A Non-Geek Explanation of Discord? 📦

4    11 Aug 2020 00:22 by u/None

This is a serious question, honest. I don't know a god damn thing about Discord. Really: Nothing at all. It's just not one of my islands of expertise. Could someone here who's bilingual in Geek and English give me a reasonably concise tutorial? I'm ignorant, but far from retarded. I can probably put up with 500 to 1,000 words for starters. My snark about Geek notwithstanding, I actually respect Geeks who can talk to Non-Geeks like me, and would be genuinely grateful for something that will help me know more than I do. Thanks in advance.

10 comments

5 u/HoloTheWiseLurker 11 Aug 2020 00:46
Discord is a chat-app, where one can create groups to talk (either with voice or with text) to groups of people, or one can direct message someone. Think of it like texting with the option of creating group-texts. Discord often has "themed" groups, so there may be a discord group for liking Donald Trump, Biden, Call of Duty, anime, etc. anything you want really. You often need invitations to join these groups, but some are available for anybody. Discord has many functionalities that it is capable of, but if you're just interested in using it normally: Discord is broken up into "Servers", or individual groups. Within those groups, a server can be further broken down into channels, which are denoted by a "#". So within a server you may have #general, #art, #politics, #memes, etc. it really depends on what the server is. The channels are meant to organize conversation. Additionally, there are voice channels, which are denoted by a volume button. These can also be broken down into categories. But these are just voice calls. You can limit them, only allowing in certain people or a certain amount of people. And that's about it! There's smaller details, but they're not all that important.
2 u/None [OP] 11 Aug 2020 03:33
Thanks very much. I am reading this after dinner, including two Manhattans, so I'll check it out tomorrow and will probably have some questions. But for now, I appreciate it that you took the time to give me a good-faith basic answer.
2 u/None [OP] 11 Aug 2020 15:10
Okay, some questions. Before I ask them, I want to thank you again for your concise and understandable reply. I am retired now, but was a telecommunications analyst for investment banks, and in that job I was required to translate technical information into English that intelligent non-specialists could digest. It wasn't always too easy, and often took a lot more words than you used. So both thanks and congrats for a really useful introduction. I really appreciate it. Now some questions. 1. A chat app implies that the user downloads something from Google Play or Apple's App Store. Is that correct? How would a PC user handle it? 2. Is there a central Discord organization? 3. Are "Discord Servers" actually servers, as in computers, or is that a figurative term as your explanation seems to imply? 4. In telecom-related terms, "Discord" seems to reside in the upper layers of the seven-layer OSI stack. (Please don't get too technical in replying, or at least walk slowly; my knowledge of that stack is shallow and narrow and fading from detailed memory. In other words, don't assume that I know a whole lot because I mentioned the stack.) How does it work at lower levels? Is it TCP/IP? Sorry for the squishy nature of this question. It's been a long while since I was deep into telecom land, so I'm not being nearly clear enough with this. Arrrgh. I hate asking such a fuzzy question, and apologize for doing it. Again, *thanks so much for your help and patience thus far*. I've always wondered what the hell "Discord" is, and I'm getting a glimmer now.
1 u/HoloTheWiseLurker 11 Aug 2020 18:34
Of course! I have no training in telecommunications, so my answers here might not be exactly what you're looking for, but I'll do my best! 1) Discord is available as both a mobile app as well as a computer application, which can be downloaded online. 2) If you're asking if it is open source vs owned by a central company, then it is owned by Discord Inc. So a central company. 3) The term "server" is figurative, but Discord Inc owns several actual servers on which they host all the figurative servers. 4) Unfortunately, I am not deep enough in the weeds to answer this question, but based on my surface research on the OSI it seems your initial assumption is correct. You would be better served by a more server-knowledgable individual, apologies v-v) Good luck in your search!
2 u/None [OP] 12 Aug 2020 00:22
