I’m the owner of a Discord server that is focussed on the wide net of musicians AND music lovers, and the specific bond that ties us all together. Lots of learning, lots of pure music and art love, two nights a week I stream on Twitch.
- Thursdays - Song Feedback & Live Music Production
- Sundays - Live Chillout Piano Improv & Looping
I’m not just blabbing this to tell you my life haha, but that it’s important to note - all these things are quite intertwined. On it’s own I think most of these things aren’t worth much. They start to add a lot more value when they feed into each other. (More than sum of its parts)
I must also give a shoutout to @Mikael for running this community because I’ve learned that it is A LOT of work to get something like this going and to keep it alive. I really enjoy this community and that only happens because someone took a LOT of time and effort to make sure it’s a healthy place to be. So huge thanks to you Mikael! And it is interesting, there is a big difference between a forum like this and discord - the realtime chat aspect vs asynchronous posts.
There are pros and cons - you end up with more in the moment back and forth conversations on Discord, sometimes that flow can be interesting. Also if you have or are building a fan base, this rather direct connection helps fans and followers feel a lot closer to you. Generally speaking a discord server is very ‘immediate’ feeling. It is also a decent place to make announcements and get people’s attention who care about your stuff. A bit like a real-time response mailing-list. There are more aspects but it gets a bit specific so I’ll stop there.
However on a asynchronous conversation on a forum like this, you are going to get more focussed, thought out responses (probably a few long winded ones like mine too haha). The topics themselves will also be easier to scroll through and navigate. Every topic is separated in a forum, which is unique to the forum format. It feels more like… a turn based strategy game rather than a real-time strategy game. Both running a forum or a discord server involve a lot of thought and strategy for them to work well!
Anyway, in summary I’d say that if you are GOOD with realtime chat naturally, discord is a good option. If it’s too much work, give it a pass and try something else. I say that because it is a lot of work and you’ll hate your life unless you enjoy the process
Hope that helps!