So I just hooked Discord up & I’m curious:
How do you guys use it? It seems like it’s just a big ol chat room. What’s the benefit of that vs posting on Patreon or chatting on locked Twitters? What’s your game plan for Discord?
3 Likes
we use it as a place of discussion around certain topics that might require more in-depth discussion…
… but we actually let our community dictate the pace and the convos as well. what’s nice is that now we don’t have to do really anything… it’s just “working” as a small group of folks who are committed to supporting us and working within the community. we almost never have to moderate.
i can see using discord in much more “targeted” ways as well though, depending on your need.
3 Likes
For me it feels like a more personal way to communicate with my patrons than just sending a message.
For February I let two of my high level patrons each choose a character at random and the rest of the patrons helped brainstorm a list of romantic situations which I then randomized to put the two characters in. I let my mom (also a patron) reach into a bag and randomly choose two markers that I then colored the piece with.
My hope is by having everyone involved in a part of the process, they are more invested in the outcome and interacting with each other so it feels like more of a community. It had the unexpected bonus of me feeling more excited about each part of the process. Then I have a piece to share to social media and talk about how each patron had a part in it.
I also invite my artist friends to join my Discord so as to have a discussion about art or the business of art and my patrons can then interact with other artists and get a deeper understanding of art. The artists share what they’re working on and it becomes beneficial for them as well as creating a richer community.
3 Likes
My discord isn’t solely Patron only.
It is a general chat for all fans to come in and join. HOWEVER, i do have patron only secret channels where we can chat about the art, they can ask me more direct questions outside of notes on patreon, i post links to all the new patreon posts to a channel as well which they appreciate because email notifications don’t always happen and it opens up discussion in an environment that can have more immediate responses and well, its just simply easier to talk there than through comments or notes on patreon sometimes. I have also used it to have voice chat meetings with my patrons about how my project is going, get their feedback on changes and new options (but of course i always post polls and stuff for this as well to my blog since not everyone uses discord.) It really just allows for a better involved experience in my opinion. (They also get a special patreon tier role which some people like because it shows them separate from others in the chat as a financial supporter, etc.)
I also have other projects in my discord server like Canvas Swap, Inktober and i also have places for people to post their own projects and art and just general have an inclusive experience for all my fans.
My server is rather complex since it hosts a myriad of things but my fans and patrons seem to enjoy it 
3 Likes
Oh gosh.
a) Are there tutorials you guys used to help you get started on discord?
b) Would anyone be willing to help guide a Discord Newb? Maybe invite me to your channel so I can take a peek and see how to best utilize all the features? I just - KNOW NOTHING (jon snow)
2 Likes
I mostly just used documentation on discords’ site to help set things up.
I use some outside apps like IFTTT (alternatively there is Zapier) to create automated feeds that crosspost my twitter, youtube, etc. to discord.
You are welcome to join mine, just be aware that there are NSFW channels in mine as some of my work is adult. (However they are all in their own channels that have NSFW in the names so if it’s not your cup of tea, just don’t go into channels or feeds that say NSFW in the name.
I likely wont have time to go through details or anything right now as I’m prepping for an event and whatnot but you are welcome to browse and get ideas.
2 Likes
It’s really easy to use. Like brainless.
If you can text message, then you can use Discord.
All the information on how to use it is contained within the FAQ.
I use it as a general chat room, and Patrons can post their works for critique and feedback. My page is all about miniature painting, and my videos are instructional. So, it works great for this purpose.
I feel it’s a more direct route to interacting with active Patrons, really.
Set it up, and let it run. It’s really that easy. Your community will dictate what it’s used for. Just make sure you’re active in it, and people will readily use it.
When someone asks questions, odds are pretty good they don’t find it brainless.
3 Likes
I agree. But I’m also saying that you should try setting up anyways. In most cases it’s much easier to figure out by doing.
I’m just trying to encourage you to jump in with both feet and give it a go.
Patreon has done a good job of making it simple for luddites like myself. I wasn’t trying to be offensive. I was trying to be encouraging.
You have my apologies if it was taken otherwise.
1 Like
All good! Thank you – I’m definitely just jumping in and trying, but I’m curious what other creators are doing to really make it effective.
I just installed it and followed the step by step guide to integrate it to my Patreon. I’m not at all great with technology, but the basics of it are pretty simple.
You’re welcome to join my server (anyone is for that matter). Here’s the invite code for once you’ve installed Discord: https://discord.gg/EvnCQW5
I’ll probably add more channels for different topics of discussion as I get more into it, but it will give you an idea of what it looks like.
I tried my discord for a bit and my patrons aren’t really into it plus it just seemed pointless to me. I want people to engage ON my page, not in some other place that the majority of other patrons won’t spend time on. It’s the same as the Lens addition, it’s no use for me unfortunately. If not everyone is going to benefit from it then I’m not going to use it. I also found the discord distracting as it was just small talk and wasting time I"d normally be working!
That is totally fair! Not all user bases are into that sorta thing. My discord isn’t just for patrons but for all my fans (I just have some dedicated channels for patrons that are private to patrons) but overall it’s for everyone and it helps me grow my user base in general in a more instant messenger fashion and to many people these days, it is useful for them and preferred. If my discord was just for my patrons it’d be entirely unhelpful to me and my user base over all but since it’s an open place to chat, get updates about my works (i have it auto update from my twitter, youtube, etc), separate large project updates and inclusion, Patreon stuff (including private chats with patrons about changes, the future, what they want to see, etc w3hich of course i make sure that all important and interactive things get posted to patreon because you are right, not everyone uses discord), sales/commissions and also has a place for people to share their own works as well, the community there pretty much runs itself. I step in to mod now and then, chat, answer some questions, talk about my works and such but yeah, it pretty much runs itself. Making it an open group really works for me and my user base. I could never do just patrons only there. But i totally know a good number of people that have found no use for it (or have found use in alternatives like telegram instead.) So you are certainly not alone.
1 Like
One of my rewards are weekly online RPG games that are run by cast members of my podcast (not just me) - because Patreon does not have team access, I use the Discord to let backers communicate with podcast cast members to help arrange these games. It’s worked really well so far.
1 Like