Discord: Preview Thread

[luffy]

IMPORTANT PRECEDING NOTE
Please read this in full before leaving feedback. Only constructive criticism will be considered. Persistent inflammatory posts that do not add to constructive feedback or conversation will result in those posts being removed, and you being locked from participating in the thread.

Introduction
Hey all! I made this thread separately from the forum closure announcement to help alleviate some stress and concern and also open the Discord up for feedback. Please note that we've taken quite a few things into consideration while building the server, so it's not guaranteed that feedback will lead to a change.

Safety Measures
We've taken measures to safeguard users who enter the server. We understand that a lot of users are skeptical of the safety that Discord can provide, so I'll provide a brief overview of those here. Please note that this it not the entire list, but it's what you will see the most. We will not be releasing our list of blocked phrases/terms as that enables users to abuse/get around them.

1. The use of multiple moderation bots, with the primary being Carl.gg.
2. The implementation of Discord's native AutoMod features, including:
   1. Spam content blocking
   2. Blocking of commonly flagged words
   3. Blocking of a custom list of slurs
3. Highest verification level available on Discord - only those who have verified their phone number on Discord can join the server. We do not have access to your phone number. If you do not have a phone number to use, or do not want to use your personal number, please consider using Google Voice to create one.
4. Server rule screening - users are presented the rules in a popup and must agree to them before accessing the server.
5. High explicit media content filter - it scans all media content from all members, and blocks it if it detects NSFW.
6. 2FA requirement for moderators.
7. The server is strictly SFW.

Messages that trigger blocked content are sent to a channel for us to review. Action is not taken immediately upon it being blocked. This allows us to filter through and take action on those who have attempted to post egregious or harmful content.

Staff Contact
Users may contact staff through two ways: an #ask-staff channel, and a #create-a-ticket channel.

• #ask-staff: This channel is intended for technical Discord-related questions only.
• #create-a-ticket: This channel allows you to create a ticket to communicate with staff directly and privately. You can either Ask a Question or Report a User.
• #guidelines: Contains our rules for the Discord, which reflect those on the main site. Adjustments have been made to accommodate the platform.
• #discord-faq: A list of frequently asked questions and their answers.

Structure

Header Content
Our header content contains a universal date/time for events, member count, and links to our FA+ and shop pages.

»—SUPPORT—«
Contains:

• #ask-staff
• #create-a-ticket

»—FUR AFFINITY OFFICIAL—«
Contains:

• #site-status: a running log of the main site's status
• #changelogs: a running changelog for the main site
• #site-information: information pertaining to the main site
• #furaffinity-twitter: a feed of Twitter updates from our official Fur Affinity account

»—CHIT CHAT—«
Contains:

• #general-chat: typical conversation-style channel to chat away in
• #general-forum: a forum list of conversations so that you can keep conversation topics separate
• #selfies: you know what it is - just no fetishized pictures, provocative or suggestive imagery, or nudity (feet pics, skimpy clothing, tiddies out)
• #pet-pics: because we know you love to show us your pets, lol
• #foodies: for those of you who like to talk about or display your culinary creations
• #media: for discussion pertaining to any type of media
• #music: probably my personal favorite - talk about music, share music, or argue about whether Nickelback is truly butt rock or not
• #gaming: PC > PS4 > Xbox
• #bot-spam: a place to interact with the fun bots, namely Tatsu and Flower
• #fun-and-games: a place for shitposting, forum games, and link sharing

»—SUPPORTER LOUNGE—«
Contains:

• #color-picker: supporter-only custom role color picking (FA+ or Server Booster)
• #the-lounge: supporter-only forum-style channel for communication
• New Voice/Stream: supporter-only on-demand voice channels for talking or streaming

»—FURRY STUFF—«
Contains:

• #character-gallery: a place to post your characters - each user may have a single thread and can use our profile bot
• #conventions: communication regarding convention participation and schedules
• #roleplay: talk about roleplay
• #fursuiting: discuss fursuiting

»—ARTISTS' ALLEY—«
Contains:

• #artwork-gallery: a forum-style channel where you can post your artwork - each user is only allowed one gallery-style thread
• #artwork-by-others: a place to post other artists' art with the requirement of linking back to the source
• #critique: a forum-style channel where you can solicit and give critique

»—VOICE CHANNELS—«
Contains:

• New Voice/Stream: we have a bot that will create on-demand voice channels for chatting and streaming

Forum Preview
An example of a forum's topic listing and a topic within it, both fullscreen and docked.

Spoiler

Spoiler

FAQ
I'll be keeping a running log of FAQs here. Thanks!


That's all I have time to write up for now. I'll continuously update this first post, so please keep checking back.

