Discourse Chat
Chat has been developed for Discourse and we are trying it out. We are not shutting down the discord server. That will continue to exist.
Accessing Channels
A speech bubble is now present in the header next to the Search icon, and clicking on that will open your Chat window, where you can access default channels as well as start new personal chats. To navigate back to your Full Screen Chat window from inside each channel, use the < icon in the top left corner.
Using the
button on any Chat window, you can toggle between Full Screen mode and Drawer mode.
Joining a channel
You can preview and join channels from the ‘Browse channels’ page. From this page, you can view all the channels that are visible to you and eligible to join, as well as control your notifications for each channel using the options in the bell icon. We don’t have many yet but will create more as time goes on.
Inviting users to channels
@mentioning individual users or groups will give the option to invite them to the channel if they aren’t participants already.
Starting a personal chat
To start a personal chat, use the 
icon on your Full Screen Chat window and start adding usernames to the recipients list. To leave a personal chat click the X icon next to the channel name (only on desktop).
If you accidentally leave a personal chat, starting a new chat with the same person/people will link you back to the messages sent previously.
In-Chat options
Like topics, Chat Messages support:
- edits
- replies
- quoting
- oneboxing
- reactions
- bookmarks
- deletion
In the composer, you can insert dates, upload files, and GIFs! Chat channels support channel-wide @here and @all mentions with per channel while presence features like a green halo for online users & username is typing… indicator are also present.
You can also select one or more Chat Messages and ‘Quote to topic’ to take a quick conversation and make it into a Discourse topic for in-depth discussion.
Mod Options
Closing and deleting channels
Admins and moderators can close or delete channels from the Browse Channels page, using the 
icon next to their Channel name. A closed channel can be reopened any time, but deleting a channel is not reversible, so there is an additional confirmation check in place.
Admins and moderators also have the ability to select Chat Messages and move them to a different channel.