Live Chat User Guide

[Dev]

Hello!

 

We've switched to Discord for our live chat service.  Many of our members have never used Discord before, so this guide is intended to outline the basics of how it works.  In this post you'll find screenshots and information to help you navigate in chat.  While you won't be an old pro by the time you finish reading, you will find enough information to be comfortable with using the chat service.

 

Screen shots were taken from and information is given based on the downloaded version of the Discord application.  For the best user experience, we recommend downloading Discord to join us in chat.  The web interface linked from our chat page works just fine if you'd prefer to use that, but you may run into some differences between that and this guide.

 

The Left Menu

 

 

There's a lot going on over to the left here, so let's break it down in order.

 

Top left: the Friends icon / Private Messages

 

By clicking this icon, you are taken to a screen where you can add and manage your friends.  Discord is like any other messaging app, where you have a contact list.  When you click this icon, the second tab has a "Friends" link at the top and a list of all of your active private messages (called Direct Messages in Discord.) 

 

 

Click on a user's name or icon, and your entire conversation history with that person will be displayed in the chat window on the right side.  (This is the window that takes up the most screen space.)  Click the "Friends" icon to be taken to the screen where you can add or remove friends, accept or decline friend invites, and manage your list of blocked users.

 

The rest of the far left column: your servers

 

No, they won't bring you drinks.   

 

"Servers" in Discord are, essentially, giant chat rooms.  Some have voice and text chat.  Others have just one or the other.  It depends on the rules for the server and the preferences of the site or person who owns it.  The TransPulse server doesn't have voice chat, because we can't moderate what people say out loud, and we have to protect our members - especially those under 18.

 

When you click on a server icon, the center column on the left side displays the server name and the list of "channels" available for that server.  Individual channels are like separate chat rooms - each one exists for a purpose, and you can have separate conversations in separate channels.  When you join a Discord server, you are automatically placed in every channel you have access to.  You can't leave any channels.  If you don't want to get notifications for new messages in a certain channel, you can right-click its name and select the "mute" option.

 

(Yes, I know, I belong to entirely too many servers.)

 

Center column, very bottom: user settings

 

Your user picture, user name, and settings are kept here.  If you click your user icon, you can set your status as "online," "idle," "do not disturb," or "invisible."

 

The microphone icon mutes your mic, so no matter what server you're on or who you're in an audio chat with, they won't be able to hear you.  The headset icon deafens you, so you won't hear anyone's voice chatter.  This doesn't really apply to the TransPulse server specifically, because we don't have any voice chat channels.

 

If you click the gear icon, it will open your Discord settings.  The first screen you see shows your user picture next to a big blue EDIT button - with that button you can change your Discord username and password and set your user picture.  I won't go into the other settings as that would be incredibly detailed - if you end up needing something specifically from one of them, we can guide you through it in chat.

 

The big chat window

 

When you have a server selected on the far left, the largest window shows the conversation happening in whichever channel you have activated.  If you're viewing a direct message, it shows your conversation history with that individual person.  You send messages by typing in the box at the bottom and pressing the Enter key to send.

 

The right-hand column

 

 

This column is devoted entirely to telling you who's here.  At the bottom is a faded list of server members who are either disconnected from Discord or who have set themselves as invisible.  If you set your status to invisible, the rest of the server will see you as offline.

 

Above that section, you'll see the other members sorted by the role they play within chat.  We also use specific colors.  When you post a message in chat, your name appears in the same color as shown in the user list on the right.  That way, you can tell at a glance who's responsible for what.  Roles in chat are:

 

• Unassigned: white (members are only unassigned until Discord confirms they meet the server's requirements for membership)
• Unverified: Orange (limited privileges)
• Members: Blue (full member privileges)
• Greeters: Pale  Yellow
• Youth Moderators: Yellow
• Forum Moderators: Pink
• Chat Moderators: Light Blue
• Crisis Moderators: Red
• Supervisors: Purple
• Administrators: Green

 

Botscuit, who appears in a lovely shade of seafoam, is a robot designed to help with moderation tasks in chat.  See below for a list of commands you can use with him.

 

Right-clicking a user name

 

 

When you right-click on a member's name in the right-hand panel, you get a list of options and settings for your interaction with that person. 

 

"Profile" shows you their profile information. 

 

"Mention" drops their name in the chat entry box in a way that will alert them when you send the message. 

 

"Message" opens a private message conversation with them. 

 

"Call" initiates a voice chat. 

 

"Add note" allows you to add a note if you need to remind yourself of something where this member is concerned.

 

"User  volume" allows you to specifically control how loud or quiet voice chat from this person sounds on your device.  It's set at 100% for everyone by default.

 

"Mute" makes it so you no longer see or hear anything from that member within the server.

 

"Invite to server" lets you send them an invite to any server you have permission to invite them to.

