Twitter, Telegram, and Discord have emerged as the primary platforms for communication and community engagement within the cryptocurrency space.
While Twitter and Telegram are well-known among domestic users, Discord remains a relatively unfamiliar platform, especially in regions like China. However, over the past year, Discord has gained significant attention, partly due to tighter regulations on domestic social media platforms and the growing popularity of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations).
As of 2024, Discord’s role in the crypto community is more significant than ever. One recent hint about Discord’s growing integration with the crypto world came from its founder, Jason Citron, who shared a screenshot on Twitter suggesting that Discord is testing a feature that could connect Ethereum addresses via MetaMask and WalletConnect—two of the most widely used digital wallets in the crypto space. This announcement indicates the increasing influence of the crypto community on Discord, as users demand more seamless integration between social platforms and blockchain technologies.
For many users, getting started with Discord can be daunting. The platform’s Servers—essentially, individual communities built around specific projects—differ significantly from the functions of traditional social media. Navigating between project updates, direct messages, and various channels within a server can be confusing, especially when language barriers come into play. Nonetheless, once users get past this initial learning curve, they begin to realize the power and convenience that Discord offers. As a communication tool for investors, Discord allows direct access to project updates, community discussions, and key announcements, making it an essential tool for anyone looking to stay informed in the crypto world.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of getting started with Discord, helping you unlock its full potential as a platform for crypto community engagement and project insights. Let’s dive in and explore how to make the most of Discord for your crypto journey.
Discord is a free communication platform that was launched in 2015. Initially, it was created with gamers in mind, aiming to provide them with a seamless voice, video, and text communication experience. However, over the years, Discord has grown far beyond gaming, becoming a platform used by all kinds of communities—including those in the cryptocurrency space. Today, millions of people use Discord to engage with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and discuss topics ranging from technology to finance, and, more recently, cryptocurrencies.
Discord provides a versatile space where people can interact in real time. The platform’s core features include text channels for discussions, voice channels for meetings or chats, and video channels for face-to-face interaction. It’s widely appreciated for its low-latency voice chat and easy-to-use interface, making it a great choice for both casual and professional communication. Many users have found that Discord’s flexibility and open architecture make it ideal for building tight-knit communities and conducting organized, ongoing discussions.
If you're new to Discord or unsure about how to navigate the platform, here's a comprehensive guide on how to get started.
To use Discord, you first need to download and set up the app. It’s available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. You can choose between using Discord in your browser or downloading the desktop or mobile app for a smoother experience.
Download Discord: Visit Discord download page to download the app. You can choose the desktop version for Windows or macOS or the mobile version for iOS and Android.
Create an Account
After downloading the app, open it, or go to the Discord website.
Click on "Sign Up" and provide your email address, set up a username, and create a password.
Once your account is set up, the next step is to join a server. Servers are where communities gather to communicate, share information, and participate in discussions. Here’s how to join a server:
Use an Invite Link: Many crypto projects and communities provide invite links to their servers. Simply click on the link to join.
To ensure the integrity of a server, most communities require users to complete a verification process before granting full access. This is often referred to as "I'm human" verification.
Simple Verification Methods: Some servers use a simple emoji-based verification, such as clicking a ✅ emoji in the Welcome channel.
Bot-based Verification: Other servers may use bots to send direct messages (DMs) to new members for verification. This often involves completing a captcha or image classification test to confirm you're not a bot.
Once you're verified and inside the server, you'll want to stay up to date with the latest project updates. Look for the Announcements channel, which is where major updates, news, and events are shared.
Announcements Channel: This is where the project team posts critical updates like new content releases, roadmap updates, and upcoming events.
Discord is a hub for crypto community engagement, often offering events, airdrops, and giveaways. If you’re joining a project server for these opportunities, look out for specific channels dedicated to events and promotions.
Whitelist Rules: Many projects offer exclusive access to future NFT drops or token sales through a whitelist. These channels outline how to get on the whitelist and participate.
Giveaways and Contests: Some servers organize fun contests, meme challenges, or even simple follow-and-retweet activities where participants can win tokens or NFTs.
If you’re not a native speaker of the server's primary language, translation apps can help you follow instructions and participate in these events.
The heart of Discord is its community, and you can engage with others by chatting in various channels.
General Channels: Look for the General or Main Chat channel to start participating in conversations. Here, users discuss the latest news, share insights, and get to know one another.
Build Your Presence: The more you chat and interact, the more visible you become within the community. Many NFT communities reward active users by making them core members or giving them special roles.
Language-Specific Channels: Many crypto projects recognize the global nature of their communities and create language-specific channels. If you speak a language other than English, check if the project has a Chinese, Spanish, or German channel to facilitate communication in your native language.
