Before you start talking
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Most larger Discord servers will have a set of rules that you will be expected to follow. Check for a #welcome or #rules channel to see what kind of behaviour is expected. By and large these will be pretty similar across servers encouraging general politeness and good behaviour, but will also outline what kind of content is acceptable. Some servers may have a designated area for off-topic or NSFW discussion, some may prohibit it outright.
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Take a look at the channel list, and see which one most appropriately fits what you want to talk about. Often the channel description at the top will include more information about the topic.
Mentions
Mentions are to be used carefully, as they will attract the attention of whoever they are directed at and possibly distract them unduly.
When to use them
Mentions are a useful tool in certain situations to get someones specific attention, such as when:
- There is an issue that requires their immediate attention.
- You are engaged in conversation with multiple people simultaneously and it’s not apparent which user your response would be directed at without mentioning them (if they are present though, consider just referring to them by name rather than an actual mention)
- They are awaiting your response to something asked more than a couple of minutes ago.
- They have specifically asked you to.
When/how to avoid using them
- As a ‘hey are you here’ check.
- If you’ve not talked to someone before, you should not mention them.
- Avoid repeatedly mentioning someone during conversation. Imagine if you were talking to someone in person and they said your name at the start of each sentence.
- Don’t @Mention users that you don’t actually want to engage. If you’re talking about a user that is present to someone else, just type out their name rather than mentioning them.
- To demand an immediate answer to something unimportant. (Rude!)
If you do mention a user, you should remain present for a response. Be careful of using the Invisible or Busy statuses when mentioning someone as you won’t get a notification if they mention you in return to answer. Ever missed a call from someone only for them to not answer when you call them back seconds later? Don’t be that guy.