Guide to the Discord

This page serves as a guide to the Community Garden Radio Discord.

It is intended as a source of information and while small edits are encouraged, we ask users to leave this page intact.

What is Discord?

A welcome to the Discord server.

Discord is a VoIP and instant messaging social platform. Users have the ability to communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called "servers". It is used by Community Garden Radio to allow listeners to chat along with the show, send in requests and content instantly rather than via e-mail and chat about other topics outside of show hours. It is free to join, although it is encouraged to subscribe to the show if using the server. The app is available for free from the Discord website, App Store and Google Play Store.

What is the Community Garden Radio Discord?

See also: List of Discord channels

The CGR Discord is a community for listeners of Community Garden Radio. The server contains many channels intended for separate discussion ranging on a number of topics. It also contains a chatroom for listeners to listen along to the show and provide content when requested.

How do I join?

First of all you will need to download and sign up to Discord, this is free. You will need a valid e-mail address and a phone number, the latter which is used for validation in certain circumstances. This is a security feature for Discord and not part of the Community Garden Radio validation. Secondly, you need to be a Patreon subscriber. While Discord and the server is free to join, it is highly encouraged that the users are subscribers of the Garden's Patreon. Finally, join the Discord server by visiting this link. You can use this link to sign up to Discord too if you so wish.

Phew. I'm here! What now?

The Discord verification box

Welcome! You just need to complete a few steps before you can join in, but they won't take long. On arrival to the server, you are greeted with a small box which gives you an idea of what to do. However, before you can start chatting, you will need to complete a few more steps. After clicking on the welcome message box, you will see a small box at the bottom of the server asking you to complete a few more steps, along with a purple "complete" button. Click this button, and a verification box will pop up (see on the right).

Verifying your email

If you have not already done so, click the purple "Verify" button to confirm your email address is real. This is a one-time verification and will not need to be repeated. If your email address has yet to be verified, you will see a "resend email" button instead.

Reading and agreeing to the server rules

After verifying your email, you will need to read the rules of the server (which are also posted below in this article). Once you have scrolled and read the rules, tick the check box to agree to the rules. Please note, this means you agree to the rules and if you disagree with any of the rules, you will not be able to join the Discord server. Once you have agreed to the rules, you are free to chat in the server!

This Discord business is overwhelming, what's what?

Discord works in a similar way to an Internet forum or message board. The server is split into categories and in each category holds a channel for conversation. So, for example, the general channel is for general chit-chat while sports is for sport chat and talk. Please keep chats to these channels to ensure an organised server and don't be offended if mods ask to move the conversation to the correct channel.

There are two ways of accessing Discord, either using the desktop app/browser or the mobile app. Please see below for the guide on how to use it.

Using the desktop/browser app

Please note, this section is currently for the macOS version of the desktop app. Differences between versions are very minimal and mostly cosmetic.

On the left hand side of the screen, you will see a large list of different sections. These are the channels inside of the server, each one serving a purpose for a specific topic or conversation. Each channel is contained within a category. General channels are for conversation, which include talk about food, pets, sports etc. Show requests are for topics pertaining to the show itself, including the '#community-garden-chatroom' which is used for a live discussion for the show itself. Grow Your Own is for conversations about projects that gardeners are currently undertaking, including this very wiki. The Allotment is for archived channels which are no longer used; while users can reply to them, they are not monitored by the show. There is also a voice channel category which will be discussed later.

Clicking on each channel will take you to the chat and you can participate in the channel. When a new message is sent, the channel name will appear in bold.

List of channels on Discord iOS.

Using the mobile app

Please note, this section is currently for the iOS version of the mobile app. Differences between version may be different and will be updated in the future.

To bring up the channel list on mobile, you can either swipe to the right or press the three horizontal bars in the top left of the app. This will display the list of channels in the server, with new unread messages being displayed on bold text.

Why do some users have coloured names?

Users will have a white name, however there are currently three exceptions. Green members are moderators (see below), pink members are server boosters and yellow members is a special role reserved for Lauren in Liverpool.

Moderators

The moderators are responsible for the behaviour and tidiness of the server. They are able to delete messages, timeout and ban members and ensure behaviour is maintained. They can be contacted directly via direct message or tagged in a message by using '@Guardian of the Garden'. There are currently five moderators in the server:

Tuftii from the Fens

Tuftii is the king of the Discord and is the original moderator. Tuftii uses she/they pronouns.

KathrynFromSouthShields

Kathryn is the Tuftii's right hand man and that. Very northern. Uses their powers to spread Pit Pony.

ScottFromDevon

Scott is responsible for the upcoming CGR Replay Bot which allows users to listen back to the show and read the chatroom in real time. Just don't talk to him about Primal Scream.

max

Max just really likes Taylor Swift. Max uses they/them pronouns.

ProducerBen

Ben knows all, sees all, is all. They also produce the show, manages the social media of the Garden and provides Shaun with content. Ben uses he/they pronouns.

Server boosters

Server boosters are users who pay to 'boost' the Discord server with Discord Nitro, a premium subscription service. It gives them a pink name while unlocking extra community features for everyone to use. Server boosting is optional and they receive no special treatment.

Spotify Custodian

The Custodian role is a special, one off role given to Lauren in Liverpool for their excellent work in keeping the playlists for the show. They're basically awesome.

CGR Discord Rules

1. Be respectful

This means no mean, rude, intimidating, or harassing comments. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Lead with kindness.

2. No inappropriate language

Any derogatory language towards any user is prohibited.

3. No spamming

Do not send a lot of small messages or media right after each other. These disrupt chat and make it hard to scroll through the server. Please keep your messages at least 5 words long while chatting.

4. No pornographic/adult/other NSFW material

The idea behind the server is to provide a safe place for us to share our enjoyment of CGR along with tv, music, videos, and other hobbies and loves - not to share the aforementioned NSFW material.

5. No advertisements

No invasive advertising, whether it be for other communities or streams. You can post your content in the self-promo channel, but please don't post excessively.

6. No offensive names and profile pictures

7. Server Raiding

Server raiding is against the Discord terms of service. Any attempt to circumvent or bypass them can result in a permanent ban.

8. Threats are forbidden

Threats are prohibited and disallowed.

9. Follow the Discord Community Guidelines

You can find them here: https://discordapp.com/guidelines

10. Do not join the voice chat channel without permission of the people already in there

If you see that they have a free spot it is alright to join and ask whether they have an open spot, but leave if your presence is not wanted by whoever was there first.

11. Trigger warnings.

When talking about topics which are sensitive or anything which may be triggering to other users please use spoiler tags and add a trigger warning. This includes, but is not limited to sexual assault, mental health issues, experiences around racism, transphobia and homophobia. Please keep talking about food in the food channel, alcohol in the open arms and politics in the politiking channel. If you are asked by a mod to add a trigger warning, please do so.

12. Respect the admins and mods

The admins and mods are voluntarily here to keep the community tidy and running smoothly. Deliberate ignoring of admins or mods, blocking of admins or mods or not following the rules outlined above will result in a ban from the server.

The Admins and Moderators will Mute/Kick/Ban per discretion. If you feel mistreated, DM an Admin and we will resolve the issue.

All Channels will have completed descriptions and/or pinned messages with guidelines for each channel, what they are there for and how everything works. If you don't understand something, feel free to ask!

Your presence in this server implies accepting these rules, including all further changes.