordapp.com
- Click on the button 'Log In'.
- Tap now on the link 'Register'.
- Fill in the data with an e-mail, a name of username and password.
- Accept the terms, go to your email account and activate the account.
Download the application
Discord is a totally multi platform. It doesn't matter what device you have. So far, you can use Discord on all of these systems:
- Microsoft Windows (Windows 7 or higher)
- MacOS (MacOS 10.11 El Capitan or higher)
- Android (Android 5 or higher)
- iOS (iPhone) / iPadOS (iPad)
- Linux
- Browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari.
join a server
To join a Discord community, you need to receive a invitation or follow a public link. You have three options to do this:
By search
- tap on it '+' button in the top left corner of your app.
- Click on the optionJoin a server' ('Join a server' if it comes out in English).
- Type the name of the invitation you received.
Via Link
For us, the fastest and most intuitive way that exists. Open communities often have a public link that we can follow in our browser. Immediately afterwards, our browser will tell us that the link is to be opened in the Discord app if we have it installed. If not, just log in to the web version of Discord. Then, accept the invitation and join.
Once inside, some communities require extra steps to confirm our membership in the group, such as resolving a captcha, put a contact email or any other type of proof.
Through the official list of servers
It is the same case as the previous one, only that you will simply have to search for the server that interests you within the official Discord server list that is published on the official website of the platform.
Create a server
Do you want to create your own server? Doing it is very simple.
- From any app or web version, tap on the '+' button from the upper left corner. The button will appear much lower if you have previously joined some other server.
- Give now to 'Create a server' ('Create a server' in English).
- put a name, an image and sets the Server region.
- Afterwards, you can generate the link so you can invite the people you want to be part of your community.
Shape your community
The last thing before finishing the basics is to create each room to organize our users.
- Create category: Discord categories are used to group chat, voice or video rooms. You can create new categories by tapping on your server name or by right clicking on the empty space below the channel column.
- create channels: you can create a different channel for each theme and set different limits or add bots to manage your community of users.
How can I take advantage of Discord?
organize your community
Do you already have a Telegram group and you get lost in a soup of comments that seems to have no end? Do you have a very specific hobby and are looking to create a community of like-minded people? Do you sell any type of info product or online classes and want to give extra support in the form of a community? Discord is the ideal tool to do all that you are looking for.
Add bots and unique features to your server
Each server is unique, so it will require individual solutions. There is a large catalog of programs that can be used on Discord to facilitate organization and communication between users on the same server.
Some of these tools are paid, but if you are going to work with large communities, it will end up being worth it.
Research new servers
Go into Google and look for people who have public servers. There are many communities that fit your tastes. You just have to enter, introduce yourself and share information you have about your hobby, whether it is video games or any other interesting topic.