A Push for the Escapist have a Discord?

[ash12181987]

So my original question was answered already (I'd asked this back on the 20th in Russ Pitt's article he'd written about taking over the site again, and actually DID get an answer but didn't see it until today), but I'd like to push that the Escapist SHOULD have a discord.

Great software, easy to use, tons of people use it.

 

[Avnger]

Meh. Seems redundant and counterproductive for driving people to the site itself.

 

[SupahEwok]

I dont see the point of Discord communities with hundreds of members. I feel they work best with a population of a couple dozen, where the conversation will move at a manageable pace and are personal enough to form relationships. Whoever formed a friendship with another rando in a Twitch comment box?

Forums, which we have, are more ideal for the larger community this site will strive for. Compartmentalization of threads within topics, a (albeit currently dysfunctional) reply notification system, and a slower and more deliberate means of communication.

Discord works well as a chat house for forum groups, over this forum's current functionality for them. I highly recommend its private use among those groups. However, there's no need for an overall Escapist discord.

 

[ash12181987]

Meh. Seems redundant and counterproductive for driving people to the site itself.

So, given that most communities I know that use one use it to link directly back to material... it works pretty well. Youtubers, gaming communities, etc. will do that. So new video goes up, you post it in an announcement section and boom... people have a link. The alternative is going back to the site every now and then to go: "Oh, did I miss anything" which is annoying, and just unnecessary given the alternative. Likewise, see below points

I don't see the point of Discord communities with hundreds of members. I feel they work best with a population of a couple dozen, where the conversation will move at a manageable pace and are personal enough to form relationships. Whoever formed a friendship with another rando in a Twitch comment box?

Forums, which we have, are more ideal for the larger community this site will strive for. Compartmentalization of threads within topics, a (albeit currently dysfunctional) reply notification system, and a slower and more deliberate means of communication.

Discord works well as a chat house for forum groups, over this forum's current functionality for them. I highly recommend its private use among those groups. However, there's no need for an overall Escapist discord.

So I don't know what twitch has to do with anything, but I've met tons of people on Discords. I've set up games, met new groups I'd like to play with, etc. That's in large groups And in small groups. This site is ostensibly about "Gaming" so... why wouldn't we want people to meet up and do that? It's much harder to organize that kind of thing using a forum where everything is so disconnected.

Both a forum and a discord can exist, you can link them together even. If you want every one of your posts to appear on the thing, that is possible. If you want all the videos made by the creators to appear on it... also possible. People can see in real time the people that are In their community and the content made By that community.

I mean, do you really think that a post... just to pick one entirely at random from the Offtopic part of the forum: "Poll: Marvel - Which Infinity Stone would you have?" Can you really tell me, that this forum post Needs to be it's own dedicated thread? Like, couldn't that just be a momentary thing someone brings up and people just talk about in a Discord chat?

You can set up plugins, designate channels for different things. This really isn't Super difficult, and resisting against it because it's slightly newer then a, at this point what... 10 year old forum? Is there a Good reason for that? Make it an Option.

 

[Abomination]

So, given that most communities I know that use one use it to link directly back to material... it works pretty well. Youtubers, gaming communities, etc. will do that. So new video goes up, you post it in an announcement section and boom... people have a link. The alternative is going back to the site every now and then to go: "Oh, did I miss anything" which is annoying, and just unnecessary given the alternative.

A click is a click is a click. Even if it's just to pop in to the front page it's a click and it's ad revenue.

A discord, while positive for the users, would ultimately be a net loss for the owners as it would reduce the navigation to the front page of the site.

 

[ash12181987]

A click is a click is a click. Even if it's just to pop in to the front page it's a click and it's ad revenue.

A discord, while positive for the users, would ultimately be a net loss for the owners as it would reduce the navigation to the front page of the site.

So I don't really get why we're moving off to talk about the effect of Discord on website's advertising, that doesn't seem like it's having that much of an impact on the world. I'm pretty sure that it hasn't crashed the great market of Games Journalism or Youtuber communities at this point, as other websites and gaming personalities use it quite frequently. So...

