Newbie's Guide to NFT Discord

Welcome to the wild world of Discord. Originally designed for gamers, this social app has become the go-to meeting place for all sorts of niche communities - especially in Web3. Whether you are a collector interested in joining a project’s community or a creator looking to build a community around your own collection, your journey will begin on Discord. 

A Discord server will typically include a variety of channels for different purposes: announcements, general chats, swapping, selling, project roadmap, showcasing, etc. Many servers use bots to help moderate and track member access and communications. Some servers may also use verification bots, so you’ll need to connect your wallet in order to participate. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through the basics of a Discord server: from joining to navigating to participating. 

Joining a Discord Server

You will join a Discord server by clicking on an invite link which you can usually find in a collection’s Magic Eden profile or Twitter bio. This will redirect you to your Discord app to accept the invite. Most Discord servers will have a few verification tasks you need to complete before joining the server, such as reading through a set of roles and reacting with a certain emoji. These tasks are set up to ensure that you aren’t a bot or a malicious actor.

Discord invitation to Magic Eden’s Discord server

You’ll have to agree to these standard guidelines in order to be let into the Discord server

Navigating Channels

Discord servers contain several channels - each of which contain different types of discussion or information. A channel may be a text or voice channel, some of which may be read or listen-only.

Because every server has its own unique channel structure, navigating a new server can take a bit of adjustment. These are a few common components to look out for:

1. Start Here: The first thing to look out for is an “intro”, “faq” or “start here” channel. These channels are typically read only, with information directly from the server moderators or creators and contain information about how to interact with different channels and locate certain content.
2. Roadmap: Many project servers contain a roadmap, where you can keep track of project milestones, drop schedules, and owner perks. Navigate here to keep up to date with the project as a whole.
3. General: You will be able to see server-wide discussions and questions. This is a great place to get a sense of what is generally going on in the community.
4. NFT-Related: Once you’ve gotten situated with the server structure, locate the channels for showcasing, trading, and selling your collectibles. These channels will be a great resource once you’ve purchased NFTs from the collection.
5. Lore: Depending on the NFT collection, you may find a lore or storytelling channel. Some projects have backstories for each character. This can be a fun place to immerse yourself in that world!
6. Social: Finally, check out some of the social channels for casual discussion topics. These topics will vary by server!

Understanding Discord Integrations

The most popular type of Discord integration is a bot. Discord bots can serve a variety of functionalities within a server - moderation, price updates, verification, calendaring, role management, etc. They typically serve to automate tedious tasks or enhance channel structures. In addition to bots, some projects may use third-party integrations to further enhance the server experience.

Example of a Discord verification bot

One popular integration to Solana projects is Grape Protocol. Grape integrated into a Discord server provides a variety of wallet-connected functionalities. If you join a server that employs Grape, you will be prompted to connect a Solana wallet to continue. Once inside the server, you may have access to different channels depending on the presence or balance of NFTs in your wallet. This protocol enables proof of “skin in the game” member filtering, establishes token-gating for exclusive channels and introduces a variety of novel reward and moderation tools. 

Solaland’s is another verification bot offering token-gated features to enhance the server experience, enabling roles and channels that are unique to the project. These features include private channels for verified holders of the NFTs, weighted roles based on how many NFTs a user holds, and roles based on attributes of the NFTs. Another discord integration is Solabots which allows server members to claim roles if they hold certain NFTs from the collection. Their Wallet Role Bot allows server members to claim roles if they are the owners of certain wallet addresses. Both of these integrations update roles automatically as items are sold.

Common Discord Scams to Know and Avoid

Like any great tech-enabled endeavor, NFT projects are at risk of being scam targets. In the NFT landscape, there are a variety of tactics used to scam individuals of tokens, NFTs, and other valued assets. Here are some common ones to be aware of: 

1. Moderator impersonation: sometimes scammers will pretend to be a server mod and DM you, asking for compromising information about your wallet or assets. A legitimate moderator will never ask for personal information, verification, or seed phrases in public or private chat.
2. Fake Sales: these Discord servers often include a place for individuals to connect and trade assets directly. Peer-to-peer trades (i.e. ones not mediated by a platform like Magic Eden) should be done with great caution and due diligence, as many scammers will try and sell you fake versions of collection NFTs. Server moderators and owners cannot do anything to resolve a fraudulent trade should you fall victim, so act wisely.
3. Leaked Information: some scammers may phish for compromising information via DM, requesting private keys or passwords. You never need to disclose your private key for a transaction (that’s what public keys are for!), and if you are prompted to do so, it is a scam. Giving an attacker your private key could allow them to access and drain your wallet of funds/assets. Not good!

Discord is a great way to connect with fellow collectors, project members, and enthusiasts. It can help bring your NFTs to life and introduce you to new friends along the way. Try it out for yourself, and of course, do so with both curiosity and caution!