Everything I Learned From The Most Engaged Discord Server Communities

Discord is one of if not the most fun chat app for your phone, tablet, or PC today. People use Discord to role-play, hang out with friends, share ideas, and connect with interest-specific communities. I often tell people Discord is like a real-time version of Reddit, one of the most popular sites on the internet. Today, I want to share what I learned from observing and managing three separate discord servers, each having more than 100,000+ members. This article is for you if you are just starting or running your own Discord server.

Straightforward, strict, and actionable rules

One common mistake I often see are discord servers with a number of members not following the rules of a server. This is a problem that requires being nipped as early as possible because it often starts with one or two members not being reprimanded for their bad behavior due to unclear rules or loose enforcement from the server moderators. Usually this occurrence slowly gets out of hand as additional members follow suit and ignore the rules. Before it is too late, some proportion users will have made up a significant part of the overall community and can lead to issues down the road, such as an exodus of users or revolt.

Use Software aka Discord Bots

Use discord bots, embrace discord bots, and always keep your eye on new and updated discord bots. Software is multiple times more efficient than humans. You can use bots to manage your admin team, manage roles, locate bad behavior, automate disciplines, engage your users, provide games for users to interact with one another, and many more. Simply put, I have yet to come across any one successful discord server that does not utilize discord bots. The most recently bot I came across a new interesting discord game bot called L00t (www.l00t.gg). It’s a pirate game that allows server members to explore discord and build stronger community around a server. New bots will continue to show up and old bots will continue to improve with new features. Never forget discord bots are always improving as well, make sure you stay up-to-date with new bots.

No ego and build a trusting team

As your server grows, you will not be able to manage everything occurring on your server. Some server owners like the idea of having all the power that comes with complete control of the server. They have a hard time letting go or delegating authority to other trusted team members to take on some of the responsibility. When this happens, it usually leads to the owner becoming a bottleneck to the server or the direction of the server starts progressing at the whim of one person. The most sustainable communities are always those that can run on their own because of structured team management and delegation.

Listen and engage members

Communities grow like a weed when they work and feel deserted when they don’t. The tried and true way to grow any community is to listen to the community itself. It’s really that easy. Often times, I’ll come across servers where the admin team has plans that are not-aligned with their community. Not every member suggestion will always be constructive, but sometimes their requests for is rooted in an underlying need that can be solved in some other way. It is also important to lookout for and discuss user feedback with your admin team often to make sure the sentiment of your users are always at the top of the admin team’s mind.