General Feedback: Discord Server?

[CoyoteFeathers]

This might not be a thing that most people would be interested in, but would a Discord server ever be considered for the Cauldron? It's mainly a gamer thing, but essentially Discord is Skype with voice and text chatrooms and sub-chatrooms and in my experience it's really helped make/keep communities pretty active and brought people a bit closer together. Since the MUX hasn't worked (at least for me, and it always seems to have 0 people) since I joined, maybe this would be a better solution? It's entirely free and can be used either as a standalone app or in-browser.

Just a suggestion! I normally find that having casual realtime chat can really help build a community. My friend started one for the people who watched her Twitch stream, and even though she doesn't stream anymore it's still very active and has its own DnD group!

[Uneryx]

This might not be a thing that most people would be interested in, but would a Discord server ever be considered for the Cauldron? It's mainly a gamer thing, but essentially Discord is Skype with voice and text chatrooms and sub-chatrooms and in my experience it's really helped make/keep communities pretty active and brought people a bit closer together. Since the MUX hasn't worked (at least for me, and it always seems to have 0 people) since I joined, maybe this would be a better solution? It's entirely free and can be used either as a standalone app or in-browser.

Just a suggestion! I normally find that having casual realtime chat can really help build a community. My friend started one for the people who watched her Twitch stream, and even though she doesn't stream anymore it's still very active and has its own DnD group!

I'd be down for a chat! Maybe not voice, but a text chat would be awesome.

[RandallS]

This might not be a thing that most people would be interested in, but would a Discord server ever be considered for the Cauldron?

I have thought about it, but it would be something else for staff to have to monitor. We have CauldronMUX for text chat, although it does not seem to be used much anymore.  Part of the problem with chat areas is that the Hosts have near zero time for or interest in live chat so it is always something that falls solely on our staff to deal with. However, if there is a lot of interest, we could at least consider it. If any long time active members are interested and willing to help monitor it, that would increase its changes as I'm not sure any of our staff who would have the time would be interested in voice chat.

[Edit "video" changed to "voice" in last sentence.]

[RandallS]

I've started a discussion on this in the chat staff area. I suspect a trial of Discord for TC (to see if it is liked and used -- and is not too much to handle from the staff end) is likely. The more people who say they are interested in using it, the more likely it will become, of course.

<particularly-confusing Randallism fixed by Sunflower; see struck-out bit>

[CoyoteFeathers]

I have thought about it, but it would be something else for staff to have to monitor. We have CauldronMUX for text chat, although it does not seem to be used much anymore.  Part of the problem with chat areas is that the Hosts have near zero time for or interest in live chat so it is always something that falls solely on our staff to deal with. However, if there is a lot of interest, we could at least consider it. If any long time active members are interested and willing to help monitor it, that would increase its changes as I'm not sure any of our staff who would have the time would be interested in voice chat.

[Edit "video" changed to "voice" in last sentence.]

The MUX hasn't even appeared on the page for me since I've been here, I always get an error message. If it's using Flash, a lot of browsers like Chrome are phasing it out or won't open plugins using an outdated version of Flash. HTML5 is the new standard. I don't know what the MUX looks like on the back end, so if that's not the problem, apologies. In addition to that, while I'm familiar with MU*s, most people aren't these days.

I totally understand the staffing issue! I'd offer to mod since I brought up the idea and have experience being a Discord admin and mod elsewhere, but I know I haven't been around here long so I'd also understand if that's out of the question.

Sorry if I'm just missing it, but I can't seem to find that discussion? Is it staff only?

[RandallS]

The MUX hasn't even appeared on the page for me since I've been here, I always get an error message. If it's using Flash, a lot of browsers like Chrome are phasing it out or won't open plugins using an outdated version of Flash. HTML5 is the new standard. I don't know what the MUX looks like on the back end, so if that's not the problem, apologies. In addition to that, while I'm familiar with MU*s, most people aren't these days.

There are MUX clients available for most platforms (Android, Linux, MacOS, and Windows -- not sure about iOs as I don't own/use iphones) for those whop cannot use flash. I know on no (free) HTML5 Mu* clients that actually work or we would use one.