 

[Lutro]

Very informative post, well done. Hopefully it'll alleviate questions and concerns many have. (I'm used to Discord so it's mostly standard fare in my case, but it's good for visibility to get it all out there).

The one point of feedback I have so far, is the phone number verification requirement. I absolutely agree it's the highest form of security and the best deterrent, but, IMHO, it might be asking a bit much to ask users 13+ to have a phone and verify their accounts with them. There will be many users that are already wary of Discord, or simply do not have access to a phone. (And "just use Google Voice" will be a tall ask for many, just to access a single Discord server). My recommendation is to *not* require a phone number, even if it inherits more risk. Drop it down to the High setting (must have verified email on Discord account, registered on Discord for more than 5 minutes, member of the server for more than 10 minutes) instead of Highest (which requires a verified phone number). Further (warning: subjective, as I have multiple Discord accounts): Discord only lets you verify one account at a time with the same number, and if users are already using that security measure on another Discord account, they're out of luck with any others.

Other than that, looks pretty solid. Think you'll get more feedback as more use gets out of it, of course. Great first step though I believe.

 

[ben909]

can we have a "old forum games" section in the
—FUN & GAMES—«

part, so we can use threads to try and save what we have

 

[luffy]

can we have a "old forum games" section in the
—FUN & GAMES—«

part, so we can use threads to try and save what we have

I was considering this, but have to run it by some others before changing.

 

[Fallowfox]

I have multiple phone numbers because of moving country, so keeping track of it is an endless tangle of tiny sim cards and phone login details.

 

[luffy]

Very informative post, well done. Hopefully it'll alleviate questions and concerns many have. (I'm used to Discord so it's mostly standard fare in my case, but it's good for visibility to get it all out there).

The one point of feedback I have so far, is the phone number verification requirement. I absolutely agree it's the highest form of security and the best deterrent, but, IMHO, it might be asking a bit much to ask users 13+ to have a phone and verify their accounts with them. There will be many users that are already wary of Discord, or simply do not have access to a phone. (And "just use Google Voice" will be a tall ask for many, just to access a single Discord server). My recommendation is to *not* require a phone number, even if it inherits more risk. Drop it down to the High setting (must have verified email on Discord account, registered on Discord for more than 5 minutes, member of the server for more than 10 minutes) instead of Highest (which requires a verified phone number). Further (warning: subjective, as I have multiple Discord accounts): Discord only lets you verify one account at a time with the same number, and if users are already using that security measure on another Discord account, they're out of luck with any others.

Other than that, looks pretty solid. Think you'll get more feedback as more use gets out of it, of course. Great first step though I believe.

I think we are more comfortable with starting out at highest, just for safety's sake, and lowering it in the future. I will, however, keep this in mind!

Thank you for the feedback!

 

[ben909]

I was considering this, but have to run it by some others before changing.

ok

hopefully if they do exist, they don't just become places to link to offshoot servers for old threads

 

[DesecratedFlame]

supporter-only

cringe

 

[ben909]

I think we are more comfortable with starting out at highest, just for safety's sake, and lowering it in the future. I will, however, keep this in mind!

Thank you for the feedback!

that will probably keep me out, don't want phone connected to stuff like this, its a big requirement

 

[Eremurus]

Apparently Google Voice is not available in my country yet, and I do not have a cell phone at the moment.

I guess this is farewell. Take care, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[luffy]

Apparently Google Voice is not available in my country yet, and I do not have a cell phone at the moment.

I guess this is farewell. Take care, and thanks for all the fish.

Hrm. Do you mind me asking which country? I want to try to gauge the impact. If that's the case, we may lower it.

In other news, update: the Fun & Games category was nuked in favor of a forum. Here's the preview:

 

[quoting_mungo]

If you do not have a phone number to use, or do not want to use your personal number, please consider using Google Voice to create one.

Worth noting: Google Voice is not available in many countries; I think it might possibly be US-only or US plus a very short list of countries. (Discovered that when I went to make one for Telegram.)

 

[Lutro]

Hrm. Do you mind me asking which country? I want to try to gauge the impact. If that's the case, we may lower it.

From my Googling it's a US-only service. And on top of that, you apparently need a US-based landline or mobile number in order to activate it. All "how to get a Google Voice number outside the US" sites basically say "have a US based number or VPN shenanigans."

 

[luffy]

I've brought it up for consideration, thanks guys!

 

[Rimna]

Yeah, the phone number might be out of reach for many - especially younger members who want to join. Apart from creating a trial account for Microsoft Office Suite and setting up the Teams Admin center and adding some trial phone licenses, I can't think of another free and relatively easy way to use a temporary phone number. Besides google voice that is, which isn't available in my country.

