Hey folks, I’m seeing many many more creators jumping over to discord.
Up until today I’ve kept quite shaded by this but now that there seems to be a LOT more non-gamers picking this up I decided to take a look, and it looks great.
How many of you are using this, is it something that is actually going to take over? What are your thoughts?
It’s a chat platform based on topic-based servers. Basically what IRC-chats was all about in the 90s…but revamped in a modern interface with more features! 
It should not come as a surprise to anyone in here that I am much more a fan of organized and searchable content…thus a forum like this! 
Yes very true. Same here, though I’m more interested in if it’s worth setting up 
I created an account, tried it, never logged in ever again.
Perhaps you will like it more than I did?
We will see. I’m not doing it yet. Too much on and today wasn’t productive at all!
Yeah I’ve heard a lot of noise about Discord popping up around the place too. Or at least, I heard a lot of noise a while back but nothing recently!
To me it looks a lot like those old chatrooms - remember when you’d type a website address in wrong and end up in the “weird” parts of the internet? 
But “chatrooms” (under new names) seem to be really growing in popularity again - whether it’s Slack groups, Twitter chats, Discord, etc.
And just so that this post isn’t one massive ramble, I’ll pose a question: do you think many film composers (or aspiring film composers) are using Discord? That’s the real question WE need to ask I guess!
I have no idea where your talking about… gulp
I’m not sure if loads are but I know of 6 fairly big you tubers and streamers who boast fairly big followings… (devoted fans of around 40 apparently)… o mean if they’re devoted to the brand that makes it worth it but I’m not sure.
It’ll be interesting to see how it develops, that’s for sure!
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.
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!
Great input Peter, and thanks for recognizing the passion and time I’ve put into this community!
I can say that I also have run 5 different Facebook groups over the years, and a big reason for creating this community, is because I wanted higher quality discussions, much better organization of topics into categories, a super focused user interface etc. Facebook sucks on all those areas. I might be a bit old school, but I always preferred a classic online forum because of these aspects, and many more.
I think you are correct about the benefits of Discord or a chat server like that, and some people prefer the more direct chat atmosphere. I like chats to, but I personally do them in live streams, not a dedicated chat server.
PS. Not only is every topic separated, and categorized on a forum, but also searchable and indexed by Google etc. A huge benefit imho!
I think your post couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Thank you so much for your detailed and very focussed response
I’m seeing even more people move over to Doscord, and the creators who haven’t been showing it the love are now saying they’re going to invest more time into it… as if it’s passed the test of time. I think I’m slowly getting there. Perhaps I’ll open a Discord for the very reasons that you have so eloquently pointed out.
Much like @Mikael I dislike Facebook… you either get nonsensical questions being asked, where the information is very searchable (often these questions are asked by entrepreneurs who are trying to get people to comment I’ve found so that they can contact you about their page and services which I am not a fan of). Or there’s no conversation at all happening… my Facebook page falls into the latter because I refuse to talk about things that are always answered 100+ times a day. So in that sense Discord makes me very excited.
I like this layout on here because I’m old school and enjoy it’s more basic, clean functionality. Other platforms such as FB are getting complex which isn’t good. What can you say about the layout??
Good point on google indexing that is quite a powerful aspect of it actually!
And I agree, the quality of discussion is potentially better on forums compared to other places. But I would also say in the case of THIS forum having quality discussions, it’s not just the platform you have chosen (forums) but also largely the culture you have personally cultivated on this forum.
Many forums have a toxic environment! I find it very difficult to go to gearslutz.com for instance because there are a lot of problems, to put it simply. So Just wanna say again, it’s a combo of the platform and the culture building of the owner. Credit where credit is due!
On the topic of FB Groups, they seem to end up mostly as a place for people to air their grievances and dissatisfaction. Also a lot of ‘hit and run’ posts. Dump a problem, hoping for a quick fix, no further involvement with the community. It’s really helpful to have a rough view of what the different platforms vibe is.
So thanks all for sharing this discussion! I think it’s a super important one even if you are not planning to own a community, but even to navigate the best places to find the community that suits what you are looking for
Thanks, and good points indeed. Culture (vibe) is created and formed, and yes I set out to have very high standards right from the beginning, because I’ve seen the issues other platforms and forums have had over the years.
The advantage of a Discord chat server I could see being that ‘people follow you’, which means a better connection between yourself as the leader, and the people that join. So I am not dismissing it at all, I simply feel that it could easily become a time drainer for me personally to have gone down that path. So for me a classic forum platform made the most sense.
im not a fan but then again im not a fan of many things 
but i think its a place more for engaging with people of similar interests and hobbies and having an interaction that sounds good to me. I see it as an additional platform to have fun with but not replacement to anything.
I agree, it’s not a replacement. Don’t let it give you fear of missing out, only go there if it clicks with you very much. Otherwise it’s a massive waste of time haha.