 

"Add friend" sends a request to add them to your contact list.

 

"Block" prevents them from contacting or interacting with you in any way.

 

A note about private (direct) messages:

 

TransPulse staff can't see what you talk about privately.  If someone says something inappropriate to you in a private message or otherwise breaks the rules, please take a screenshot and send it via private message to a member of staff so we can handle the issue appropriately.

 

If you don't know how to take a screenshot, please search Google - I would offer a guide to doing so, but it's done differently on all different operating systems and devices.

 

You should right-click (or tap on, if you're mobile) the server icon at the left, choose "Privacy Settings," and disable direct messages from server members.  This will prevent random trolls who join from messaging you privately.  If you meet someone in chat and would like to have a private conversation with them, you can add them to your friends list to enable direct messages for them.

 

A note about chatting by voice

 

As mentioned above, TransPulse doesn't offer the option to chat by voice as a group.  We can't moderate or control what comes out of people's mouths.  We can't stop you from having voice conversations privately, though.  This means you need to exercise extreme caution.  Keep the following in mind:

 

• If you're not comfortable talking by voice, simply don't accept any requests for voice chats.  It's not rude to decline.
• If a fellow TransPulse member says something inappropriate in a voice chat, TransPulse staff cannot intervene.  There's no way to document or prove that something bad happened by voice, so we can't help you.  If this happens, block that person immediately and tell a member of staff so we can keep an eye on things going forward.
• Minors are not allowed to enter into voice chats with other TransPulse members.  If we find out that a member has started - or asked for - a voice chat with someone who is under 18, that member will be immediately and permanently banned.  If a member under 18 agrees to a voice chat, the minor will also be immediately and permanently banned, even if both participants in the voice chat are under 18.  Discord logs will show attempted calls, and we will act accordingly.

 

Formatting Text in Discord

 

Finally, you can make changes to how your text appears in Discord.  While you can't choose a custom color - something I don't miss, as some colors are either hard to see or painful to look at - you can format it in other ways.

 

Italics - Type: *your italicized text here* - note the asterisk on both sides of the text.  If you don't have both asterisks, with no spaces on either side, the text won't be formatted.

 

Bold - **your bold text here**

 

Underline - __your underlined text here__ - note that's two underscores on either side of the text.  If you only use one, it will show up italicized instead.

 

Strikethrough - ~~your stricken text here~~ - again, note there are two tildes.

 

These effects are cumulative, so you can format in multiple ways.  If you want bold, italicized text, use ***three asterisks*** - one for italics and two for bold.

 

BOTSCUIT COMMANDS

 

Botscuit can do certain things for members in addition to helping the moderators with things. These commands can be used in any channel.

 

• ?emergency - sends a notification to all staff.  Should be followed immediately by an explanation of why you used it so we can handle the issue.
• ?crisis - sends a notification to all crisis-trained staff.  Use this if you are in crisis and if someone is available, they will PM you.
• ?staff - explains the various colors involved in the staff roles.
• ?chathelp - produces a link to this post.
• ?rules - produces a link to the TransPulse community rules page.
• ?forums - produces a link to the main forum page.
• ?resources - produces a link to the resource database page.
• ?links - produces a list of important links on the TransPulse site.
• ?emoticons - produces a link to a page where you can download emoticons from our old Java chat.
• ?avatars - produces a link to a page with free avatars you can use for your Discord account.
• ?registration - produces an explanation about why we require members to register.

 

FUN STUFF

 

First things first.  In order to play with most of this stuff, you must be in the #bot-fun channel.  Many of these commands produce images, and we don't want conversations to be interrupted with image spam.  If you know exactly which image you'll get and if that image is relevant to the conversation in another room, you can go ahead and use it once at that time.  Otherwise, unless it's on this first list, please keep it in the bot channel.

 

Use Anywhere

 

• ?space - get current information about the International Space Station.
• ?catfact - get a random fact about cats.
• ?dogfact - get a random fact about dogs.
• ?dadjoke - get a random dad joke.
• ?define [word] - example: ?define antidisestablishmentarianism - get the definition for the word provided.

 

In #bot-fun Only

 

• ?bird - get a random adorable bird picture.
• ?cat - get a random adorable cat picture.
• ?dog - get a random adorable dog picture.
• ?tag [word] - see below.

 

The tag command is there for random entertainment, and I will be expanding it every day.  In place of [word], type any word or phrase that might be used often in conversation.  We're talking weather, science, animals, senses - you know, normal everyday language.  Maybe you'll type ?tag word one day and get something.  You never know.

 

If you guess a live word, you'll be rewarded with an image that's relevant to the word you entered.  If there isn't an image tied to that word, the bot will silently ignore you.  (We won't judge.  The bot probably will, though.)  As of this command's debut, there are just over 100 live words.  They're common, so don't overthink it.

