Slack vs Discord: Which Group Will Better Boost Your Writing in 2021?

Are you interested in information about Slack vs Discord?

By reading this guide, you discover how to find communities of writers who use Medium, Slack, and Discord.

Medium is a content curation site. Slack and Discord are communities called hubs where teams collaborate.

This post tells you how I collaborate with teams of writers on Slack and Discord. By the time you are done reading, you can collaborate with them as well or find other groups to collaborate with.

Although this guide focuses on how writers can use Slack and Discord, anyone interested in using Slack or Discord can benefit from these tutorials and reviews.

This post follows a case study format so you can see the results of my experiences joining Slack vs Discord writing groups.

Let’s start exploring Slack vs Discord.

Slack

What is Slack?

Have you heard of Slack?

Slack is a free messaging app with over 12 million daily active users (2021 data).

Also, Slack is a free collaborative hub for teams. If you are collaborating in a small team, you need an invitation to join. Using Slack, you collaborate on projects and organize conversations.

You can use emojis in your messages.

Slack is free, collaborative technology.

Slack Testimonial:

"We've recently created our Le Mons micro-tribe and realized how much better Slack is.

We will benefit from a bigger userbase.

Other channels are really fun and people are super nice and helpful, you'll get used to it in no time ;)"

How to Use Slack

You need an invitation to join Slack. Go into your email to bring up the invitation. Click Join Now.

This is an example of what an invitation to join Slack looks like.

When I joined this group, I was greeted by a bot.

Make an account if you don't already have one. In addition, you can join with Google or Apple. If interested, watch the tutorial.

If you don't want Slack to send you emails with offers, uncheck the box. Click Create Account.

If you desire, turn on push notifications. Otherwise, click Skip. Click Take me to Slack.

You see various channels when you arrive. The Slack group is organized by channels.

To comment in a message thread, comment at the bottom of the screen and press the send icon.

The Slack group I joined is for writers from the Medium content curation site. The group, which produces a publication on Medium called "Illumination," has over 8,000 members, and they provide resources for writers in different Slack channels as well as on Medium.

Upon arrival, there was "unread" information for me.

Each time someone in your Slack group leaves a message, it will appear in the unread section.

Afterward, the channels of my Slack group become listed in alphabetical order for me to easily find again. However, if there are new comments in any of the threads, the threads appear in bold font at the top of my screen.

There is also a direct message section.

You can use Slack to

• Send a message. Start a conversation
• Add teammates. Bring your team together.
• Get slack for desktop. Stay connected on any device.
• See a few tips. Learn more about how to use Slack.
• Change your status. You can set your status as Away if you go on vacation.
• Change the app icon on your phone to different colors. The default app color is white but you can change it.
• Browse people.
• Browse channels.
• Save items to review later.

Case Study: Results of Joining the Writing Community on Slack

I discovered a community of writers who post their writing on Medium.com in a publication called “Illumination.” Their community meets on Slack. You need an invitation to join a Slack community. They invited me and I accepted.

Blog Traffic

Did I receive traffic from Medium as a result of joining the Slack Illumination Group? Yes.

Did I receive money as a result of joining the publication? Yes. I received a little money since I belong to the Medium Partner Program.

However, receiving blog traffic and money weren't the most exciting parts for me.

Engagement

Look:

I am receiving more engagement from Medium than I ever have, and I've used Medium for seven years.

Medium even emailed me that people were clapping for my post. Clapping on Medium is a way of giving approval like a "like" is on Instagram.

Medium Highlights

Exposure

Do you know what a Medium highlight is?

Medium Highlights enable you to capture snippets of someone's article and share it on your own profile. Users find a quote from a Medium article that resonates with them. Their highlight becomes published as one of their stories on their Medium account.

A member of the Slack Illumination group highlighted this portion of my article and shared it with her own followers.

It gets better: Even though she only has 7 followers, my excerpt received 101 claps.

How is this possible?

I shared the article with the Slack Writing Community, the Illumination publication on Medium. The group has over 8,000 members. This exposure broadens my reach.

Here you will find a link to my article, Surprise Advantages of Blogging.

The screenshot shows sections of my article.

Do you see the names to the right of my text?

Those are two of the people who highlighted portions of my writing and shared the excerpts on their own Medium accounts.

