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May 18, 2024

Setting Up and Customizing Your Own Discord Server

Craft your dream community! This guide walks you through building a Discord server from scratch, including creating channels.

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If you're seeking a dynamic space to connect with friends, organize a community, or collaborate on projects, setting up a Discord server is the perfect solution. All you need is a free Discord account and the Discord app, and you're ready to create your own virtual hangout.

Discord has proven extremely useful for both professional and personal purposes, helping users connect across diverse interests and activities. Whether you're looking to streamline group conversations, foster creativity, or build a space for sharing ideas, Discord servers can handle it all.

In this guide, we'll cover everything from server creation to advanced customization, ensuring your server aligns with your vision. Let's dive in and build something awesome!

What is a Discord server?

A Discord server serves as a virtual meeting point where people gather based on shared interests, whether that's gaming, entertainment, or any other topic. Think of it as a dynamic space where your friends can chat about the latest TV show in one room, plan a gaming session in another, or share their favorite hobby tips without feeling lost among different conversations.

This virtual hub allows you to create multiple text and voice channels within a single server, making it easy to organize discussions by topic and give everyone a chance to connect and collaborate. You can also invite friends, fans, or new acquaintances to join the conversation through voice, text, and video chat.

You can find a lot of web3 communities around Discord. The application is also beloved by gamers for their ability to foster communities around multiplayer events like Minecraft or Valheim.

But the platform is equally suitable for any interest or passion, from movie buffs and comic enthusiasts to musicians and artists. Your server will become a lively, tailored environment where everyone can express themselves and engage in conversations that matter to them.

What can you use a Discord server for?

A Discord server is often used for gaming or keeping up with friends, but its potential extends much further. With its recent enhancements focused on communities and businesses, your server can serve multiple purposes, such as:

  • Building a Creative Community: If you're a content creator, you can bring your audience together in one place, providing them exclusive updates, sharing resources, or simply offering a safe space to discuss shared passions.
  • Coordinating with Colleagues: With its powerful chat features, Discord is an excellent alternative to Slack or other communication tools. Create channels for different teams, projects, or interests to keep your workflow smooth and organized.
  • Promoting Your Brand: Establish a server as a hub for your brand's community. Engage with potential customers through Q&A sessions, share sneak peeks of new products, or simply provide valuable information that builds loyalty and awareness.
  • Diving into Web3: The rapidly growing Web3 space can also benefit from Discord. Connect with other blockchain enthusiasts, share updates about decentralized projects, or create exclusive channels to promote NFTs and crypto. Your server can be a gateway for Web3 innovation and exploration.


Ready to get started with your own server? Let's make it happen!

How to set up a Discord server: Our step-by-step guide

Step 1: Download and Set Up Your Account

The first step is to download the Discord app to your device. Head over to discord.com/download and choose the appropriate version for your computer or smartphone. If you prefer not to download the app, you can still access Discord from any web browser at discord.com/login.

If you're new to Discord, create an account through their registration page. All you need to do is provide your email, choose a username and password, and enter your date of birth. 

If you already have an account but want a separate one for server management, you can create an additional account. This is useful if you plan to juggle multiple servers or keep your communities separate.

Once your account is ready, you'll be set to embark on the next steps in setting up your server!

Step 2: Create a New Server

Once your account is set up and you've logged into the Discord app or web version, you'll find a green "+" (plus) button on the left side of your screen, just below the server icons you're already following. Click this button to start creating your new server.

Source - Discord

Discord will guide you through a series of steps to customize your server. You can choose from a variety of templates tailored for different purposes like gaming, studying, or community-building, or simply start from scratch if you have a specific vision.

Next, you'll be asked whether your server is intended for a close-knit group of friends or a wider community. Choose whichever option aligns best with your purpose or skip this question if you're undecided.

The next step is crucial: naming your server. Choose a name that represents the vibe and purpose of your community. You can also upload an icon to give your server a unique identity and help members recognize it quickly in their server list.

With these steps complete, you've laid the groundwork for your new server!

