So it's not just that Discord is requiring pictures or IDs to verify age.

there's not a lack of Discord alternatives. There's a lack of GOOD Discord alternatives.

@the_moth

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

I don't use Discord. What are the essential features that Discord does for you? (I know in general that it's doing text chat and audio and maybe video conf, and some other stuff? but specifically like how do you use it in ways that make it really killer for that purpose?)

@dlakelan @the_moth

Easy enough my non-technical friends are willing to switch to.

@dlakelan @the_moth

Easy enough my non-technical friends are willing to switch to.

So it's not just that Discord is requiring pictures or IDs to verify age. They're also going to be running AI against everything you do on there to "infer" your age... So make sure you "type old".

Additionally, Discord will implement its age inference model, a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age. Some users may be asked to use multiple methods if more information is needed to assign an age group.”

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/discord-roll-out-global-age-verification-system-including-an-age-inference-model-that-runs-in-the-background

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

Easy enough to what though? Like I honestly don't know how people use Discord. Is it just like better in-game audio chats? Or is it like hanging out and talking? or text chat solving problems or like what?

@dlakelan @the_moth
I mean don't take me for a complete user story wishlist. But for some random use case vomit

My primary Discord is just about 20 old friends, mix of engineers at some of the largest tech cos in the world all the way to limited technical interest and expertise folks. We're really chatty with text and memes and gifs and pictures, good link previews, custom emojis, a couple dozen topic channels, we spin up new threads frequently, able to DM. I know some folks will watch videos together, but I don't know if they do the video in app or if they all just play it themselves and have an audio channel to talk.

A solid mobile app is a must. Most of us use our phones. "Just works", fast and responsive

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

My experience with Signal is it works well for the text chatty emoji animated GIF meme posting links etc, and at least 10 or 20 people who are nontechnical got connected easily when there was the eaton fire and I offered a group chat as a way for the block to organize... (ie. if they're motivated to do it, nontechnical people have no actual problem)

But it's not a place you'd want to hang and audio shoot-the-shit I think.

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

to do separate topic threads, you'd have to create new groups for each topic... which is OK I guess.

So then the real question is how to do a group audio chat, and/or video chat in a way that feels "comfortable". Signal does do audio calls 1-1 and it does video calls for groups and you can turn off your camera. but it doesn't feel like it's quite what people want

@dlakelan @the_moth The channels part with signal is the killer. Anytime we add someone new we have to re add them to 12 different group chats, the chats would constantly reorder themselves in the app, it'd be a mess

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

Yeah, you can have a "main" chat for friends, and then send invite links to the main chat for anyone who wants to join the "xyz topic". So it's easy to get people to sort themselves into the chats, but yes, the chat reorders, it's hard to keep track of more than 4-5 active chats

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

I have about 20 group or personal chats that are active. It can get a little annoying to keep track of which channel a certain conversation is in.

@JessTheUnstill @the_moth

So with Discord. Suppose you've got your tech company friends you're talking about... And then suppose you've got like an active "family reunion" with aunts and uncles and cousins and their kids and such... How do you keep those separated? (again remember I just never used Discord so I don't know how it works)

@dlakelan @the_moth We're not separated. It's just topic based channels that people chat wherever

So it's not just that Discord is requiring pictures or IDs to verify age. They're also going to be running AI against everything you do on there to "infer" your age... So make sure you "type old".

Additionally, Discord will implement its age inference model, a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age. Some users may be asked to use multiple methods if more information is needed to assign an age group.”

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/discord-roll-out-global-age-verification-system-including-an-age-inference-model-that-runs-in-the-background