Apps
How to set up a Discord server: the ultimate guide
Unlike Skype, Zoom, Whatsapp, or any chat app, Discord has become an invaluable tool for users in the past two years providing a seamless place to communicate over text and voice in a world where people from various communities spend their time hanging out on it for different purposes.
What is Discord?
Here is all that you need to know about Disord. So, let’s get started!
In 2015 Discord was first launched to easily communicate while playing PC games together. About 70% of active Discord users in 2020 reported that they use the platform for nongaming purposes or a mix of gaming and everyday use.
In 2021, Discord heavily expanded moderator tools with expanded server roles, more automation, easier bot integration, and a timeout feature.
In 2022, it’s clear Discord doesn’t belong to gamers anymore.
The service allows users to create servers, which can consist of a variety of text and voice channels with high-quality features.
Discord lets you do the following by making a free account:
- Chat in high-quality, low-latency voice channels for an unlimited amount of time
- Send instant messages to friends or groups of friends
- Stream HD video capture from your computer or phone, also low-latency and unlimited
- Watch multiple streams at once with individual volume sliders
- Organize servers with communities of thousands
- Talk in group video calls
- Share small-ish files with friends
- Add bots to servers that add new functionalities, like a group radio
What are Discord Servers?
A “Discord server” is a place on Discord for groups of all sizes to talk in. But that doesn’t explain what makes a server special.
In fact, that’s what a lot of Discord servers are about — people come from all sorts of different corners of the world, but no matter the distance, they can get together on Discord and talk about anything they’d like with whoever they want.
You can chat with your friends without feeling lost in the many conversations going on at once for free!
How do you start a Discord server?
First, download the app for your computer or smartphone at discord.com/download. Alternatively, you can access Discord on any computer you can use a web browser on, without downloading an app, at discord.com/login.
Once your account is set up and you’re signed in, you’ll see a green + (Plus) button on the left side of the app. Choose that, and you’re on your way to making a new home.
You’ll then be asked what the server’s about. You’ll be given a different set of starter channels to talk in depending on your answer. More on what channels are later.
For example, we’ll use the “Friends” template, but feel free to pick which one works best for you.
Next, the most critical part of any server or group: The name. No matter what our friend group chats about, we all have one thing: we love houseplants. Let’s call it… “Plant Pals.”
If anything ever happens or you’ve left the houseplant lifestyle for greener, you can always change the server name and icon later on.
You’re done! Your new server for you and your closest friends is ready to roll. But it’s missing something important… your friends!
How can you invite friends to your new server?
In the middle of the chat window, you should see a big “Invite Your Friends” button. Hit that, and you’ll see the option to either invite your friends directly or share an invite link.
You can always invite friends through the “Invite” button in the server’s drop-down menu on the top-left if it’s not there.
After inviting friends and sharing your invite link, soon, everyone will be gathered in your new home!
Pro tip: You can also invite your friends by creating a custom link when you unlock the last Perks Package in your server boost.
Discord Booster Packages
Differences between ‘Text Channels’ and ‘Voice Channels’?
You’ll see a few lists in your new server called “Text Channels” and “Voice Channels.” These are where you and your friends will be talking in various ways.
Text channels behave similarly to how you may send messages on other platforms. They’re where you send messages to your friends, share photos, files, or one song stuck in your head. You can even type out someone’s using name starting with an “@,” and they’ll be notified, such as “@Fern.”
Every channel has a name associated with it and holds its chat history. You can think of a channel name as the conversation topic for that channel. For example, in a text channel named #general, you’ll talk about anything and everything on your mind, while a channel called #plant-talk could be best suited for showing off that newest ficus.
By default, when you make a new channel, everyone will be able to see and post on it. It’s like making a new group to talk in without having to re-add everyone again like you would in a regular chat group.
Voice channels are part of what makes Discord special. The Discord server is like having all your friends over. Voice channels are what make this possible.
Click on a voice channel, and you’re placed in a room to talk with your device’s microphone. It’s like walking into a room with your friends and joining their conversation! Unlike Direct Messages, users in a server won’t be startled by a ringtone when they enter the voice channel.