Apart from that, I have a couple of questions:

-Depending on the user activity you predict, will there be a separate chat room/thread that has permanent slow-mode enabled? The reason for this is because if there's just way too much stuff going on in the general chat for example, people who can't keep up with a fast-paced wall of messages can retreat to a chat room where they can have a conversation at a chilled-down tempo.

-You mentioned having automated features that will block out common slurs and stuff. Have you also added commonly used characters that could be used to bypass such a filtration system? For example said slur but typed in with umaults and vowels with dots or lines above them(Ôô, Øø, etc), or some letters of a slur replaced with a cyrillic letter - e.g. r replaced with г or N replaced with И, R replaced with Я, etc?

 

[luffy]

-Depending on the user activity you predict, will there be a separate chat room/thread that has permanent slow-mode enabled? The reason for this is because if there's just way too much stuff going on in the general chat for example, people who can't keep up with a fast-paced wall of messages can retreat to a chat room where they can have a conversation at a chilled-down tempo.

This is why there is a general chat and a general forum. Slow mode for the chat will be adjusted as needed.

-You mentioned having automated features that will block out common slurs and stuff. Have you also added commonly used characters that could be used to bypass such a filtration system? For example said slur but typed in with umaults and vowels with dots or lines above them(Ôô, Øø, etc), or some letters of a slur replaced with a cyrillic letter - e.g. r replaced with г or N replaced with И, R replaced with Я, etc?

Yes, we've added variations. There will still be some that slip by, though. Regardless, it's set up more securely than the forums already.

 

[FR0ST81T3]

There are multiple burner voIP apps out there, but I am unsure if Discord allows such to be used. I would opt for a pre-verification reaction. Set up multiple channels in a separate category that allows users to react for server verification, redirect to a channel for server access. I would also implement a rank bot that disables access for users under a certain rank, then enables access on higher ranks, adding roles and such.

For example:
In the server that this card is in, anyone below level 5 doesn"t have access to certain image posting and voicechat options, and are only allowed to speak in certain channels to up their level. At level 10, they get access to more chats and image posting perms, at level 25, they get voicechat options. There's also a pre-verification list that they use where users have to go through a role list that personalizes their profile, and they must have a minimum of 2 roles selected from the list to have chat access specifically. (This can be applied to rules, as well.)

 

[luffy]

We've got a rank bot. It was decided not to gate content like that, for a reason I can't remember off the top of my head, but if we run into issues we can implement it later.

I'm thinking of solutions for the phone verification.

 

[redhusky]

»—FURRY STUFF—«
Contains:

• #character-gallery: a place to post your characters - each user may have a single thread and can use our profile bot
• #conventions: communication regarding convention participation and schedules
• #roleplay: talk about roleplay
• #fursuiting: discuss fursuiting

Wait? There's going to be FURRY Stuff? ;

»—FURRY STUFF—«
Contains:

• #character-gallery: a place to post your characters - each user may have a single thread and can use our profile bot
• #conventions: communication regarding convention participation and schedules
• #roleplay: talk about roleplay
• #fursuiting: discuss fursuiting

»—ARTISTS' ALLEY—«
Contains:

• #artwork-gallery: a forum-style channel where you can post your artwork - each user is only allowed one gallery-style thread
• #artwork-by-others: a place to post other artists' art with the requirement of linking back to the source
• #critique: a forum-style channel where you can solicit and give critique

But seriously, I notice these two servers have single thread limit per user which would give each user a limit of two thread (That I can see) for threads. Are there instances where a user will be allowed several threads within? I know this is the initial proposed layout but if it is not expanded a user might need a second for the Alley Alley for:

1. Offering commissions (if that is going to be allowed.) Or would a user simply need to advertise some other way than in a thread?
2. Something group related like the "Draw the person above you game".

I'm still in forum mode but you get where I'm coming from. -_-;

 

[luffy]

1. Offering commissions (if that is going to be allowed.) Or would a user simply need to advertise some other way than in a thread?

I have avoided touching this topic because I dread it lmao. But here it is: we have no plans on allowing a commission space within the Discord, and it's nonnegotiable.

We deal with it enough behind the scenes for the main site, but we don't want to open up a space in which users can be scammed. We also don't get involved in these types of issues as it's between the victim, the scammer, and their payment method. On a smaller note, we wouldn't allow for NSFW commission-taking - you should see the amount of posts on the forum that offer NSFW that we have to remove already, and I doubt that'd get better on the Discord.

It is likely we will allow for advertising your commissions off of Discord, but we do not allow a space within Discord. Like all things, this could change in the future, but it's definitely out of our comfort zone for the foreseeable future.

2. Something group related like the "Draw the person above you game".

I'll spin up a thread in #fun-and-games.

