RailUK Discord server/chat service

[Intermodal]

Many forums (basically every subreddit) nowadays seems to have a Discord server. Is this something RailUK has ever thought about? In the extensive history of RailUK I am sure a similar thing has been proposed before (and therefore rejected) and would be curious as to why. Of course, if people do not like it, they do not have to participate - as I do not participate in the Speculative Ideas forum.

I am a member of some Discord servers which have thousands of people in and they do not seem to incur any significant moderation load as people can just be ignored if they are undesirable to another person.

I would imagine that there would be some great discussions held in a RailUK Discord/chat. It could provide great utility to people needing advice quickly or wishing to share casual content without clogging up the forums with quick questions. Advice could be quickly sought on the go via a mobile app in real time. The only downside I can think of is that some may say it might detract from the content on the forums by encouraging people to take it to a 'private' medium, but I do not see that issue on other forums to be honest.

For those not in the know, Discord is simply a live text and voice chat provider that offers free hosting to any community that wishes to remain on it. It is extremely well established and widely used, and can be accessed via PC software, your phone, or web browser.

 

[E_Reeves]

I use Discord too, and it is pretty much a 'live' forum. Topics can be separated into sections just like they are on this website, so could potentially be a very good idea. It'll be interesting to see where this thread goes...

 

[mafeu]

How would it enhance the forum experience? I.e. what can it do better?

I've got this vision in my head of a chatroom experience and someone, Person A, joins and says, "Hello". Person B responds, "Someone said 'hello' earlier today. Please don't say similar things." I'd check out Disccord but I'd rather not register.

 

[yorkie]

Many forums (basically every subreddit) nowadays seems to have a Discord server. Is this something RailUK has ever thought about? ....

Not that I am aware of, but if anyone wishes to contact us, there is a 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of each page

 

[Intermodal]

How would it enhance the forum experience? I.e. what can it do better?

The Discord is, clearly, real time. While forums are great for long, drawn out debates, it is fantastic to be able to quick fire responses back at one another - just as you would do in real life. If something happens, for example a series of delays, it would be the perfect place to discuss that with a combination of parties - some on the trains - some in signalboxes - some looking up data on RTT.

For ticketing and routeing queries on the go it would be far superior to the forum, in my opinion. You would be notified as soon as someone responded, and if you were unclear about something you could question that immediately and receive an immediate response. Beyond that it is invaluable for simply building relationships - in the same way a forum meet is - if someone drops by for even just ten minutes every day and catches up with their fellow forum-goers, true friendships can build.

 

[E_Reeves]

The Discord is, clearly, real time. While forums are great for long, drawn out debates, it is fantastic to be able to quick fire responses back at one another - just as you would do in real life. If something happens, for example a series of delays, it would be the perfect place to discuss that with a combination of parties - some on the trains - some in signalboxes - some looking up data on RTT.

For ticketing and routeing queries on the go it would be far superior to the forum, in my opinion. You would be notified as soon as someone responded, and if you were unclear about something you could question that immediately and receive an immediate response. Beyond that it is invaluable for simply building relationships - in the same way a forum meet is - if someone drops by for even just ten minutes every day and catches up with their fellow forum-goers, true friendships can build.

Agree with this 100%

 

[mafeu]

The Discord is, clearly, real time. While forums are great for long, drawn out debates, it is fantastic to be able to quick fire responses back at one another - just as you would do in real life. If something happens, for example a series of delays, it would be the perfect place to discuss that with a combination of parties - some on the trains - some in signalboxes - some looking up data on RTT.

For ticketing and routeing queries on the go it would be far superior to the forum, in my opinion. You would be notified as soon as someone responded, and if you were unclear about something you could question that immediately and receive an immediate response. Beyond that it is invaluable for simply building relationships - in the same way a forum meet is - if someone drops by for even just ten minutes every day and catches up with their fellow forum-goers, true friendships can build.

Nicely detailed, thanks. I'd give it a go then!

 

[Intermodal]

The above only applies to text communications, too. Discord also supports high quality voice communications and video calls, enabling difficult concepts to be explained in a fraction of that which text either on Discord or on the forum allows. If someone was particularly confused about a concept it would only take one willing person to say "hop on Discord for 5 minutes" and they could talk it through with the other party with ease. With video calls that allow streaming your PC desktop you could even host a sort of "impromptu online fares workshop" - showing them the material on your screen and explaining it with your voice.

If someone is travelling alone and wants someone to talk to or discuss a minor event that does not warrant a forum thread (for example, why am I delayed five minutes) then Discord enables that. Different channels would mean that people do not read content they are not interested in. If someone wants to post continual updates about their journey for commentery and discussion but someone else is not interested in that and just wants to discuss HS2 plans - separate 'channels' (chat rooms) allow for this.

People can make private calls between each other if they find something of interest they'd like to discuss - or if all members en-route to a forum meet used Discord they could call each other without having to go through the process of sharing phone numbers, maintaining privacy and ease of use (assuming these people were chatting on Discord regardless). Their phone would ring just like a normal phone call. Of course, this is easily disabled should you not want it to happen and is opt-in.

It's a device for community that enables our excellent community here at RailUK to grow further than it already has and build better relationships with each other in real time, whilst sharing our common interest.