For those looking to take their Discord experience to the next level, creating your own server can be a fun way to experiment and engage with others. Here’s how:
Create a Server:
Discord allows for a lot of customization, so you can build a space that reflects your personality or project.
As you become more familiar with Discord, you may want to explore some advanced features that will enhance your experience.
Bots and Automation: Many servers use bots to automate tasks, like welcoming new members, managing roles, or organizing giveaways.
Some of the most popular and active crypto Discord servers include those dedicated to well-known cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. These servers often have large communities where users can find the latest updates on protocol upgrades, community events, and upcoming token sales.
For example, the Ethereum Foundation’s Discord is a hub for developers and users who are involved with Ethereum-based projects. It offers channels for general discussion, technical support, and development-related topics. Similarly, DeFi-focused servers provide a space for users to discuss decentralized finance projects, share trading strategies, and stay informed on the latest innovations in the space.
Crypto Town, for instance, is a community-driven server that keeps members updated on the latest news in the cryptocurrency market. It offers a range of channels for market analysis, token price discussions, and investment strategies. It’s a great example of how Discord facilitates real-time, community-driven communication in the crypto world.
Another example is NFT communities like the CryptoPunks Discord server, where collectors, investors, and artists gather to discuss the latest trends in non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These servers often include channels for NFT drops, art showcases, and general NFT discussions.
In summary, Discord is a powerful tool for anyone involved in the cryptocurrency space. By joining the right servers, users can access a wealth of information, connect with other crypto enthusiasts, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and projects. Whether you're looking to discuss market movements, get project updates, or learn from experienced users, crypto-focused Discord servers provide an essential platform for communication and collaboration.
As we’ve seen in the previous section, Discord’s core features allow users to communicate and interact in a highly customizable and dynamic environment. But what makes Discord especially appealing to crypto projects? The platform’s flexibility, automation capabilities, and efficient community management tools make it the go-to choice for project creators. Here’s why Discord stands out for cryptocurrency and NFT communities.
One of the most powerful features of Discord is its ability to create tailored servers. Unlike other platforms like Twitter or Telegram, where users typically join a single group chat, Discord allows server creators to build specialized channels that cater to different needs. For instance, a server could have separate channels for announcements, FAQs, events, and even casual discussions. This structure helps avoid clutter and makes it easy for users to find relevant information.
In many NFT projects, Discord servers are carefully organized to ensure a seamless user experience. For example, Coinbase’s Bushidos NFT server uses multiple channels to organize information. The main channels include Info/Updates, where the project shares announcements and progress updates, and FAQs, which answers common questions about the project. Community members can also participate in more informal conversations in the Town Square channel, where users exchange greetings and ideas. For active engagement, the server features an Events channel where users can participate in airdrops, competitions, and other activities. By segmenting these different aspects of the project into distinct channels, Discord ensures that the information remains clear and accessible to all members.
This flexibility is a significant advantage over platforms like Telegram, where project creators often need to set up multiple groups to achieve similar results. The custom channels in Discord create a more structured and organized space for users to interact, share information, and stay up to date with the latest developments.
Another key reason why crypto projects flock to Discord is the platform’s extensive bot integration. Bots help automate many of the manual tasks that would otherwise take up time and effort, allowing project creators to focus on community engagement and growth.
For example, Discord bots can automate whitelist tracking, meaning that a bot can automatically identify users who have earned spots on the whitelist and assign them special roles. These bots can also monitor NFT sales, providing real-time updates to the community about the availability and price of newly minted NFTs. Additionally, bots can track user activity in the server and assign rankings or roles based on engagement. Active members may earn privileges, such as special colors for their usernames, or even get early access to exclusive content and airdrops.
This automation is a game-changer for NFT and crypto projects, which often require fast-paced updates and constant engagement. Bots help ensure that members are kept informed and rewarded for their contributions to the community. These tools have become essential in maintaining the dynamic and interactive atmosphere that is characteristic of crypto communities.
Discord also excels at organizing community members through its role-based system. Each user can be assigned specific roles, which are color-coded for easy identification. These roles could range from community leaders, moderators, and admins to regular members, depending on their involvement in the project.
In large NFT communities like Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Discord’s categorization system plays an important role in maintaining order and facilitating communication. In the BAYC server, verified holders of the Bored Ape NFTs are given special roles that distinguish them from other members. These roles make it clear who the key decision-makers are in the community, which fosters trust and transparency. Furthermore, members can easily identify who they need to reach out to for assistance, whether it’s an admin, a moderator, or a fellow community leader.
