In January, I asked a question about implementing a Discord server into the DB. I don't think I explained the advantages of Discord in great detail, so here we are today.
1) Very simple to set up and maintain
Creating a Discord server is extremely trivial. Anyone with a Discord account can create a server for free, any time. Discord servers are hosted by Discord themselves, meaning they require absolutely no technical set up. It takes about 5 minutes to create one, tops. Maintaining a server, however, could be considered less simple. In Discord, users have roles which are essentially the Expert/Editor ranks on the DB. The two would fit perfectly together. Expert on the DB? Expert role on the server. Moderator on the DB? Moderator on the server. Roles can be assigned different levels of power too, so basic users can't kick or ban users. Moderators could also have the power to give users rank, for easy and simple promotions (with permission, of course). PM (presumably being the owner and administrator of the server) would be able to do anything, including changing the name of the server and the region. In summary, creating a Discord is easy and maintaining a server is almost as trivial.
2) Lots of people have Discord already
Discord has grown into an incredibly popular program in recent years. I doubt people not having a Discord account is a huge concern. Even then, the Discord server might attract someone to make a Discord account to join the server. Making an account is no less difficult than any other website, so I don't see how this is a concern - at all. In short, loads of people already have a Discord and many would likely be willing to make an account for a server.
3) Focused chat rooms to essentially mimic a forum
A great advantage of Discord is being able to create channels to allow for specified and focused discussion. Channels can be called anything - popular ones include "#general" for general discussion (duh) and "#off-topic" for more casual discussions. The Discord would allow for multiple discussions at once, something that is fairly difficult in the chat room. Channels could even be used for meta suggestions, and simple errors users spot can be reported quickly in the Discord without the need to make a new thread. Heck, PM could have an "#announcements" channel where he can post updates to the DB.
4) Markup (basically) in a chat room
This is quite specific but I feel it should be said. Right now the DB chat supports only basic text and hyperlinks. Discord, however, supports images, different types of text and even emotes. Emotes can be added very easily to a server and are quite popular (from what I can find). I feel this is easier than implementing markup into the already existing chat room
5) Visibility
This isn't a reason to make a server, rather a suggestion on how to work it once done. I think a sidebar link under "Useful Posts" would allow it to be easily seen - and maybe an announcement post when it would be made. This would ensure users would be able to see that it exists and that they can join
4 reasons to make an official PokemonDB Discord server (and 1 suggestion), and I'm sure others can think of more. In general, I think this is a smart move for the community. I can't see any immediate downsides to making a server, and it offers a robust platform for discussion and such. As we can already see, the demand for Discord is definitely there (I think two servers have been created, however I'm not too sure). Anyway, I'm interested to hear what thoughts everyone else has on this potential Discord server