 

Be aware, some of the images summoned with the ?tag command may contain profanity.

 

New words will go live every day, so if you find a dead one today, try it again next week.  Stay tuned.

 

Good luck!

 

And that's Discord!

 

Welcome to our new chat platform!  If you have any questions, let me know!

Edited May 14, 2018 by Dev
Added bot commands.

[Timber Wolf]

Is Java still required? And is this where you go for the Sunday substance abuse support meeting?

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Dev]

Java is not required.  Discord is a separate application, one you can download to any device you own.  Even mobile!  I've used it on both Android and iPhone devices and had no issue with it.

 

This is where the Sunday meeting will happen.  There's a special meeting channel set up for get-togethers.

[Charlize]

Thank you for this tutorial.  I'm sure it will take time to feel comfortable but it is lovely to make it back to chat.

As  a person with a Mac what is the equivalent of a "right click".  I don't have that ability on my laptop or iPad.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Timber Wolf]

It sounds like this could work much better! I was concerned about people who wanted support from chat who were blocked from it because Java wasn't supported by their device.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Dev]

6 minutes ago, Charlize said:

As  a person with a Mac what is the equivalent of a "right click".  

 

The Mac version of the app should pop up the menu on a single click.  If it doesn't, a double-click should do it.  Failing that, try Ctrl+Click or Cmd+Click.

[Charlize]

Thanks....  It may take time and mistakes on my part but at least i can get in the door which is wonderful!    Thank you for your efforts.  

I second Timber Wolf's statement.  It will be lovely to know if someone needs a crisis mods help who posts here they have a chance of getting there with some ease. 

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Timber Wolf]

Ok, I'm signed up on chat with the "discord" app. I'm somewhat confused by  the changing colors of my name. First it was white, then yellow, then pink. I know Saruman had his cloak of many colors, but he went bad and I don't want to go bad! LOL I must have "Lord of the Rings" on the brain today. I read it every year.

 

Is the Sunday substance abuse meeting located in the meeting room on the menu? Thanks!

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Dev]

Yes, the meeting room is where the Sunday meeting will take place. 

 

The changing colors were because I was messing with your role.  White meant you were unassigned, and you turned to yellow after I designated you as a chat moderator.  Then I realized we have several forum mods who visit chat from time to time, so I created a new role - pink - for forum moderators.

 

You'll stay pink.  No Saruman corruption for you.

 

[Timber Wolf]

I like pink!

[Charlize]

I am also fond of pink.   I do wonder if there is still a staff chat room?  While it was rarely an issue there have been times when i've needed information or help during the substance abuse meeting.

[Timber Wolf]

Ok, I need help! I don't know how to log out of chat. I thought when I left chat it would automatically log me out, but apparently not. I turned it on and was instantly there without any kind of signing in. Sorry for the trouble, but how do I  sign out on android phone?

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[MaryEllen]

Don't know if it will work on android but these are the instructions that Dev gave to me.

 

Should be an option on the user cog down at the bottom towards the left.  Just to the right of your name and user picture.

[Timber Wolf]

Hurray! I got it, as the song says, "with a little help from my friends".

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[MaryEllen]

I have to admit that it was a little intimidating at first but now that I've had a chance to navigate around it a bit, It seems easy to use. It's just a matter of finding the right commands to use. Not all that hard.

 

MaryEllen

[ChelseaAnn]

How do I join the server?

[VickySGV]

Just now, ChelseaAnn said:

How do I join the server? 

 

Go to Live Chat, either on the Main Page link at the left top of the page here, or through the more direct Live Chat link at the right edge of it. 

[Martyn]

Hiya, I’ve just downloaded the app but can see how I join the chat, does the site have a name you need to input like transpulse? 

[Martyn]

Can = can’t 

[Lexi]

I'm having same difficulty. I've tried searching for existing channels w similar names with no results. Sadface

[Martyn]

Frustrating isn’t it, if it’s this difficult there may not be many who chat on there tho?  I’ll keep persevering and let you know if successful :0)

[My name isn’t Megan]

How do I get invited into the discord?

[VickySGV]

6 hours ago, My name isn’t Megan said:

How do I get invited into the discord?

 

Go to the Live Chat option on the tool bar at the top, and follow it in.  It will give you the information you need to establish an account and get into our chat.

[LouiseRose1954]

I have Discord under another name for a different site. Do I have to use that, or can I create another for my name on here?

[Dev]

Hi Louise!

 

You can use your current name or create a new account, whichever you'd like to do.  As far as I'm aware, no one you know on Discord already can tell which servers you belong to, if that's a concern for you.  You can also join with your existing account and change your display name just within our server if you like.

 

The only roadblock you'll find is that a separate account would have to be tied to a different email address.  Discord doesn't have any policies against having more than one account, though, so it's entirely up to you.

 

Let me know if you have other questions!