Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Discord

Wikimedia New York City has its own Discord server!

What it is and why you should use it

Discord is messaging software you can access on the web or through a downloadable application.

Use our Discord server to talk with others in the Wikimedia NYC community, share NYC-related articles/photos, chat during edit-a-thons or other events, and plan activities. If you have other ideas for how we could use it, please share!

How to join

Join Server

To get started, click the button or follow this link: https://discord.gg/AEyptaKyJF

If you've never used Discord before, you'll need to verify your email before you can do much of anything.

When you first join, you'll only have access to two channels: #welcome and #rules.

Now it's time to connect your Discord account with your Wikipedia account, which is necessary to access all other channels. Type /auth in #welcome and WikiAuthBot will contact you by direct message. Look for a new icon with a little "1" circled on top of it along the left of your screen to find the bot's message. If you keep your messages disabled, you will need to allow them temporarily so the bot can contact you. As soon as you do this, you will be added to the "authenticated" role and you will be able to see the main chat channels (see below).

Channels

Entrance

When you first join, your user name will be gray and you will only be able to see these two channels.

#rules - This channel is where you can find the server rules (which are also presented on this page). Sending messages is disabled for everyone in this channel.

#welcome - Primarily for new users before they are authenticated. Feel free to ask questions here if you're not yet authenticated.

Main

Once you are authenticated by the bot, you gain access to the main discussion channels.

#wikinyc-chat: A general chat channel for the Wikimedia NYC community.

#contributions: Share your latest article, an edit that made a difference, a new photo, a DYK, etc. This may also be a good way to find collaborators if you're interested.

#open-culture: Many WikiNYC members participate in other open culture projects. This is a channel to discuss or share information about open culture outside of Wikimedia projects.

#tech-dev: Anything related to tech, development, and hacking.

#data-maps: For data and maps, civic data, on Wikidata and Commons. Importing, modeling, improving, visualizing.

#trains-transit: For discussion about trains, buses, and other moving things - past, present, and future.

#offtopic: Anything unrelated to Wikimedia and other open culture projects. Random news, links, and discussion. Note that although unrelated to Wikimedia, the WMNYC Code of Conduct still applies.

#opportunities: Opportunities of interest to our local community: job ads, calls for proposals, calls for papers, conferences, etc. Wikipedia-related jobs like Wikipedians-in-Residence or WMF jobs are ok, but please do not share/solicit paid editing gigs.

#announcements: Event announcements. This channel primarily exists as a way to share announcements with other Discord communities. Messages are disabled for most.

Events

If you regularly attend Wikimedia NYC events, ask a moderator for the "member" role. This will open up channels for events. This includes recurring events like #wikiwednesday as well as partner-specific channels and event-specific channels. In some cases, we may host an event that isn't open to the public. These channels may not be visible to everyone. If there's a channel you should be in but you don't see it, ask a moderator.

Channels created for specific, non-recurring events will be archived after a few months of non-use.

Event Planning

There are also channels for behind-the-scenes planning of Wikimedia NYC events. If you are an organizer and would like to learn more, ask a moderator.

Roles

There are six basic roles. Some grant access to new channels while others enable certain permissions/access to tools.

@everyone - Anyone who joins. Access only to #welcome and #rules.
authenticated - Users authenticated by WikiAuthBot. Access to the main discussion channels.
member - Wikimedia NYC members. Access to event channels.
organizer - Members who organize events. Access to planning channels.
board - WikiNYC Board of Directors.
moderator - Server moderators, who can kick/ban users if necessary, create/delete channels, manage roles, and engage in various other server administration tasks. See here for more information and the list of current moderators.

Event-specific roles

In some cases, an invitation will take someone directly to a specific channel dedicated to an event through the use of a dedicated role. The main reason for these event-specific channels is to allow event participants and/or organizers limited access to the server without the need to authenticate their accounts. Of course, anyone who attends a Wikimedia New York City event is also welcome to participate in the rest of the Discord server, too!

Pronoun roles

Once authenticated, you may set your preferred pronouns in the channel #set-pronouns-here. You will see a message from a bot, Pronoun Picker, which presents several options you can choose from. Selecting one or more will add them to your account as roles. To see other people's pronouns, just click their name. If they're set, you'll see e.g. "She/Her" among other roles like "authenticated". Setting pronouns is always optional.

Rules

Wikimedia NYC is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. By participating in this Discord server (or any Wikimedia NYC events), you are agreeing to abide by the Wikimedia New York City Code of Conduct as well as the Discord Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. To report a Code of Conduct issue or ask questions, please contact a member of the board of directors (who all are listed on Meta and have the "board" role in the Discord server).

Additionally, please take note of the following:

Many users will know each other in real life. Just because someone is ok being called by their real name offline doesn't mean they're ok with it on Discord. Please err on the side of calling people by the name they've chosen on Discord unless you get permission to call them by something else on Discord.
Please do not use the chat channels to canvass votes (or "!votes"), such as in deletion discussions.
While you're not absolutely required to use your Wikipedia username as your Discord name, your nickname should not mislead people to think you are someone else (and using your username makes things easier for everyone).
Do not operate bots without the explicit permission of a moderator.
Do not use Discord to discuss highly sensitive information about specific people, even in private chats. It is not a substitute for offline discussions or email.

Other servers

There are other groups in the Wikimedia community with Discord servers. You can find a list at the Discord page on Meta. The English Wikipedia community has a server, too: Wikipedia:Discord.

FAQ

Is Discord private?

Our server is private insofar as we have roles which restrict access to certain channels to trusted users. However, whatever is typed in a channel is indefinitely visible and searchable to all future users once they are granted access to the channel. Private messages sent within Discord are not visible to anyone other than you and the other person.

Doesn't WikiNYC already have Slack?

We have used Slack for a couple years, but never really promoted it widely. Many have voiced that they don't care for Slack, perhaps in part because it's meant more for workplaces than fun community activities, and it can be expensive. So it has mainly been used for organizational communication rather than general discussion or for use during events. If the Discord server is popular, we will likely deactivate Slack.

Why can't I type anything?

If you've just joined, you will need to verify your email address with Discord before you can type anything. Look for pop-ups/animations on the screen indicating where to click.