INFORMS Open Forum

  • 1.  Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-13-2021 15:14
    Have you tried "Discord?"  If so, I'd love to hear about your experience, especially if you were using it for non-gaming purposes.

    I was invited to a private "Learn AI" Discord server that's seeking senior members.  It has over 15K members (i.e., that one group is 1.5X the current membership of INFORMS).

    If you're reading this post and haven't heard about Discord, here's an overview: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/28/cnn-underscored/discord-app/index.html

    thanks,

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    Robin Lougee
    Secretary, INFORMS Section on Practice
    robin.lougee@gmail.com
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  • 2.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-15-2021 11:05
    Hi Robin,

    This is a really interesting question, thank you for posting. I just wanted to let you know that behind the scenes, we're reaching out to some groups to see if we can find Discord users who can answer your question. Please stay tuned!

    Tracy

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    Tracy Cahall
    Member Engagement Manager
    INFORMS
    Catonsville MD
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  • 3.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-15-2021 15:25
    Hi @Tracy Cahall 
    Thanks for reaching out.  It turns out that I live with a gamer who knew ALL about Discord, and gave me a personalize demo over dinner the other night.  It reminds me of Slack (if you've used that) and has me thinking about if / how INFORMS and the Practice Section, where I'm currently on the leadership team, might use it for more efficient & effective outreach.  Thoughts welcome!


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    Robin Lougee
    Secretary, INFORMS Practice Section
    robin.lougee@gmail.com
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  • 4.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-16-2021 19:14
    Robin,

    Hi.  Thanks for bringing this up.  I downloaded the Discord app on my phone a few months ago, but have not really done much with it.  The thing that I found was there wasn't a good directory or search function to find groups of interest.  It sounds like you have to be invited to groups or find out about them otherwise.  I did find a group for those interested in R programming (discoRd) that had a variety of channels and about 1800 members.  But I'm curious how others find groups of interest.  Is there a search functionality that I am missing somewhere?

    Scott

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    Scott Nestler
    Associate Teaching Professor
    University of Notre Dame
    Granger IN
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  • 5.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-19-2021 16:22
    Edited by Robin Lougee 07-19-2021 16:23
    Hi @Scott Nestler -  Yes, there is a search feature (https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000468588-Using-Search), but I haven't tried it yet so I can't say how well it does.  And I've seen some blog posts, like"Top 20 Data Science Discord Servers to Join," e.g.,  https://towardsdatascience.com/top-20-data-science-discord-servers-to-join-in-2020-567b45738e9d. Needless to say, it makes me wonder about creating Discord Servers for or/ms/ml/ai topics (or outreach for INFORMS Communities) that I'm interested in but I haven't made the plunge yet.  - best, Robin

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    Robin Lougee
    Secretary, INFORMS Practice Section
    robin.lougee@gmail.com
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  • 6.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-19-2021 15:54
    Robin,

    I'm using Discord to coordinate plans and logistics for the GISH International Scavenger hunt.  

    We are using it primarily because the members of the team do not want to use Facebook because they don't have accounts or other collaboration tools, because they have to pay for it.  It seems to be a good option to collaborate/discuss outside of platforms that others don't want to use. 


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    Jennifer Luik
    Co-Founder/CEO
    Decisions Oriented Inc.
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  • 7.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-19-2021 16:35
    @Jennifer Luik  -  The GISH Int'l Scavenger hunt looks like a blast!  Thanks for sharing your experience with Discord...and good luck with the hunt next week!   - Robin​

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    Robin Lougee
    Secretary, INFORMS Practice Section
    robin.lougee@gmail.com
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  • 8.  RE: Experience using "Discord?"

    Posted 07-20-2021 10:33

    I've used Discord to connect with friends, for both gaming and just informal chatting. It's very easy to use and, actually, very, very similar to Microsoft Teams. Honestly, for professional purposes, I think Teams is structured better for meetings and sharing presentations, but it is really good for sharing live video (e.g., gaming in real time) since it doesn't lag as some of the other services tend to do with live video streams. Not sure if this helps address your question in any way, but this has been my experience using it off and on for the last year and a half.
    Jay B.



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    Jay Baillargeon
    General Engineer
    Federal Railroad Administration
    Pueblo CO
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