Sorry if I'm just missing it, but I can't seem to find that discussion? Is it staff only?

Yes, it's staff only. But it is ongoing. It looks like we might try a discord server -- first for staff than for everyone if staff can stand it. But no final decision has been made. These discussions take time as it may be 36-48 before most staff had had a chance to even reply to my first message on the subject.

[SunflowerP]

Sorry if I'm just missing it, but I can't seem to find that discussion? Is it staff only?

Yes, it's staff only.

I have spotted and fixed (by striking out the original text, so it can still be seen alongside its correction) the Randallism that led to the confusion here.

Sunflower

[SunflowerP]

The MUX hasn't even appeared on the page for me since I've been here, I always get an error message. If it's using Flash, a lot of browsers like Chrome are phasing it out or won't open plugins using an outdated version of Flash. HTML5 is the new standard. I don't know what the MUX looks like on the back end, so if that's not the problem, apologies. In addition to that, while I'm familiar with MU*s, most people aren't these days.

Yeah, the thing you click on a TC page is a MUX Flash client widget - dislike of/problems with Flash are what caused me to get a MU* client onto my own computer as soon as I realized I wanted to be in the MUX regularly.

For complicated reasons, people have got out of the habit of being in the MUX. I keep thinking I should get back into that habit, but didn't do anything about it until you posted this thread - I'll be trying to spend some time in it every day, for those who have MU* apps on their devices and don't want to wait for Discord testing.

I totally understand the staffing issue! I'd offer to mod since I brought up the idea and have experience being a Discord admin and mod elsewhere, but I know I haven't been around here long so I'd also understand if that's out of the question.

Without making any commitments about it, I'll note that chat moderation is not necessarily a staff-only job,  but can be (and IIRC has in the past been) done partly with non-staff assistants. So it's not completely out of the question.

Sunflower

<fixing something borked in the quote code, I hope>

[RandallS]

This might not be a thing that most people would be interested in, but would a Discord server ever be considered for the Cauldron?

We have one available for public trial now. Whether or not we will keep it will depend on how much it is used. Members with at least 10 posts should see a Members in Chat box in the sidebar with a Discord widget in the box. Please set your nickname for The Cauldron's Discord server to your displayname on The Cauldron (The name that appears next to posts you make -- normally the username you use to log on to this forum).

For more info, see this post in the Full Member Information Board: Test our new Discord (Chat) Server. If you cannot see this post or the Full Member Info board then you do not yet have at least 10 posts.

[PerditaPickle]

We have one available for public trial now.

I gave it a try, but it wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped so I'll need to grab some help from my husband tomorrow night or the next time we've both got some time.  I usually consider myself reasonably IT literate, too 

[PerditaPickle]

I gave it a try, but it wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped so I'll need to grab some help from my husband tomorrow night or the next time we've both got some time.  I usually consider myself reasonably IT literate, too 

Scratch that, we've sorted it 

[RandallS]

Scratch that, we've sorted it 

Glad to hear that!

[Kylara]

We have one available for public trial now.

For anyone who already uses Discord and isn't aware...it seems you can change your nickname for groups independently.  I was able to keep my game name in my game groups, but change my nickname in the Cauldron chat to my forum nickname, which is really nice.

[PerditaPickle]

For anyone who already uses Discord and isn't aware...it seems you can change your nickname for groups independently.  I was able to keep my game name in my game groups, but change my nickname in the Cauldron chat to my forum nickname, which is really nice.

Yes I like that feature too 

(Ha! Sounds like I'm a Discord veteran when in fact I'm a total newb  lol)

[RandallS]

Whether or not we will keep it will depend on how much it is used. Members with at least 10 posts should see a Members in Chat box in the sidebar with a Discord widget in the box.

We have decided to keep the Discord Server. We are also lowering the post count needed to see the Discord widget in the sidebar (and therefore the link to connect to our server) from 10 posts to a lower number. Let's just say you need to have made "multiple posts" to see it, but that multiple posts is noticeably less than 10.   No since encouraging potential spammers and trolls by giving them a specific target to aim for.  This lowered number also applies to the Full Member Information board.