Voice channels also allow you to use your device’s camera to see your friends for a video chat. You can also share your device’s screen to show your friends how good you got on that one game or how complex your plant watering schedule is.
You can have unlimited people in a voice call at once, and up to 25 people video chat simultaneously. Up to 50 people can watch someone’s shared screen.
How can you add or remove new channels?
When we made our “Plant Pals” server, the “Friends” template we used included channels called #general, #gaming, and #music. Since we’re big into houseplants, our friends want a place where we can focus on talking about and sharing tips on taking care of our plants. So, let’s make a channel for that!
To make a new channel, head into your server’s drop-down menu on the top-left and select “Create Channel.” It’s the same menu you used to make an invite! If you’re on mobile, slide to the right to open your channel list, tap the server’s name and choose “create a channel.”
Making a new channel is as easy as typing up a name!
From there, a menu pops up, letting you customize your channel. We’ll be making a text channel for this, so choose “Text Channel” and give it a name. Let’s keep it simple and call it “#plants.”
How many channels should you have?
When creating more channels, it’s best not to get crazy with the channels — if you’re starting with your server, you’ll want to get a feel for how your friends use them. To keep things comfy without overwhelming others, It’s recommended to start with a small number of channels and adjust your channel selection as time goes on.
Let’s think about our new #plants channel: “plants” itself is a broad subject that can result in many different topics to discuss. Specific conversations, such as “what pot should this fern be in?” will likely be addressed, answered, and moved on after a short period. There’s no need to make a whole channel called #what-pot-should-this-fern-be-in.
Servers can be pretty flexible — you can always add a new channel when you want, and you won’t have to reinvite your friends each time you make a new channel.
You can also delete channels when you don’t need them anymore, but once a channel is deleted, everything within it is gone for good. Be sure to make 100% certain you want to delete the contents of a channel before it’s gone — sometimes, keeping an unused channel around is better than deleting it outright.
Can you limit channels to just a few friends?
Yes, you can! To help, you can designate a channel to be only a Private channel, only accessible to specific members and roles you decide. Roles can be powerful tools for larger servers, so we’ll stick to specifying precisely who we want within our small friend’s server.
As you’re making a channel, you’ll see an option to create a Private channel. Toggle that on, and hit Next.
Specify who should see the channel, and hit “Create” Channel! You’ll see a brand new channel pop up, and if it’s a Text Channel, a list of the members who can see it.
Suppose someone ever wants to be added or removed from a private channel after it’s already been made. In that case, you can right-click on the channel (or long-press on mobile), select “Edit Channel,” and head to Permissions, where you can adjust who can see that particular space.
Now You’ve got a unique home for your closest friends! How wonderful is that!
Now that you’re all set up in your server keep going and have fun! Feel free to hang out in a voice channel, post adorable photos, or wave hi to each other in a video call, no matter where you may be.
Your server is your private home; you can share whatever you like with whoever you want!
How to make the best of Discord using “Server Boost”?
Discord is a free-to-use app. However, if you want to dig deep and extract the treasure of your server, Discord has something called “Server Boost” where a server unlocks many extra/pro features including:
Level 1 Perks
- +50 server emoji slots (for a total of 100)
- +15 custom sticker slots (for a total of 15)
- 128 kbps audio quality
- Animated server icon
- Custom server invites background
- Stream to your friends in high quality
Level 2 Perks
- Boosted servers get everything previous, and —
- +50 server emoji slots (for a total of 150)
- +15 custom sticker slots (for a total of 30)
- 256 kbps audio quality
- Server Banner
- 50 MB upload limit for all members
- 1080p 60fps Go Live streams
- Custom Role Icons
Level 3 Perks
- Boosted servers get everything previous, and —
- +100 server emoji slots (for a total of 250)
- +30 custom sticker slots (for a total of 60)
- 384 kbps audio quality
- Custom Invite Link for the server
- 100 MB upload limit for all members
- Animated Server Banner
You can get the benefits mentioned above by:
- Either buy Server Boosts separately for your own server at $4.99 per month. Boosted servers get perks such as additional emoji slots, higher audio, and video quality, and animated server icons, depending on how many boosts they’ve received. Or;
- Discord Nitro: this premium subscription tier ($9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year) gets you benefits such as bigger upload size limits, HD video for streaming and screen-sharing, animated avatars, and custom emojis.
