Is Discord a good way to grow your forum community?

The moment more engagement is done there, is the moment you lose your forum.

I completely agree with this... as someone who lost activity on my forum from its Discord counterpart (and towards its eventual closure, on top of other reasons at the time).

If any of my members ever requests this, I will give a firm "no".

Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of integrating Discord into your forum community can be insightful

 

Pros

 

• None
  

 

Cons

 

• Real-Time Interaction: Discord enables immediate communication, fostering stronger bonds and a communal spirit among members.
  
• Voice and Video Chat: Engaging discussions through voice and video chats can deepen connections.
  
• User-Friendly Interface: Discord's ease of use and setup make it accessible to users of all technical levels.
  
• Customizable Channels: Tailored channels for different topics help keep conversations focused and organized.
  
• Platform Integration: Discord's compatibility with other platforms and bots enhances functionality and user experience.
  
• Forum Distraction: The allure of real-time chat on Discord may detract from forum participation, potentially diminishing its activity.
  
• Moderation Hurdles: The swift nature of chat can complicate moderation, with the risk of rapid dissemination of inappropriate content.
  
• Privacy Issues: Concerns may arise over sharing personal information on an additional platform.
  
• Community Fragmentation: Splitting discussions between forums and Discord can fragment the community, complicating conversation tracking.
  
• Adaptation Period: Discord's array of features, while generally user-friendly, may initially overwhelm some users, deterring engagement.
  

 

In summary, Discord presents numerous benefits for real-time interaction and community engagement, but it's crucial to weigh these against the possible downsides. A strategic approach that allows both platforms to work in tandem can foster a more unified and vibrant community.

 

Discussion is welcome!

I fixed it for you. Every single "pro" you mentioned is actually a "con"

I fixed it for you. Every single "pro" you mentioned is actually a "con"

Lol like I said I only use discord for live events like gaming stuff and anime watching parties. Not really going to use it for anything other then that lol

It’s great to have an additional platform next to your community, as long as its focus doesn’t switch to Discord.

Exactly this. Keyword is: NEXT TO. My site has a Discord. Not much in there outside of chit-chat and memes. Occasional, short on-topic exchanges. It's a great place to host chat events though, which is awesome. Discord doesn't hurt the forum.

The way I see it, is that Discord is good for instant messaging and chat events. It's not good for long-form discussions. On the other hand, forums are made for long-form discussions.

But yeah, you have to be careful to split and setup things properly so that your Discord doesn't overlap with your forum and cannibalize it. For instance, your Discord server probably shouldn't have a channel for every one of your sub-forums. That 1 to 1 channel to sub-forum ratio is cute, but it's not good for your forum.

I'll tell you something... if I wasn't stupid enough to set up a Discord server even as a replacement for Jcink's faulty shoutbox, it would've been still standing.

However though, one forum I know is still going well despite having a Discord (where people just have silly banter amongst each other there).

However though, one forum I know is still going well despite having a Discord (where people just have silly banter amongst each other there).

Interesting. Let's ask ourselves this: Would you rather have this silly banter on your forum?

That's a good question. Yes Discord, may mean less forum posts. But would these banter posts be quality posts? Probably not. So you're losing in quantity, but not in quality. Does that make sense?

I only have three channels on my Discord server: General, Support, and New Resources. New Resources is the primary use I have a Discord server for so people can be notified when a new resource is released. The General channel is there to talk about whatever, but most people ask coding-related questions. I have a support forum on my board for support and the Support channel on my Discord server is for people who seek a quicker means of support.

Whether a Discord server is right for your forum or not all depends on its niche. If your forum starts to migrate entirely onto the server, it may as well be your forum. If your forum can benefit from a Discord server, such as my reasoning for having a New Resources channel for live notifications, then it may be well to put it to use for your forum. I try to think of "general" channels like a chit-chat thread you would post on your forum where it is for more insignificant comments than quality conversations.

A prime example of how you can kill a GREAT domain that probably has a lot of type-ins and user engagement on a forum by adding Discord can be WTF.com. They used to also have a good way to monetize the forum by allowing you to purchase GMail-backed @wtf.com email addresses.

Side note: I use my domain @ROFLMAO.com for email. :-P

Yes Discord, may mean less forum posts. But would these banter posts be quality posts? Probably not. So you're losing in quantity, but not in quality. Does that make sense?

So it's a double-edged sword then... well, okay.

One word: cannibalization.

I have seen this also happen with other social media channels and blogs. One starts a blog and then posts a summary of each post on social media. People read the summary there and engage with the social media posts, but very few end up on the website.

Remember, we are living in an era of skimming, so if people can "skim" your main content on social media or elsewhere, they will not visit your site. If they can engage elsewhere, they are less likely to engage on your website or forum.

If they can engage elsewhere, they are less likely to engage on your website or forum.

I learned this after about my 50th social media post. The post gave too much information where you didn't even need to visit the site.

I changed the posting approach and clicks went from 10s to 100s (with just shy of 10000 followers as I did advertising to gain them quicker than the site grew—easy with a geo-forum to know my target audience and get maximum followers for the least money).

Not many joined, but it did increase my AdSense revenue.

We've been using Discord for chat, for 1:1 discussions that ultimately turn into content, and in the shared space that all members hang out in, we have notifications from the site to Discord which allows for encouraging people to write more.

(It's a small, niche community. This is expected and normal.)