How to Set Up Forum Channels in Discord

However, when it comes to most standard text channels, sometimes a conversation can get lost in the stream of messages that a large community server can often have.

Discord has an amazing solution to this problem: Forum channels.

In this article, we are going to cover everything you need to know about the Forum Channel feature in Discord, from what they are, how to add them to your community server, and some specifics as to the best way to set up these channels to facilitate discussions for all the users in your community.

A Forum Channel is similar to any Text Channel you see in a Discord server, with some meaningful differences.

First, only Community Servers have access to Forum Channels. To set your server as a Community, go to Server Settings > Community > Enable Community > Get Started section and follow the steps prompted by Discord.

Now that your server is a community, you can create Forum Channels.

Just like other text channels, moderators can set up which roles can interact with the channel.

However, unlike regular text channels, users can create separate threads for discussion. This allows for a lot more engagement and in-depth conversation since multiple topics and lines of thought can take place simultaneously without overlapping other ongoing conversations.

Users can jump to different conversations by navigating the list of topics in the forum thread.

Moderators can also set up Post Guidelines for users creating new threads to follow. This can help ensure the discussions in the forum post stay on topic and make the posts easy to navigate by other users looking to join in.

Now that you know the benefits of using Forum Channels and think they would be an asset follow these steps to create a Forum Channel in your Community Server.

1. Step 1

   

   Open the drop-down list by clicking on the server name and select Create Channel.

2. Step 2

   

   Select the Forum channel type in the Create Channel window, enter a name, and click the Create Channel button.

3. Step 3

   

   Your new Forum Channel is now ready and can be accessed through the channel list.

4. Step 4

   

   To move the new channel into a category that better suits the discussion, click > hold > drag forum into the proper channel category.

   

   Note: you can also create the forum in the correct category by clicking the Plus (+) sign next to the category name

5. Step 5

   

   Complete the Get Started steps to customize your Forum Channel for the conversation you want to take place.

Making sure your forum settings are clear is essential for achieving the best engagement in a forum channel.

• Set Recommended Permissions

  

  Discord will automatically include the @everyone tag in newly created forum channels. To change permissions click on the section and customize who can post in the pop-up window.

• Create Post Guidelines

  

  Clicking on the section will bring you to the channel overview tab. Here you can type out what you would like the discussions to be about and additional guidelines to steer the conversation in the forum.

• Create Tags

  

  Add tags so users can easily search for an existing discussion in the forum they want to join.

  These tags will be available for new forum posts to include:

  

• Set a Default Reaction

  

  This reaction will be included in every new forum post. Think of it as a “like” button that users can react with to give others an idea of how good the post is.

• Make the First Post

  

  Get the discussion started by making the first post.

  

  Your new post is now listed in the forum channel and can be viewed a responded to by other users.

Aside from the guidelines you set out when you create a forum channel, additional rules, and forum structure options are available to ensure your forum channel facilitates organized discussions.

Right-click the Forum Channel name to access these channel settings and select the Edit Channel category.

Select Overview and scroll down to the bottom. Here you will see a few options that can be changed to determine how users can interact with the forum channel.

Best Settings for Forums

Creating a forum that is best suited for your server is ultimately up to you, but below, we will cover a few things you might want to consider when creating a Discord forum channel.

• Slow mode and Messages

  For many smaller communities, these two options are probably best left in the “off” position. If you have a low member count, there will be no need to, in most cases, restrict posting.

  However, large communities may want to play with the time delay on posting a message, as too many posts from a single user can drown out others trying to contribute to a new topic.

• Age-restricted Channels

  This setting is very important when running a community Discord server. When posting any content that should be age-restricted, make sure to turn this option on so you don’t run into any issues.