Nitro subscribers also get two Server Boosts, which are essentially tokens that you can spend on a server to make it even better.
Pro tip: Subscribing to Discord Nitro might be more cost-effective; as it gets you two Server Boosts for free upon subscription. Those two Server Boosts may last up to 3 months, unlike the Server Boots you buy separately which only last for one month.
Not interested in making your own server?
There are plenty of public servers out there that may be relevant to your interests. If you click the Explore Public Servers icon at the bottom left of the app, you can browse a ton of cool communities, from official servers for games like Minecraft and Fortnite to communities dedicated to things such as game development and language learning, and so on.
A URL Shortener is a technique in which a URL may be made shorter and still redirect to the original long page.
Most URL Shorteners are free and easy to use but come with limitations.
Google shut down its Google URL Shortener in 2018 with continued support until March 30, 2019. However, all existing links will continue to redirect to the intended destination.
Top URL Shortener Services on the Internet
1. Bitly.com
Bitly offers a free and enterprise version of its URL shortening service. No signup necessary, but creating an account allows you to manage links quickly and change the short link characters if you wish.
According to this Quora answer, the enterprise version of Bitly costs around $995/month.
Pro Tip: add + after the short link to access analytics of any bitly link. bitly.com/link+
2. TinyURL
A simple shortener that requires no sign-up and allows users to customize the keyword. The service is free to use, but there is no analytics.
3. Short.io
The best shorten link provider so far, it has so many useful features such as google analytics integration, bulk import, broken links detection, built-in analytics with so many details, link cloaking, and more.
Cost: affordable compared to similar solutions.
4. Rebrandly
Rebrandly is one of the popular URL shortener services in the market. It’s the most complete and reliable link management platform. Their solution provides the easiest way to create, measure, and manage short URLs with a custom domain name.
You can buy your domain name using Rebrandly, tag your URLs using UTM tagging, allow social media pixels to optimize for conversions, and more.
It’s expensive compared to other solutions.
5. eg.gd
eg.gd is a new URL shortener service that offers the same as rebrandly but for free. It was launched last year when bit.ly service was blocked in Egypt.
Lendo, a Saudi Arabia-based shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding marketplace, has raised SAR 105 million ($28 million) in Series B funding led by Sanabil Investments, a wholly-owned company by the Public Investment Fund (“PIF”). The round saw participation from Shorooq Partners, AB Ventures and other investors.
Lendo is a Shariah-compliant, debt crowdfunding marketplace that helps pre-finance outstanding invoices for businesses in Saudi Arabia. The platform is a community of creditworthy borrowers and sophisticated investors looking for alternative investments. The platform is licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Lendo will use the funds to support its fast-growing customer base in Saudi Arabia which has grown 3X year-on-year, introduce more innovative financing products, and accelerate market expansion plans.
“With this funding round, we are going to expand into new markets, support new and current customers, and launch new Shariah-compliant products, all the while continuing to innovate the marketplace for digital lending. We are going to make financial services more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for everyone. I am excited to see what the future holds for our company,” said Osama Alraee, CEO, and co-founder of Lendo, who also disclosed its plans for an IPO within the next few years.
Alraee has also expressed his gratitude to SAMA (Saudi Central Bank), Fintech Saudi, MCIT, Misk, and Monshaat for their unwavering support, emphasizing the pivotal role they have played in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation in partnership with Lendo to reshape the financial landscape. Their dedicated efforts in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation have been invaluable to us. We greatly appreciate their partnership in our mission to transform the financial landscape
Commenting on the announcement, Sanabil Investments said: “Lendo is a leading fintech company that is transforming the financial services industry in their specialist area of Shariah-compliant digital lending for SMEs. The Lendo team, especially the founders, Osama and Mohamed, have achieved a significant amount in a relatively short period, and we are eager to join their journey of increasing access to flexible financial solutions in Saudi Arabia and the region at large.”
