Welcome to the World of Discord: A Guide for Vocal Creators

In last week's update, we shared some exciting news about the newest addition to the Vocal community - the Official Vocal Creators Discord server! We were thrilled by your positive responses and eagerness to jump in. It’s clear to us that our creators are as enthusiastic as we are about the potential of this platform for growing our vibrant community.

We are also aware that navigating Discord may be challenging for new users, and we want to ensure a smooth transition. Therefore, as a follow-up to our announcement, we've crafted a comprehensive guide to help you get acclimated to Discord and fully leverage the potential of our new Official Vocal Creators server. Let's get started!

Understanding Discord Basics

Discord is a platform designed to facilitate community interaction, primarily through voice, video, and text communication. Initially designed for gaming communities, it has expanded into a versatile communication tool for all sorts of groups, including our Vocal Creator community.

1. Joining Discord

First, you'll need to create a Discord account. The easiest way to both join Discord and the Vocal server is by clicking our invitation link here: https://discord.gg/vocalcreators.

Once you visit the link above, you'll be prompted to create a username, followed by a few more account creation steps. After you've created your Discord account, you should have automatically joined the Vocal server. If your Discord account has been created and you aren't a member of the Vocal server, please visit https://discord.gg/vocalcreators.

2. Navigating Discord

Within the Vocal Discord, you'll find different channels. These channels serve as separate rooms for various topics. Some channels may be for general chat (such as the "general" channel under the Creators category). Others are dedicated to specific themes, such as our creator "Introductions" or platform "Announcements" channels.

Pro Tip: Download the Discord app on the device(s) you plan to use Discord on for the best experience. You can download the app by clicking here. Then, select the device app type you want to download.

3. Participating in Discord

To participate in a conversation, click on the relevant channel and type your message into the chat bar at the bottom of the screen. Remember to always keep discussions respectful and on-topic for each channel.

You can also react to others' messages with emoji responses, by simply clicking on the emoji button beside a message.

Vocal Discord Channel List

The channel list below includes all Vocal public channels that were included in the Discord launch. To view the most up to date channel list, please visit the Official Vocal Creators Discord.

• welcome: Welcome to the Official Vocal Creators Discord server
• server-rules: A list of all Vocal Discord server rules and guidelines
• announcements: A place for all Vocal-related announcements, news and updates
• top-stories: A feed of all Vocal Top Stories
• challenge-announcements: A feed of Vocal Challenge announcements, including new Challenges, reminders and resources
• general: A place for all Vocal-related conversation and discussion.
• tips-and-tricks: Collaborate and exchange tips and tricks for creating on Vocal.
• introductions: Introduce yourself to the Vocal Discord community.
• story-showcase: A place to showcase your Vocal stories. Post your Vocal story URL and tell us why you're proud of your creation.
• new-challenge-ideas: Submit ideas to be considered for the next Vocal Challenge.
• new-community-ideas: Submit ideas to be considered for the next Vocal Community.
• top-story-nominations: A place to share links to your favorite Vocal stories by other creators. Post the Vocal story URL and tell us why you think it should be selected as a Top Story.
• bug-reports-website: Submit bugs and issues found on the Vocal website.
• bug-reports-ios: Submit bugs and issues found on the Vocal iOS app.
• bug-reports-android: Submit bugs and issues found on the Vocal Android app.

Message Engagement and Notification Preferences

If you're eager to make the most out of your Discord experience and effectively engage with the channels you've joined, it's important to familiarize yourself with the various actions available to you. Understanding how to customize your notification preferences can help ensure you receive the right amount of updates without feeling overwhelmed.

We've provided a breakdown below of the common actions you can take on Discord, along with insights into your notification preferences and message navigation options.

Replies:

• The reply feature allows you to respond to a specific message in a channel without losing the context.
• On desktop, you can click on the Reply button when hovering over a message or access it through the three dots menu or right-clicking the message.
• On mobile, long-press a message and tap on the reply button.
• Replies will ping the recipient by default, but you can toggle this off.

Accessing Mentions:

• Mentions can be accessed through the Inbox feature.
• Mentions include messages where you’ve been mentioned with @username, @role, or @everyone.
• You can filter mention messages based on criteria like including @everyone mentions or @role mentions.
• Individual mention messages can be closed by clicking the “X” icon.

Accessing Unreads:

• The Unreads tab shows messages from unmuted channels that you haven’t marked as read.
• @here mentions are displayed in the Unreads tab.
• You can mark individual messages as read by clicking on the check mark icon or mark all messages as read with the “Mark Inbox As Read” button.
• You can mute notifications for specific channels or servers in the Inbox.

Interacting with Messages:

• To reply to specific messages, click on the Jump button that appears when hovering over a message.
• The Unreads tab allows you to add reactions, play media, and interact with messages.

Threads:

• Threads are a way to branch off conversations from the main channel feed without interrupting the flow.
• They allow for in-depth discussions without cluttering the main conversation.
• You can start a thread from an existing message by hovering over it and selecting the “Thread” button or create a thread from scratch using the “+” button in the chat bar.
• Threads can be public or private, and private threads won’t appear in the channel listing or threads directory.
• Permissions can be set to control who can create and participate in threads.

Notification Settings:

• You can customize your notification settings within a server.
• To access notification settings, click on the server name in the upper left corner and select “Notification Settings.”
• You can adjust notification settings for all channels, specific channels, or the entire server.
• The settings include options to mute notifications, suppress @everyone mentions, and enable mobile push notifications.

Engaging as a Vocal Creator on Discord

Our Official Vocal Creators Discord is a vibrant hub where you can connect with fellow creators, share ideas, ask questions, and receive updates on all things Vocal. But it's more than just a chatroom; it's a place for us to strengthen our community.

1. Moderation

In addition to the Vocal Team monitoring and optimizing Vocal's Discord activity, we'll be inviting key Vocal creators to act as Discord moderators and curators. If selected, you'll be notified via email.

As a moderator, your role is to help foster positive discussion, ensure our Discord server rules are followed, and provide feedback to the Vocal Team, which will enable us to continue to evolve the server. You will also be compensated for your continued participation as a Discord moderator. The details will be provided via email to the selected creators prior to accepting the role.

2. Sharing and Collaborating

Discord is an excellent platform to discuss your work, exchange ideas, and seek feedback. Sharing drafts, brainstorming plot points, or discussing narrative techniques are all encouraged.

3. Being a Part of the Community

Engage, contribute, and enjoy being part of this growing community of creators. This is a space for us to learn from each other, inspire each other, and, above all, support each other.

Our new Discord server represents another exciting chapter in Vocal's journey. We believe this will be an invaluable resource for our community of creators. So, don't be shy – jump in and let your voice be heard! As always, we can't wait to see what you'll create next.