Contention is a very popular VoIP and messaging service. Although it is mainly known in video game circles, nowadays it is possible to find servers for almost any field, including for example programming.

Despite the clear leadership in its segment, Discord does not sleep and adds new features that expand its capabilities. The latest is a a new forum-like channel format reminiscent of Redditone of the most popular social networking services.

Discord described the forum channels it had just implemented as “a place designed for targeted discussions, not just for free chat“. Server members can browse these channels to find content they are interested in or create new topics. As with text and voice channels, server owners and moderators will be able to create a forum channel that will be distinguished from the other two types by its own icon.

Channel in Discord forum format.

After the user clicks on the corresponding icon of the forum channel on the Discord server they are connected to, they will be able to see a list of threads on that topic. This should improve in aspects such as organization so that there is more space for those people who cannot follow the activity in real time. The forum feature implemented in Discord is now available for desktop and mobile apps. Knowing that the desktop application is built on Electron, it should also be present through the web browser.

The introduction of forum channels was almost a necessity for Discord, especially since its popularity may have overwhelmed even those responsible for the service. Supporting large numbers of users is something that is solved with better infrastructure, but when a server can host hundreds of thousands of active people at the same time, chat channels can end up accumulating a lot of material that is difficult to keep track of.

In short, forums they are an opportunity to bring order where there is none. With some servers having hundreds of thousands of active users at the same time, surely those who are more fed up will eventually thank the inclusion of this feature.