I'd kind of rather talk about the post at hand if it's all the same

I do know that if you have links to each page included on the discord, and it's every bit of content posted with a link... you're probably going to visit more as you see the sheer volume of material as it's drip fed to you as a user. Again, Everytime I've ever joined a discord there is a stream of content posted. As I see content I wouldn't usually be aware of, I click on it to look at it. Since the Escapist produces so much content, I mean I remember back in the day I had no clue what 90% of it was. I had no incentive to go look at it, because I watched My content streams and that was enough. If it's all being regularly put up where I have a link, can ask someone about it in Real time, etc.... why wouldn't that encourage me to view something new?

 

[Abomination]

Discord works great when its your primary means of communicating with your customers.

Do not be fooled into thinking that we are the Escapist's customers - we are their product.

 

[ash12181987]

Discord works great when its your primary means of communicating with your customers.

Do not be fooled into thinking that we are the Escapist's customers - we are their product.

I am aware that it is a Wonderful way to communicate. Hence why I am pushing that we use it to better communicate! That way the Escapist can better communicate with it's products, if that's what your preferred term for readers.

See what is best about this whole thing, is that you and I could have this conversation in Real Time. It's very hard to read the intent behind one off, prepared messages on a forum. This is something else having a discord does: it allows a better picture of intent behind someone's speech by giving the constant stream of thought!

Your prepared statements are great, but they don't really convey any meaning because they lack intent. You get a Better picture of intent by voice chat And by a constant stream of thoughts given by more rapid fire chat that you'd find in say a Discord chat channel!

 

[Abomination]

I understand how Discord works and I agree it would be nice to have, I would be a proponent for its inclusion and use.

I am saying it would be against the interests of the owners in the long term as it would reduce navigation traffic.

 

[ash12181987]

I understand how Discord works and I agree it would be nice to have, I would be a proponent for its inclusion and use.

I am saying it would be against the interests of the owners in the long term as it would reduce navigation traffic.

Well it's good to have your support then with this issue!

Since this could promote all material equally to whichever member joins the discord, the discord can promote diversification of viewed content among the users. Also, a interconnected community can more easily game together, thus strengthening it's bonds and keeping people around!

We live in a world where media is all connected. I have at least some faith that the operators and moderators of this site would have the mental wherewithal to make this work in such a way it would be beneficial to all parties involved. To ignore one avenue of communication with a growing community of Gamers is to do nothing more then leave that opportunity ripe for other people to exploit thereby gaining an advantage over the site and reducing it's appeal.

 

[Samos205]

Pretty sure people have setup escapist discords in the past, and i'm pretty sure they all ended falling/being toxic, But if you want one that badly then set one up yourself?

A click is a click is a click. Even if it's just to pop in to the front page it's a click and it's ad revenue.

A discord, while positive for the users, would ultimately be a net loss for the owners as it would reduce the navigation to the front page of the site.

So I don't really get why we're moving off to talk about the effect of Discord on website's advertising, that doesn't seem like it's having that much of an impact on the world. I'm pretty sure that it hasn't crashed the great market of Games Journalism or Youtuber communities at this point, as other websites and gaming personalities use it quite frequently. So...

You're forgetting that this site relies on ad revenue, money doesn't automatically generate itself

Since the Escapist produces so much content

Used to produce so much content. While its good to see old creators coming back, there's still not a huge amount of content being created right now

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I dont see the point of Discord communities with hundreds of members. I feel they work best with a population of a couple dozen, where the conversation will move at a manageable pace and are personal enough to form relationships. Whoever formed a friendship with another rando in a Twitch comment box?

Forums, which we have, are more ideal for the larger community this site will strive for. Compartmentalization of threads within topics, a (albeit currently dysfunctional) reply notification system, and a slower and more deliberate means of communication.

Discord works well as a chat house for forum groups, over this forum's current functionality for them. I highly recommend its private use among those groups. However, there's no need for an overall Escapist discord.

I think it will work fine with hundreds of people, and does for guilds/ clans in other games as well. There are very large guilds that utilize it fine, you just have to have sub chat rooms/channels for different things separated like it is in forums pretty much.

I still have an escapist discord server added for that Serial Killer group, I believe you were on it as well. No one uses it of course as it has long since been dead, but I think having chat and voice options available is a good idea if done right. I don't remember there being any toxicity there, but again I was away for a while so of course it could have happened and I missed it.

I use discord regularly for voice chat primarily so I personally think it would be a good addition.

 

[ash12181987]

Pretty sure people have setup escapist discords in the past, and i'm pretty sure they all ended falling/being toxic, But if you want one that badly then set one up yourself?