Step 3: Invite Friends

Now that your new server is ready, it's time to gather your friends! In the middle of the chat window, you'll find a large "Invite Your Friends" button. Click on that, and you'll be given options to invite friends directly or share an invite link.

If you don't see this button, you can still send out invitations through the server's drop-down menu, located in the top-left corner. Here, you'll find the "Invite" option, where you can generate a link and share it via message, email, or even social media.

After your friends receive the invite link and join, you'll soon have everyone gathered in your freshly created server. Let the conversations begin!

Advanced Setup

Create and Edit Your Roles

Roles in Discord are essential for managing your community and ensuring everyone has the right access. Roles allow you to customize what members can see and do within your server, creating an organized and secure environment.

To set up and modify roles, head over to the "Roles" section within the Server Settings menu.

In the role settings, you can:

  1. Create New Roles: Set up distinct roles with specific settings to align with your server's goals and member structure.
  1. Customize Role Appearance: Adjust the color of each role to make it stand out in the user list, and ensure it's easy to identify members based on their role.

  1. Manage Permissions: Control what members can do, such as posting, creating threads, or moderating channels, to keep the community engaged while maintaining order.
  1. Channel-Specific Permissions: Fine-tune role permissions per channel to cater to different needs, giving some roles exclusive access while restricting others.

Set Up Your Channels

Channels are where all the action happens in your Discord server. They allow your community to communicate through text, voice, video, or images. There are several types of channels you can set up, each with unique purposes:

  • Text Channels: Ideal for text-based messages, sharing images, GIFs, and emojis to facilitate easy and quick communication.
  • Voice Channels: These function like voice calls, but you can also use video chat or screen sharing for real-time discussions.
  • Forum Channels: Similar to traditional forums, these let you create discussion threads on different topics, perfect for organized, in-depth conversations.
  • Announcement Channels (Community servers only): Act as a broadcast hub where important updates can be shared with members, who can further relay them to other servers.
  • Stage Channels (Community servers only): Designed for more structured events, these channels allow selected speakers to talk while other members listen.

To create a new channel, click the plus sign next to any existing channel category, or go to your server name and select "Create Channel." You can group your channels by creating categories and dragging channels into the appropriate ones.

To edit channel settings, click the gear icon that appears when you hover over a channel name. Here, you can manage settings like descriptions and integrations.

One of the most important features is the Permissions section. It lets you control what each role can do in a particular channel, giving you fine-tuned management over your server's communication.

You can also adjust permissions for entire categories, and these settings will apply to all channels within the category unless specified otherwise.

Bringing It All Together: Your Perfect Discord Server and Beyond

Congratulations! You've successfully set up your Discord server, tailored it to your unique needs, and invited your friends to join the fun. Now, you have a vibrant space where your community can chat, collaborate, and bond. As your server grows and the conversations flourish, it may become challenging to track everything efficiently. This is where Blaze steps in.

Blaze is a customer engagement platform purpose-built for Web3, harnessing AI-powered automation to help businesses and agencies grow, engage, and retain their communities in the tokenized world. With Blaze, you can easily manage your Discord server by accessing tools that streamline direct messaging campaigns, ads, rewards programs, and partnerships. It even taps into a vast network of over 95 million crypto users and companies.

Here’s how Blaze can help you navigate your Discord community:

  • Understand Community Members: Gain insights into your members' behavior, interests, and engagement patterns to better understand their needs.
  • Track Growth and Retention: Monitor how your server is expanding and identify key factors that influence member retention.
  • Measure Engagement: Keep tabs on how your community interacts with various channels and identify popular content.
  • Track Sentiment: Analyze the overall sentiment of conversations in your server to identify areas for improvement.
  • Product Feedback & User Insights: Collect valuable product feedback directly from your members and transform it into actionable insights.
  • Measure Cross-Platform Campaigns: Evaluate how your marketing campaigns impact the growth and engagement of your Discord community.

Ready to elevate your Discord server and build a thriving Web3 community? Book a demo with Blaze today to explore how this powerful platform can supercharge your engagement strategy!

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