On the whole, this is a great thing. It’s good to have a club that is active and growing, and it’s great that we’re bucking national trends where participation in outdoor long-form activities like sailing is declining. It means that we must be doing something right!
But growth has its challenges, and one of those is how to successfully support, integrate, and communicate with our new members who have questions about everything from rigging boats to finding sailing partners.
In the past, we had an ASC members Google Group. That worked fairly well when we were smaller, but as we grew, active conversations could easily generate north of thirty emails per day, which was just too much for many of our members. We finally closed down the Google Group earlier this year after thirteen years(!) of active service.
But this has left us with a bit of a “communications hole.” The website and email push announcements are great for formal announcements, but they don’t allow for casual “many-to-many” group communication like the Google Group did. To that end, we’re standing up a Discord server for interested club members.
And note that you don’t need to participate. We’ll continue to post official club updates via the website and email notifications using MembershipWorks. But if you’re looking for a digital connection with your fellow ASC members, the Discord Server is definitely the place. New members are absolutely encouraged to join, as are any long-time ASC members who are looking for an online sailing community and a chance to support our new members.
What is Discord?
Discord is a user-friendly communications app that you can use on your phone, tablet, or computer. It started as a platform for gamers but has evolved into a more general tool for all types of clubs and community groups. It’s like a digital clubhouse where members can chat, share information, and stay connected.
A key feature of Discord is “channels,” which are like permanent group texts for specific topics. For example, we have already set up channels for general sailing discussion, education, and off-topic (non-sailing) conversation. This keeps conversations organized and easy to follow.
If you’re new to Discord, you can read more about it in this beginner’s guide from Wired:
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-discord
Why not use a Facebook Group?
A Facebook Group was the other obvious choice, but Discord offers a few advantages for our purposes:
- User Experience: Discord’s interface is designed for seamless communication, with less emphasis on social media features like likes and shares.
- Organized Conversations: Discord’s channel system allows us to create separate spaces for different topics, making it easier to keep discussions organized, unlike Facebook Groups, where all posts appear in a single feed.
- Accessibility: Not everyone uses Facebook. Some people prefer to avoid social media for various reasons, including privacy concerns or simply not wanting to maintain a Facebook account.
- Notification Control: Discord offers fine-grained notification settings, allowing you to control how and when you receive notifications.
- Real-Time Communication: Discord offers real-time voice and video chat, which is great for meetings, events, or casual hangouts.
Didn’t we start a Discord server a few years ago?
Yup! We’ve actually been running this server in a low-key way since 2022 and had several tech-savvy members join. But since that time, we’ve closed down the old Google Group, leaving a hole in our communications strategy. Also, Discord has become much more mainstream outside the gaming community since we originally launched. So we figured that it was time for a more official push.
Getting Started
To get started, you first need to install Discord on your phone or computer. For phones or tablets, use the App Store or Google Play. And you can download clients for Windows, macOS, or Linux here:
(Note that Discord is free and doesn’t contain any ads. And if you’re wondering how Discord makes money, here’s how.)
Once you have the client installed, just click on the invite link we sent out via email. From there, take a brief look at #welcome-and-rules channel, and then jump into the conversation!
Alaska Sailing Club 
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