That's really not the Point of the thread? The point is to push for an Official one to be made. I appreciate the anecdotal appeal here, but all that says to me is that it didn't have the resources necessary to work. Moreover, when were these created? Discord has only gained steam in the last couple years, and the point it's at now is different to the point it was at, at some nebulous time in the past. It's not exactly novel or new anymore.

And you're much more dynamic I'd say: Maybe You should start it! I'd join the first day if you threw me a link

You're forgetting that this site relies on ad revenue, money doesn't automatically generate itself

Well, if you'd go back and reread what I said to other people, No I am not forgetting that. Everyone seems overly obsessed with the advertiser content they absorb here, like that's somehow... a problem, exposing it further and more completely to a group? This would have no Ill repercussions, unless More media immersion somehow means people Wont read things or watch videos? Videos and articles are linked back to the main site from the discord. The content you Regularly absorb mixed with the content you Don't. That way you're more likely to branch out. That means more visits to the pages and more views of the content. The alternatives is that, maybe the act of knowing it's there will just mean they have had enough? That doesn't make a ton of sense to me.

Used to produce so much content. While its good to see old creators coming back, there's still not a huge amount of content being created right now

And that makes it the Perfect time to set it up now, since we're at a low point in content generation, a free service that could help keep the community engaged could potentially help as new content is added.

 

[Marik2]

 

[ash12181987]

Look. I think I speak for all of us: What you follow on your discord is none of our business, but we support you entirely.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I mean, multiple of the sub-communities here have set up Discords already, some of which are quite active. Doesn't really seem to be a need for it.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

Never really been a massive fan of completely public Discord servers. Tends to kind of muck shit up, honestly. Makes discussion and cohesion damn near impossible past a certain point, and depending on the server, kind of ruins the reason the server was made.

Not like it'd be an actively bad thing;
it's just that I don't think there's any real point now.

 

[ash12181987]

I mean, multiple of the sub-communities here have set up Discords already, some of which are quite active. Doesn't really seem to be a need for it.

Why have sub-communities, but no main? I get that the old ones were set-up before, but then The Escapist went through it's own dark age here for a bit (That being the obvious "Why"). We've got a new start here though, so... Isn't it kind of time? The fact that there are those Sub-communities says to me that there would be Some demand.

Never really been a massive fan of completely public Discord servers. Tends to kind of muck shit up, honestly. Makes discussion and cohesion damn near impossible past a certain point, and depending on the server, kind of ruins the reason the server was made.

Not like it'd be an actively bad thing;
it's just that I don't think there's any real point now.

I don't really see that, but if we're really worried about Cohesion... why do we have a forum?

I mean this conversation has bounced all over the place in ways that range from legitimately good points, to shitposts, to nonsense.

...Is it going to be worse then That? Because we have 10 Years of this...

 

[BreakfastMan]

I mean, multiple of the sub-communities here have set up Discords already, some of which are quite active. Doesn't really seem to be a need for it.

Why have sub-communities, but no main? I get that the old ones were set-up before, but then The Escapist went through it's own dark age here for a bit (That being the obvious "Why"). We've got a new start here though, so... Isn't it kind of time? The fact that there are those Sub-communities says to me that there would be Some demand.

Not really. I would say there is a reason those sub communities are sub communities, and not the community at large: because they want to talk to each other, not everyone.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I don't really see that, but if we're really worried about Cohesion... why do we have a forum?

I mean this conversation has bounced all over the place in ways that range from legitimately good points, to shitposts, to nonsense.

...Is it going to be worse then That? Because we have 10 Years of this...

I'm not really inclined to view Discord servers as having a similar purpose compared to forums like these. How I tend to view them is as outlets for discussion about specific topics (like limited to a certain game or something), or private friend groups. I don't really believe they're all that worth it in the kinds of cases where they just...exist because they can.

Even then, I still just feel pretty iffy about the idea based on my own experience with servers that were created for specific purposes which still allowed just about anybody in. That sometimes tends to create a lot of room for unnecessary friction and other issues that are just a pain to deal with for everyone involved.

At this point, I just have to agree with others saying it's an exercise in redundancy. I don't think this site has the same sense of universal community other places or communities do, especially not anymore. Not really a bad thing. I think subgroups being made is absolutely fine, of course. And you can be jovial and whatnot with the people you want to be friendly with. Just, considering the fucking wringer this place has been put through the past several years, most just aren't interested in a server open to all.