[OOC]Do We Want a Discord Server?

[Black Aeronaut]

I brought this up in the COVID-19 check-in thread, but I feel that I need to ask here as well.

Pros:

• It will help cut down on less-than-consequential natter here in the forum.
  
• It will permit real-time conversations which means actual discussions.
  
• It provides a fast means of sharing files of modest size.
  

Cons:

• Not everyone has Discord.
  
• Those that do will have yet another server to keep tabs on.
  

I'm gonna throw up a poll, but if anyone has any thoughts to share, please do.

EDIT: Oh, and before anyone asks, I'll be the one to manage the server so no one else has that added to their plate.

[robkelk]

What, we're bringing My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic into the Metacontinuity?

Or, "What's a Discord server"?

[Bob Schroeck]

Networked Erisian philosophy. <grin>

Seriously, Discord as I understand it started off as a Skype-like voice chat system, kind of like you'd use for party communications in an MMORPG, but rapidly expanded into an entire social networking platform with forum functionality as well as the voice chat.

[Black Aeronaut]

It had text chat from the word go, AFAIK. In this way, it was more like a glorified version of IRC, only with voice chat functions built right into it.

Another interesting comparison to IRC is in that rather than being in just a few rooms on an IRC server, you're in all of the rooms at once the moment you're given access. (Did I mention? Discord has some pretty robust features that keep people from just crashing in on your server - such as relegating new guys to a single channel until they can be vetted and granted access to other channels.)

You can also set restrictions to specific channels based on "Roles" that are assigned to users on the server. This is very much like old skool Windows 95 era user profiles where you could get extremely granular with user permissions.

I don't see us making much use of voice chat, but the file sharing and regular chat features... yeah, definitely.

[Labster]

Networked Erisian philosophy.  <grin>

Ah, it's a place to share our religious catma in gif format.

[Black Aeronaut]

Networked Erisian philosophy.  <grin>

Ah, it's a place to share our religious catma in gif format.

*Rimshot*

[Black Aeronaut]

Soooo.

Myself and one other, with all others abstaining.

I can't really make decision based on that.

[robkelk]

Still pondering my vote...

[Mamorien]

I'm in favor of a general DW Forums discord with TNB channels, myself.

[Labster]

Wait, can I still change my vote?

[robkelk]

Change only comes from within.

So your vote will have to change on its own.

[Black Aeronaut]

Wait, can I still change my vote? 

Change only comes from within.

So your vote will have to change on its own.

Well, I know it was mostly in jest, but still...

* Black Aeronaut goes to check the poll settings...

Nope, sorry.  While this polling system seems pretty versatile, that's about the one thing you can't do with it.

I'm in favor of a general DW Forums discord with TNB channels, myself.

Well, like I said, I did put the idea forward in the COVID-19 Check-In thread. But as I recall, that was mainly there as an idea for a quicker and easier means of checking-in.

Tell you guys what. I'll make a Discord Server, for sure... But I'll call it something like Callahan's Crosstime Saloon. (We can even have a bot called Callahan to automate a few things and make life easier in general for we who admin.) It will be primarily geared towards people with like interests to our own... Which would really be a catch all.

Off the top of my head, we could have a gaming section with channels for PC, Console, and Tabletop; a section for modeling with channels for Miniatures (Warhammer and its like), Gunpla, and All Others; a section on writing, with channels for Professional Writing and Fanfiction; a dedicated ATT channel - maybe even a few channels if we want an admin side and a 'public' side; and dedicated channels for major projects, such as TNB or whatever Drakensis or Fnord happen to be working on lately.

But for now, I'll just make the server and drop Bob the invite link so he can put it someplace where everyone can see it. We can hash out the rest later on, as I imagine pretty much all the regular faces here (and even some of the irregulars) will have some kind of input.

[Dartz]

I\m still logged in To Fenspace......