What Discord is
You have received an email from a colleague or client: “We meet at 12pm on Discord.” Wait, what is Discord?
Discord is a platform for communicating with other users through private or public chats known as servers. These servers already exist, and you can join them or create your own.
At first glance, if you normally use other applications, it is similar to Slack, Skype or StreamYard.
However it has its own characteristics that differentiate it from the rest:
- All the services are free, without limitations. It has premium options to add emojis from mobile devices.
- It allows you to talk via chat, through videoconference or just by audio, in addition, you can create a public or private chat.
- It has an app for mobile devices and for PCs, also you can use the web version if you want to avoid installation.
- There are other web pages that help you find other chats to join, depending on the topic and objective, such as Discord.me.
- It has great versatility that makes it easy to connect to any system: Android, Linux, Windows or iOS.
Now that you know what Discord is and its unique characteristics. Do you want to start using it?
What is Discord for
Discord’s main use is clear: communicating with other users instantly.
However, you can do this with any messaging application, right?
Here we tell you several reasons why Discord can be useful in your day-to-day.
Create a meeting on a topic
Do you want to chat with other users, whether they are friends or strangers? Discord is perfect for this, because you can create different channels depending on the topic you want to talk about.
You can make it private, inviting whoever you want or public so any user can join. The name of the channel or server is used to identify the topic or content.
Play with your community
Despite the fact that Discord currently serves any field and public, at the beginning it was designed for gaming content.
Many professional players or streamers use Discord for their live games: it allows them to connect with their team and with their fans. Unlike other platforms, Discord ensures that your games do not suffer during its use, since it uses a low latency in voice or video calls.
Create meetings
Like any application, with Discord you can meet friends, your work team or clients for a video conference.
It brings all the possibilities to make it a success: voice, written or video chat; you can share screen with other viewers or share files.
Enter a server to chat
If you want to meet up with other users about a topic that interests you and share your opinion, this is your place.
You can search the topic that interests you and join. In the Explore public servers section you will find different categories to enter.
Now, how to get started on Discord?
How to register on Discord
Getting started with Discord is easier than you think. You just have to create an account and look for conversation topics!
Let’s go step by step. How to create an account on Discord?
- Visit Discord official website and click login. If you don’t have an account yet, you need to register.
- The next step is to fill in all the fields that the platform asks for: your email, the username you are going to choose, the password and your date of birth.
The username can be a nickname that you normally use in your games or your own name if it is not already taken.
- Check the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy box and click Continue.
Now that you have entered discord, you can start chatting using the different servers.
How Discord works
You have a Discord account and you want to keep testing its features. You have everything ready to start.
As we mentioned at the beginning, this platform works through servers and channels.. So you have two options to get started: join a server or create your own.
Here we are going to show you how to do both.
How to join a server
To join a server there are three ways:
✅ From external websites to the application.
Sites like discord.me or discordservers.com help you find different servers to join. These platforms will suggest some servers or you can search topics on your own.
✅ From the platform.
On the sidebar menu you will find the ‘+’ icon, where you can join an existing server. Of course, for this option you must have the corresponding invitation to enter.
This invitation is a code or a url that includes the word ‘discord’ followed by a letter code.
✅ From the Discover section
On the Discord platform, also in the left side column you can join a server created by someone else and of a public nature.
Therefore, you will not need a password to join. There are different video games like Valorant, Minecraft and also categories like Music, Gaming or Education.
How to create a Server
Now, if you want to create your own meeting point with friends and users, how do you get started?
- Click on the ‘+’ button in the left side column to start creating a server.
- Click on “Create my own” to start from scratch.
- Choose the name of the server, which should be easy to identify and upload a profile photo. Don’t worry about this, you can change it later.
- The new server has been created. You can now discover all the features offered by the platform: Send messages, invite friends, customize your server.
Within the server you can create text and voice channels, edit their name, the subject or the invitations.
As well as delete it if you are no longer interested in keeping it. You have multiple options to customize the server.
Everything ready to get started on Discord!