This system helps create a sense of hierarchy within the community, ensuring that the most active and dedicated members are recognized for their contributions. It also aids in managing large groups by making it easier to communicate with people based on their role or involvement in the project.
Discord’s versatility goes beyond text chat and role assignments. The platform also supports voice and video communication, live streaming, and even custom emojis, all of which contribute to a more interactive and engaging community experience.
For example, many crypto projects use voice channels to host live events, such as AMAs (Ask Me Anything), live discussions, or exclusive drop parties. Members can jump into a voice channel to participate in these real-time interactions, making the community feel more personal and connected. Additionally, projects often use Discord’s custom emoji feature to add personality to their server. These emojis can represent unique aspects of the project, such as specific NFTs or project-related symbols, and are used frequently in conversations to express excitement or solidarity.
In projects like CryptoPunks and BAYC, these custom emojis and memes play a crucial role in fostering a unique identity for the community. As members use and share these emojis, they create a sense of belonging and help spread the project’s culture across social media. The ability to easily create and share memes also enhances the virality of the project, helping it reach new audiences and keeping the community engaged.
Moreover, Discord’s integration with platforms like YouTube allows for seamless sharing of videos and content directly within the server. This enables projects to live stream events or share video updates without having to redirect users to external websites.
Following the earlier discussion of why Discord is the preferred platform for crypto projects, it’s clear that its features are well-suited for managing communities and fostering engagement. But how exactly do crypto projects use Discord to build and manage their communities? Let’s break it down into the main ways Discord is used by crypto projects.
One of the main reasons Discord is favored over other platforms for launching crypto projects is its ability to create highly customizable servers. Unlike simpler messaging apps or social media platforms, Discord allows project creators to build servers with tailored structures, making it easier to manage information, moderate discussions, and interact with community members.
Crypto projects often set up multiple channels within their servers to handle different types of communication. For example, channels like #announcements, #rules, and #events provide clear spaces for important updates, server guidelines, and event information. This channel structure helps to prevent the clutter and confusion that can occur in other platforms where everything is funneled into a single group chat.
Additionally, Discord’s permissions system allows server owners to set specific access rules for each channel. For instance, certain channels can be restricted to only project admins, while others are open to all members. This structure helps ensure that critical information is easily accessible while also maintaining control over the server’s environment.
This flexibility is a significant advantage when compared to platforms like Telegram, where creators typically need to set up separate groups for different purposes. On Discord, everything can be organized under one roof, giving both project leaders and community members a more streamlined and organized experience.
Crypto projects rely heavily on building a strong, engaged community, and Discord is an essential tool for facilitating this interaction. Discord offers real-time communication, allowing project teams to directly share updates with their community members, answer questions, and provide immediate feedback.
One key way crypto projects use Discord to engage their communities is by posting frequent updates and announcements in dedicated channels like #updates or #roadmap. This ensures that community members are always informed about the latest developments, from token releases to new partnerships and upcoming events. Unlike other platforms where updates can get buried in general discussions, Discord’s structured channels help members stay on top of important information.
Real-time communication is another key benefit. Many projects use Discord to host live Q&A sessions, AMA (Ask Me Anything) events, or community discussions where members can interact with the team directly. These sessions allow members to get answers to their questions and feel more connected to the project, which can increase loyalty and investment in the project.
For example, CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) use Discord for direct engagement, where members can chat with the team, ask questions, and discuss the latest updates. These interactive features create a sense of belonging within the community, which is crucial for maintaining engagement over time.
Discord plays a vital role in helping crypto projects engage their early supporters and grow their network. Crypto projects often use Discord to run special events, offer exclusive access to content, and incentivize community growth. For example, projects may offer giveaways, whitelist spots, or sneak-peeks as rewards for community participation.
For NFT projects, Discord servers are often used to run whitelist events, where users can gain early access to an upcoming NFT drop. This is typically done through a bot system that tracks user activity, invites, or participation in specific channels. The more a community member engages with the server—whether by participating in chats, completing tasks, or inviting others—the higher their chances of securing a whitelist spot. These systems help reward active members and build excitement around the project.
Sneak-peeks are another popular way projects engage their community on Discord. For example, BAYC and other NFT projects often create private channels where they share previews of upcoming artwork or NFT drops, giving loyal community members a first look at new content. This exclusive access encourages members to stay active in the community and continue participating in discussions.
Additionally, giveaways are often used to reward early supporters and encourage people to invite others to join the server. These events are typically advertised in dedicated #giveaways channels, where participants can enter by completing tasks such as following the project on social media, sharing posts, or inviting friends to the server. The rewards might include free NFTs, whitelist spots, or other exclusive project-related perks.