Thanks for the answers. They lead to more questions, but before I ask them, I wanted to give you a major thumbs-up for your answer to #4 above. I would *infinitely* rather be told "I don't know" than to have someone make shit up. 1. If Discord is centrally owned, does Discord Inc. manage the content of the various figurative servers? Is that where the censorship complaints I've seen are targeted, or is censorship at a lower level? 2. How are these figurative servers created? Not just the step-by-step, but can anyone do that or is there a gatekeeping process? If the latter, what can you tell me about it? 3. How does Discord pay its bills? Do they run ads? Charge for membership? 4. What's the appeal of Discord? Is it basically another social media platform? If so, what distinguishes it from the others, like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or Ruqqus? 5. To the extent that I have even the slightest familiarity with Discord, I've seen it mentioned in tandem with some other platforms, particularly Reddit. Can you explain the interaction, or am I mistaken to think there is any? Again, many thanks for your patient answers and attention.
1 u/HoloTheWiseLurker 12 Aug 2020 01:16
Of course! 1) I believe there have been some issues of censorship from the heads of Discord, but most figurative servers (fig servers) are managed by those who started the server, and there are so many servers that it would be extremely difficult for a small cabal of moderators to manage them all in any meaningful way. So much of the censorship within the app likely comes from an individual level. 2) Within the app? It's very easy, there is no gatekeeping (I believe there is a cap to how many fig servers one can be a part of (~100)). I have included a picture here ( https://i.maga.host/imIEUp3.png ), but the basic process is: a) click the create server button, b) name the server, c) that's it. You can customize it more if you'd like, but if you want to have one, that is it. 3) There are no ads on Discord, they have a premium membership called "Nitro". Nitro allows you to upload larger files (such as photos, videos, .pngs, etc), and use features of other fig servers (such as custom emoticons/emojis). I believe there are other features that might make it more appealing to a larger organization (such as a college club), but I cannot recall them off of the top of my head. 4) **a)** The appeal of Discord is that it is extremely customizable, and synchronizes well with computer games. As for customization, you can create a private server (fig) for you and your friends to enjoy, or you can create/join a larger server (fig) to join a wider community. Additionally, Discord allows for some coding within individual fig servers, which can open up greater customization (I have never done this, so I can't tell you about the process). One can also add bots to their server, which can serve a wide variety of purposes, such as playing music, random number generators, I had a friend who told me about a server he was in that would post random pictures of cats if you requested. **b)** As for synchronizing well with computer games, it has a simple to use, high-quality voice chat feature that is useful when playing team games, or just for chatting. **c)** As for distinguishing itself, Discord does not have "posts" in the same way Facebook, Reddit, Ruqqus, or Twitter have. There is no separate conversations going on at the same time, it is more a "stream of consciousness" style of social media. The most separation one can get is by having different "themed" channels. It is extremely similar to a group chat on SMS/phones/ Whatsapp/etc. The photo I included is fairly typical of a small Discord server. Of the platforms you mentioned, I would say it is most similar to Twitter, but not by very much. A group chat really is the best way to describe it. 5) Most of the interaction comes from many Reddit users having a Discord account, it is rather popular after all. It is capable of some interaction with other sites (notably Twitch). By "linking" accounts, basically by telling Discord that you have an account somewhere, and it keeps a log of that. From then it can share information between the two, which can be used in various manners. For example, if someone has a Twitch subscription to a particular streamer, they can link their Twitch and Discord together, so that the subscriber can have special privileges in that streamers Discord server. (It is possible to limit who can and cannot post, and to what degree they can post, within a fig server settings. example of linking accounts ( https://i.maga.host/Kcp7IDu.png ) Hope that answered some of your questions!
2 u/None [OP] 12 Aug 2020 02:05
Thanks much. Making dinner now, and it will include my nightly two Manhattans, so I doubt I'll comment tonight. Not that I'm totally shitfaced or anything, being fortunate to have an off switch. But it's relaxation time, and your (fantastic) answers are going to require a level of higher thought and investigation that doesn't mesh all that well with Old Overholt 100-proof rye, and smaller amounts of amaro, angustora liqueur, and a brandied cherry, not to mention clam chowder, bread, and baked beans. I know I will have more questions. Here's a quick one: Does Discord host video chats like Zoom does, or do they not have the technical quality of service (low enough latency and jitter) to provide that?
1 u/HoloTheWiseLurker 12 Aug 2020 04:55
Yes, Discord is capable of hosting video calls, though I have never personally used it before.
-1 u/Yeedhaw 11 Aug 2020 02:35
pedophiles
1 u/Yeedhaw 14 Aug 2020 23:44
it was a joke