A GUIDE TO DISCORD
More and more, students are moving to online platforms, especially over the past few years. Social interaction is so important, and connecting online is one way of getting that interaction. One of the most popular online platforms right now is Discord. If you have students who play video games, it is very likely that they’re already familiar with Discord. This platform allows users to join servers based on their interests and discuss those in a message board format.
As we continue to see this shift to online communities, we want to create safe ways for our students at JSM to connect with one another. We are doing this through our own JSM Discord server! If you’re new to Discord, the following information will help you become more familiar with it, as well as help you get your student connected there as well!
FINDING AND JOINING OUR SERVER
STEP ONE
In order to keep our server safe and secure for our students, we have several security measures in place. Before anyone is allowed to join the server, they must fill out the form linked below.
Once the form has been completed and we have verified all of the information, you will receive an invite email to the email address provided within 24-48 hours. When you click the invite link, you should be taken to a page that resembles the one above. Please do not share this link, as it is only good for one use.
STEP TWO
Sign in or create a free account. If you are creating a new account for your child, their username can be whatever they wish, however, once they are in the JSM server, they will need to change their nickname to their first name and last initial. Again, this is a safety measure, to ensure that we know everyone in our server.
NOTE: If the user is under the age of 13, adult permission/moderation is required. When registering for a new account, use the parent/guardian’s birthdate, instead of the child’s.
Once you accept the invitation, you will receive a direct message from “Carl-bot” (this is our automated server moderator) with instructions on how to use the server.
STEP THREE
Click on the JSM logo on the left side of the screen to enter the JSM server. This should bring you to the #server-rules channel. Once you have read through all of the rules, click the check mark underneath the message. This indicates that you have read and agree to the rules of the server.
PARENTS: We also have spaces for you to interact within our server as well. If you would like access, please reach out to the student pastor. Once you have done so, they will send you a link and you can make your own account. Once you are in the server, click the blue “P” underneath the message after the rules.
Once you have read and accept the rules, follow the steps to the right to change your nickname within the JSM server. If done properly, this will only effect the way your name appears in the JSM server and not others.
CHANGE NICKNAME
NOTE: No one will receive full access to the server until they have changed their Discord nickname to their first and last initial.
- Ensure that you are currently in the JSM server by clicking the JSM logo on the left side of the screen.
- Click the silhouette of a person in the top right corner of the screen. This will bring up a list of users in the server. If you are on PC or Mac, this list may already be visible, without clicking the silhouette.
- Find and click your username in the list that appears.
- If on mobile, click “Edit Server Profile”. If on PC, click on the pencil icon in the top right corner of the window that pops up, then click “Edit Server Profile”.
- Type your first name and last initial in the “Nickname” field, then click close.
NAVIGATION TIPS
On the left side of the app, you will find all of the TEXT and VOICE channels. Just select the one that you would like to interact with. If you are on a mobile device, you will need to click the three lines in the top left corner in order to see the channels.
Voice channels are indicated by a speaker icon and text channels are indicated by a “#”. In order to gain access to some of the channels in the “Hangout” category, students will need to go into the #interests channel and follow the instructions to indicate which channels they would like to see. In order for a student to join a voice chat they must select the desired channel (i.e. “Voice Chat Lobby”). If using Discord on mobile, they will also need to click “Join Voice” in order to join. Click the microphone icon in the bottom left corner to mute and unmute your voice, the headphones icon to mute everyone else, the camera to turn on/off their camera, and the red phone/x icon to disconnect from voice chat.
SO WHY DISCORD?
One of the biggest reasons that we want to utilize Discord within JSM is that a lot of our students are already there. Another reason is that it is a great way for our leaders to safely interact with students.
Discord is also great for hosting events. Discord will allow us to host more activities without having to worry about transportation or putting too much on our volunteers. We can use Discord to host game nights, as well as hold Bible studies with students.
Another great thing about Discord is that students will be given roles within the server, which allows them to access some channels that others may not. For instance, there are separate servers for our JSM Ambassadors, so that we can discuss our leadership program. There are also separate servers for high school and middle school students, separated by gender. Even though these channels are specific to ages and genders, they will be monitored and moderated by our JSM adult leaders, in order to keep our students safe.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child using our Discord server, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Justin at [email protected].