Apparently, this feature, Medium Highlights, started during the Obama Administration.

This screenshot shows an excerpt from a technology post that caught my eye on Medium.

You can highlight, comment, Tweet, or make a private note.

Notice: I highlighted a section that I found relevant. Look in the screenshot at the choices that were generated when I made a Medium highlight.

Eight percent of the readers shared my article, Surprise Advantages of Blogging, by way of email, direct message, or instant message.

Don't believe there was anything extra special about the post. The post was not a guide or even long-form content.

In fact, the post is so short, according to Medium, the post only takes one minute and eleven seconds to read.

Interested in joining Illumination? You will find the link to request access here.

Let's continue discovering information about Slack vs Discord.

Discord

What is Discord?

Like Slack, Discord is also a free communications hub for teams.

Discord is famous as the place gaming groups meet. Discord is so popular with gamers that there are many gaming servers on Discord. Groups are called "Servers" on Discord.

According to 2021 data, 140 million people use Discord.

Slack vs Discord Similarities

As is the case with Slack, you need an invitation to join a Discord group.

Both are free apps that can be used for messaging and team collaboration.

Slack vs Discord Differences

When it comes to Slack vs Discord, important terminology varies. For instance, Slack groups are called "Channels" while Discord groups are called "Servers."

Also, the User Interface varies. User Interface (UI) refers to the appearance that the website visitor sees. I see so much clutter and congestion at Discord, I experienced a feeling of overwhelm.

Let's sum up Slack vs Discord differences:

• The names of groups are different.
• The User Interface is different.
• The personality of the platforms are different.

A website's personality should match the brand's objectives. What are the objectives of the Discord website? Overwhelm?

I even researched why the developers named the platform "Discord" since "discord means disagreement or disharmony, but apparently the name had nothing to do with the disorganization I feel characterizes the UI.

How to Use Discord

By looking at the screenshot, you see there is a great deal to look at when you log in to Discord.

By looking at some of the user names on the right, you can tell the people here will be in my niche, branding and marketing.

However, I feel overwhelmed. I crave a clean interface.

I first started using Discord when I wrote my Steemit review. I became involved in Discord groups in an attempt to collaborate on boosting our Steem wallets. Steem is a form of Cryptocurrency.

I entered after a long period of Steem prosperity. The crash that greeted me was enough to convince me to give Discord up.

For the sake of comparing and contrasting Slack vs Discord, I will continue and resume using Discord again.

On Reddit, I received a recommendation: Go to https://disboard.org/ for a way to search for writers groups.

I searched Writers and then Writing. A server is a group, or space, on Discord. Most servers are small and private and by invitation only.

The description of the Writers Nook server impressed me: A sense of community, tutelage, and friendship with active staff, so I joined.

The group has 118 members and 41 were online when I explored the server.

Refer to the screenshot's "Beginning" section. I could read the rules of the server along with other activities.

By looking at the circles on the left, you see various people having conversations.

I clicked the group called "The Garden" which has 19 on the circle in the screenshot and found them embroiled in a political conversation.

I clicked Steem Schools, the group with 779 on the circle, and found a schedule of Steem School lessons.

Slack vs Discord: Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up: Slack vs Discord

By reading this guide to Slack vs Discord, you received tutorials for both Slack and Discord, reviews of both Slack and Discord, and information that empower you to find writers groups on both platforms.

You also received information about Medium Highlights that enable you to extend your reach and the reach of other writers on Medium.

In closing, I realize I have a great deal still to learn about Slack and Discord, but I feel I know enough to draw a conclusion about which group communication app I would recommend. For the reasons stated in this post, when it comes to Slack vs Discord, Slack gets my vote.

Due to my favorable experience at Slack and my confusion at Discord, I recommend the Slack Illumination group if you are looking for groups of writers.

Now that you have read this guide to Slack vs Discord, you can find your own writers groups on both platforms. Perhaps you'll use Discord and have a better experience than I did. Perhaps you can also find publications for bloggers on Medium.

Readers, please share this information about Slack vs Discord and Medium so writers know they have networking groups available to them.

I look forward to your comments. Are you active in Medium publications for bloggers you can recommend? Do you have familiarity with Slack vs Discord? Do you participate in writing groups at the sites? Which do you recommend, Slack or Discord?