This kind of incentivization not only helps crypto projects grow their network but also creates a buzz around their releases, increasing community excitement and anticipation for new drops.
While Discord is an excellent platform for crypto projects and community engagement, it is essential to be aware of the risks associated with using the platform. Like many social networks, Discord can be a hotspot for scams and phishing attempts. For newcomers, understanding how to stay safe on Discord is crucial to protecting your privacy and digital assets.
One of the most significant risks on Discord is the presence of scams and phishing attempts, especially through direct messages (DMs). Scammers often pose as project admins or community members, sending unsolicited messages that seem legitimate at first glance. These fake accounts may even use the same name, avatar, or profile description as the official project account. The goal is typically to trick users into clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive information, such as private wallet keys or passwords.
For example, in the world of NFTs, it is common for scammers to impersonate project teams and offer "exclusive early access" or "special rewards." They may send you links to fake websites that look similar to the official project site. If you connect your digital wallet to these fraudulent sites, you risk losing your funds or NFTs.
To avoid falling for these scams, always be cautious of unsolicited messages, especially if they contain links. Remember, no legitimate project will ever send you a DM asking for sensitive information, such as your wallet address or private keys. If you receive a suspicious DM, always verify its source before engaging.
Tip: To minimize your risk, you can disable DMs from strangers in Discord servers. This can be done by adjusting the server settings and ensuring that only people you trust can message you. This small step can go a long way in protecting you from phishing attacks.
Discord offers several privacy settings to help users manage unwanted messages and safeguard their privacy. Adjusting these settings is one of the easiest ways to avoid unwanted interactions or potential scams.
To adjust your privacy settings, follow these steps:
1.Click on the server name at the top of the channel list.
2.Select Privacy Settings from the dropdown menu.
3.In the settings window, find the option labeled "Allow direct messages from server members."
4.Toggle this setting off, so that no one outside your trusted network can send you DMs.
5.Click Done to save your changes.
By disabling this option, you ensure that only members you interact with directly or those on your friends list can send you messages. This can significantly reduce the chances of receiving unsolicited DMs from strangers, which is a common source of scams on the platform.
In addition to adjusting privacy settings, always ensure you are interacting with official, verified channels within any Discord server. Many projects and communities go to great lengths to verify their official accounts and channels, marking them with a verified badge.
When looking for important project updates or announcements, always double-check that the messages come from these verified channels. Be especially cautious about clicking on any links shared in unverified DMs or unofficial channels. Even if a message looks convincing, it’s better to err on the side of caution.
Many projects will include clear guidelines on what official communication should look like, so make sure you’re familiar with these details before engaging with any community members. If you’re ever in doubt, visit the project’s official website or social media channels to confirm the legitimacy of any information.
The most active crypto Discord servers often vary depending on current trends and market movements. However, some consistently popular and active servers include those for major NFT projects, cryptocurrency communities, and DeFi protocols. For example, servers like BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club), CryptoPunks, and Shiba Inu have massive followings with high engagement rates. Additionally, Coinbase and Binance offer official servers for their users to stay updated on news, announcements, and educational content.
The activity level of a Discord server is often measured by the number of members, how frequently messages are posted, and the interaction between community members. If you are looking to join an active crypto Discord server, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and announcements in the crypto space.
No, Discord itself is not a blockchain-based platform. It is a centralized communication app, meaning that all user data and interactions are stored on Discord's servers, not on a blockchain. However, many crypto communities use Discord to discuss blockchain-related topics, host events, and build communities around blockchain projects.
For instance, NFT projects, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and other blockchain-based projects often use Discord to communicate with their members, share updates, and host community-driven events like giveaways, whitelist spots, and sneak peeks. While Discord isn't blockchain-based, it has become a central hub for many crypto-related communities due to its real-time communication features and versatility in managing large groups.
No, Discord does not support direct crypto trading. However, many crypto communities use Discord to discuss trading strategies, share market insights, and alert users to new opportunities. Some projects may use Discord to announce new token listings or partnerships that can influence trading decisions. If you're looking to engage in actual trading, you'll need to use platforms like Binance, Coinbase, or decentralized exchanges (DEXs).
Finding verified crypto projects on Discord requires some caution. Many legitimate projects will verify their accounts with a blue checkmark or other official identifiers. Before engaging with a crypto community, always look for verification tags in their server description or check their official websites or social media to confirm authenticity. It is also a good idea to check if the project has been listed on major exchanges or reputable industry sites, as this can further verify its legitimacy.
Additionally, official servers will usually have clear rules about which channels to use for specific purposes, and their admins will actively monitor channels to ensure the community remains safe and on-topic.
