AARoads Discord
Discussion here:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=21139.0
It's from 2017, so opinions might have changed since then. I wouldn't be that opposed to one, even though I was strongly against it before. My main concern is that I'm on exactly one other forum that also has a Discord server associated with it, and people who aren't on that Discord miss some actual forum-topic-related news going on because it never makes it to the forum proper, so the same might happen here.
I remember the 2017 server. It was very quiet, and I didn't stay on it for very long. That being said...
I think an AARoads Discord server in 2023 wouldn't be the worst idea. It might be more accessible to new users (for better or for worse, I suppose. But maybe the Discord server and the classic forum could cater to different audiences.) And Discord has become a lot more feature rich than it was in 2017. Lots of automations and bots and even a "forum within Discord" (NOT that I would want this website to be abandoned). Roles could be assigned based on various stats or regions and states. It could be a better place for casual banter that doesn't necessarily justify an entire thread.
Honestly, as somebody who's been using Discord for a few years, even with the added features, I think the existing model is fine until it becomes financially unsustainable. With Discord, you run into issues with people being able to reply faster, which can cause some hairy moments with a certain owl and a certain millionaire Long Islander. Plus, not sure if you guys are opposed to this, but you can report messages directly to Discord... meaning somebody outside of the forum staff would have moderation abilities for really nasty stuff.
I really don't see what it would add over the existing format besides being more efficient to argue about things on. I've also known of at least one website which outright replaced its forum with a Discord server (will not state exactly which out of shame), and it was even marketed as a downgrade in itself.
I feel like these old school forums are superior for conveying a bunch of really deep and intricate information... no character limits, you can quote people easier and the quotes nest in each other so you can follow easier, and because the forum software is relatively old, you can pull it up on an extremely old computer. I love Discord; most of the people I buy furry art from are people I initially met in Discord servers, I just really don't think its what we need for this forum. It might be the first nail in the coffin for the old school format we've come to know and love.