“The growing demand for alternative, agile, and accessible lending solutions presents a significant opportunity. At Lendo, we are well-positioned to lead the charge in promoting financial inclusion not only in Saudi Arabia but also beyond. By fueling SME growth, we aim to contribute to the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic goals and to create a ripple effect of opportunity throughout the MENA region,” said Mohamed Jawabri, COO, and co-Founder of Lendo.
Lendo previously raised a SAR 27 million Series A funding round ($7.2 million) in 2021 led by Derayah Ventures with participation from Seedra Ventures and other investors, bringing the fintech’s total funding to SAR 132 million ($35.2 million).
Since the inception of Dec 2019, Saudi fintech Lendo has processed more than 2,500 financing transactions on its platform, providing over SAR 1 billion ($300 million) in financing to SMEs and generating SAR 140 million ($37 million) returns for investors.
The Small and Medium Enterprise financing landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) presents a substantial market opportunity as limited financial access continues to restrict the growth of the region’s businesses, with commercial banks hesitant to issue loans to SMEs at scale, resulting in a high percentage of declined financing requests annually. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the SME financing gap is estimated at SAR 19.5 trillion ($5.2 trillion) every year in developing countries.
Lendo’s debt crowdfunding platform aims to bridge the financing gap for SMEs, which aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 to significantly expand SME lending from 4% in 2018 to 20% by 2030.
The total value of debt crowdfunding in Saudi Arabia surged from 1.4 million SAR in 2019 to SAR 771 million in 2022, marking a remarkable 430% growth, according to SAMA’s annual fintech report 2022.
Meta has identified over 400 malicious Android and iOS apps designed to steal Facebook login information and compromise people’s accounts.
These apps are disguised as photo editors, games, VPN services, business apps, and other utilities to trick people into downloading them. Some examples include:
- Photo editors, including those that claim to allow you to “turn yourself into a cartoon”
- VPNs claiming to boost browsing speed or grant access to blocked content or websites
- Phone utilities such as flashlight apps that claim to brighten your phone’s flashlight
- Mobile games falsely promise high-quality 3D graphics
- Health and lifestyle apps such as horoscopes and fitness trackers
- Business or ad management apps claim to provide hidden or unauthorized features not found in official apps by tech platforms.
How do these apps work?
Malicious developers create malware apps disguised as apps with fun or useful functionality — like cartoon image editors or music players — and publish them on mobile app stores.
To cover up negative reviews by people who have spotted the defunct or malicious nature of the apps, developers may publish fake reviews to trick others into downloading the malware.
Malicious apps- Image Credit: Meta
When a person installs the malicious app, it may ask them to “Login With Facebook” before they can use its promised features. If they enter their credentials, the malware steals their username and password.
If the login information is stolen, attackers could gain full access to a person’s account and do things like message their friends or access private information.
How to protect Facebook accounts from malicious mobile apps?
Malware apps often have telltale signs that differentiate them from legitimate apps. Here are a few things to consider before logging into a mobile app with your Facebook account:
- Requiring social media credentials to use the app: Is the app unusable if you don’t provide your Facebook information? For example, be suspicious of a photo-editing app that needs your Facebook login and password before allowing you to use it.
- The app’s reputation: Is the app reputable? Look at its download count, ratings, and reviews, including negative ones.
- Promised features: Does the app provide the functionality it says it will, before or after logging in?
What to do if your Facebook account is compromised?
Suppose you believe you’ve downloaded a malicious app and have logged in with your social media or other online credentials. In that case, we recommend that you delete the app from your device immediately and follow the following instructions to secure your accounts:
- Reset and create new strong passwords. Never reuse your password across multiple websites.
- Enable two-factor authentication, preferably an Authenticator app, to add an extra security layer to your account.
- Turn on log-in alerts so you’ll be notified if someone is trying to access your account. Review your previous sessions to ensure you recognize which devices have access to your account.
Malicious apps- Image Credit: Meta
- It’s also recommended to report malicious applications that compromise Meta accounts through the Data Abuse Bounty program.
What are the 400 malicious apps?
Meta provided a list of more than 400 malicious apps in a blog post so users can check to see if they have downloaded any of them. Some apps include Beauty Camera, Kangaroo VPN, Magic Horoscope, and QR Barcode Scanner.
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