Discord's New Currency Pays Users To Interact With Ads (theverge.com) 27
Discord is testing "Discord Orbs," a new in-app currency that rewards users for engaging with interactive ads and promotional Quests. The Verge reports: In addition to spending Orbs on regular items on the Discord Shop, users can exchange the digital tokens for Orb exclusives like special badges or 3-day passes to try out Discord's subscription service, Discord Nitro. Discord says Orbs are rolling out globally to a "small number" of its users to start before a wider rollout. If you're part of the beta test for Orbs, you will get a notification like the one below.
Before this, publishers or brands that offered Quests had to provide their own rewards -- things like avatar decorations or in-game bonuses. They can still do that if they want, Discord spokesperson Bradley Sheets tells The Verge in an email; awarding Orbs is simply an alternative option.
Before this, publishers or brands that offered Quests had to provide their own rewards -- things like avatar decorations or in-game bonuses. They can still do that if they want, Discord spokesperson Bradley Sheets tells The Verge in an email; awarding Orbs is simply an alternative option.
So can we have IRC back? (Score:3, Funny)
Please?
Re: (Score:2)
IRC never left! I am using it, connect to the Matrix, daily. ;)
Re: So can we have IRC back? (Score:2)
Yes it truly is sickening when major projects stick to Discord. Ugh.
Re:So can we have IRC back? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
It's a privacy feature, even when it was just a technical side-effect.
Everyone who joins a Discord "server" (they do not even get their terminology right) can see what you said there since you joined. Are you sure even you still remember, what the new user may read? A chat where you can see in the list of currently online users who will be able to read what you just write better communicates your privacy and has forward privacy (when I join you can stop sharing private information and I won't be able to rea
Re:So can we have IRC back? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a privacy feature, even when it was just a technical side-effect. Everyone who joins a Discord "server" (they do not even get their terminology right) can see what you said there since you joined. Are you sure even you still remember, what the new user may read? A chat where you can see in the list of currently online users who will be able to read what you just write better communicates your privacy and has forward privacy (when I join you can stop sharing private information and I won't be able to read private information you posted before).
This criticism (if it is a criticism; I suppose it might not be intended by you as such) is a little passe, don't you think? Even Slashdot lets you go back 15+ years and see what a user wrote, as do most web forums, social media, etc. Why would you expect more privacy from Discord than you get anywhere else on the internet? I'm not under the impression that Discord is mis-representing itself in this regard. I don't disagree that a feature that lets you specify that new users to a server can only see posts from after the joined would be nice.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, it is a criticism. Or if you want, a point on the contra list if you search for reasons both pro and contra Discord.
And what I'm coming from is that IRC has more privacy. I wasn't comparing Discord to Slashdot.
I don't think Discord is misrepresenting that they keep the content, but I think they are misrepresenting what rights they reserve to use the content. People also do not think about how they may reserve more rights when updating their ToS, applying retroactively to content from before the ToS upd
Re: (Score:2)
IRC still exists. And I heard IRCv3 is coming with a few useful new features but being backward compatible.
Wow (Score:2)
Can you please elaborate what you dislike for it? (Score:2)
Re:Can you please elaborate what you dislike for i (Score:4, Informative)
Please elaborate why not
My small contribution: FWIU you need an account to read anything published on Discord. When consulting a page whose community is managed by Discord, visitors don't see the content by default (they need to click somewhere, login, then read the comments on that separate Discord website) so you get fewer readers, fewer potential members. Content is not indexed so you don't get traffic from searches.
It can works if you target potential community members whom you can tell are already users of Discord.
Re: Can you please elaborate what you dislike for (Score:2)
Re: Can you please elaborate what you dislike for (Score:3)
Because it's not a platform you can control? It's not an open protocol? None of it is open source?
Re:Can you please elaborate what you dislike for i (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a walled garden. You cannot easily move to other services, they do not support thirdparty-clients, they try to position themselves for permanent records (some people try to replace forums with it) but you do not only need to have a Discord account but also are required to join the "server" before getting a look into it. And if Discord decides to require money from you tomorrow, you have to pay or lose your "server" and with it the existing community. That also applies for all other changes of ToS. They tell you they can sell all your data with new ToS? Accept or leave.
Compare it to IRC: You just connect to the server and join a room, no registration needed.
Compare it to XMPP: Everyone can join using an account on their own server with low friction even though a registration on an own server is required.
Compare it to phpbb (for the forum/FAQ aspect): You can just read a forum like any other website usually without login requirement.
Re: (Score:2)
By "may need a community" I assume you mean create a community (not find one). Discord was developed to replace previous generations of game-side chat programs like Mumble, Ventrillo, Team-Speak, Roger Wilco, etc, and the chat channels evolving into forum replacements sorta just happened along side that. Saying they replace forums isn't quite right though... they are more like chat rooms than forums; chat channels are mostly short form chatter (as opposed to medium or long form posts like Slashdot or a foru
The Merch (Score:2)
I liked this joke better 20 years ago in a penny Arcade comic.
Re: (Score:2)
Did they get a new idiot CEO or something? (Score:2)
Seems like something a wanker from EA would do. Did they can one of those losers for not raking in enough dough in microtransactions or kid-friendly gambling through lootboxes or something?
Re:Did they get a new idiot CEO or something? (Score:4, Informative)
There will be a quiz (Score:2)
Let me guess, there will be a multiple choice quiz at the end of the ad which you will need to get 70% or better on in order to get paid.
Re: (Score:2)
And when you do, you'll be able to use your orbs to get a small discount on whatever product is being offered by the ad. And for a small additional fee, you can buy TWO!
Re: There will be a quiz (Score:2)
Artificial Engagement is Fake Engagement (Score:1)
Company tokens for the company store. (Score:2)
"Pays users" almost had me there for a second. Then I see it's actually tokens that can only be used to buy more advertising gear for the company. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Reward people for being rubes by making them bigger rubes, able to advertise their rubeness loudly and proudly. I'll bet there's people lining up to see those ads now!