 

[Yakamaru]

With this server being set up it will have to compete with thousands of other Furry servers all with their own unique layout, user base and features. Being SFW-only have its pros and cons the same way allowing NSFW content does. The Fox Den for instance have 23k+ users and is one of the largest ones out there. Depending on how it's moderated/administrated it will make or break the server too, as poor administration/management have a tendency to kill or the very least have servers end up with severely reduced activity/interest from people. Seen it way too often for servers I am in and/or have been in, so keep that in mind.

That said, I wish you good luck in this endeavour. Going to miss a lot of people here for sure, and can always hit me up if you ever feel like chatting.

 

[DesecratedFlame]

Seems a bit silly to tell people they have to verify their phone numbers then explain to them how to bypass it with a VOIP service, and this is coming from someone that already has their phone number verified with Discord.

I have avoided touching this topic because I dread it lmao. But here it is: we have no plans on allowing a commission space within the Discord, and it's nonnegotiable.

We deal with it enough behind the scenes for the main site, but we don't want to open up a space in which users can be scammed. We also don't get involved in these types of issues as it's between the victim, the scammer, and their payment method. On a smaller note, we wouldn't allow for NSFW commission-taking - you should see the amount of posts on the forum that offer NSFW that we have to remove already, and I doubt that'd get better on the Discord.

It is likely we will allow for advertising your commissions off of Discord, but we do not allow a space within Discord. Like all things, this could change in the future, but it's definitely out of our comfort zone for the foreseeable future.

Rather than allowing commissions, couldn't you just add roles for things like "open for commissions/trades", "open for trades only", "not open", etc. then just make people do it privately? Aka in their own DMs and such.

 

[FR0ST81T3]

Seems a bit silly to tell people they have to verify their phone numbers then explain to them how to bypass it with a VOIP service, and this is coming from someone that already has their phone number verified with Discord.

This is a very valid point overall; voIP numbers are usually made with the intent of spam/phishing/scamming and would cause more problems than it's worth.
I think it's worth noting in my original reply that I personally would keep chat access to rank roles, at minimum. There's also the whole "You must be a member of this server for more than 10 minutes before you can chat." Access, as well.
At some point, you can enable the community server function and it will set up an area that requires users to read and accept all rules and go through important channels to familiarize a new member with the server, though it's been a long time since I've used that function personally.

Rather than allowing commissions, couldn't you just add roles for things like "open for commissions/trades", "open for trades only", "not open", etc. then just make people do it privately? Aka in their own DMs and such.

I like this idea overall, because this would still give artists the publicity they deserve, especially with a role tier list. (Artist being a "high priority" role tier, beneath staff ranks and server boosters. Alternatively, server boosters COULD be the exception for the advertising side of the FA Discord. I.E. Must boost the server to advertise on the server? Would bring an aspect of FA+ to the Discord server as well, for those who have it..)
This would also allow for members to reach out to open artists, with server profiles being utilized for those who have Nitro to advertise? (Whether it be a FA link, or Toyhouse(?).) This would also be a near way to incorporate FA into the Discord.


Edit: Meant to tag @luffy in this reply, to give a suggestion.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I have avoided touching this topic because I dread it lmao. But here it is: we have no plans on allowing a commission space within the Discord, and it's nonnegotiable.

We deal with it enough behind the scenes for the main site, but we don't want to open up a space in which users can be scammed. We also don't get involved in these types of issues as it's between the victim, the scammer, and their payment method. On a smaller note, we wouldn't allow for NSFW commission-taking - you should see the amount of posts on the forum that offer NSFW that we have to remove already, and I doubt that'd get better on the Discord.

It is likely we will allow for advertising your commissions off of Discord, but we do not allow a space within Discord. Like all things, this could change in the future, but it's definitely out of our comfort zone for the foreseeable future.

Like, I have zero skin in this game, but I do think that finding a solution to allow something similar to the market area on here needs to be a priority. If it can’t be on this Discord, then somewhere else. From what I’ve seen it’s a pretty active area of the forum, and I can’t think of much of anywhere else online which has anything similar to the “hiring” threads on here.

I absolutely see the absolute headache of it behind the scenes, and don’t want to downplay that. (Hell, I’ve been there.) A semi-centralized place for people to go “hey, I want to spend about $50 for a picture of this character cooking spaghetti sauce in a big ol’ cauldron” is just something I see as valuable, maybe especially to less established artists, and losing one of very few (possibly only?) such spaces with no replacement is a concern from a “supporting artists” POV. So not trying to influence your decision regarding the Discord, just a voice in support of finding a solution being prioritized.

 

[FR0ST81T3]

So not trying to influence your decision regarding the Discord, just a voice in support of finding a solution being prioritized.

Community members should also have a say in what the Discord should include, since we will be the main targeted audience.
Think that's worth noting very well, my friend!