Thank you for looking into the Knights of Academia! If our community’s promise of self-improvement speaks to you, the biggest step you can take to join the cause is joining our Discord server. But the server is a big and busy place, and can be confusing and intimidating at first, especially if you’re new to Discord as a whole. If you need some help navigating the app’s features, I recommend visiting the Beginner’s Guide to Discord. As for our specific server, there’s no one correct approach to making yourself comfortable, but the goal of this guide is to lead you through the experience with an easy-to-follow path.
Welcome!
If you find the server to be a lot to take in, it’s definitely best to start slow, so we’ll start by warming up to the server as a whole. Before you can interact with the channels, you’ll have to accept KOA’s terms and conditions, which form a foundation for our standards. You’ll learn how you’ll be expected to respect other members, and then a bot will announce your arrival in the Citadel, the general chat. You’re more than welcome to introduce yourself there!
The top channel category has channels for announcements, voting, and the other major functions of the server. One of its channels is called the Map of KOA, which has descriptions of the server’s sections and workings. It’s a great resource for understanding the layout and looking for the sub-communities that interest you!
Find Your Focus
To stay involved in our Discord community, it can help to narrow your focus to a few sections that pique your interest. Revisit the Map of KOA or take glances at various channels. If something seems like your style, check the channel’s pinned messages for more information. Consider visiting the Front Desk channel and joining intriguing clubs, or looking into the server’s current events. There’s always an ongoing or upcoming Challenge of the Week or Book of the Month, which are frequently very engaging! You’re more than welcome to experiment. If you have any questions, ask in the Citadel or appropriate channels– our staff and more experienced members are happy to help if they can! This is a time to try new things and stimulate your passions.
Listen
Now that you’ve found your preferred places on the server, the next part is contributing to the community. Improvement stems from learning, so take some time to read what other members are posting. Engage if you’d like when conversation starts, and form an attitude of discussion and open listening. Interaction and observation will make it easier to share your own experiences, and it’s simply a good way to help others and better yourself.
Of course, if you haven’t checked in for a bit, there can be a lot of new messages, but as important as listening is, that doesn’t mean you have to read everything everyone’s saying. That would just be unrealistic! There’s no shame in marking messages as read and moving on.
Share
Hopefully by now you feel comfortable enough to initiate conversation yourself! At its core, KOA is a place to support each others’ journeys to betterment, and the embodiment of that is in sharing. Your experiences, successes, resources, lessons, and difficulties are worth bringing up and discussing or celebrating! Posting about specific topics on the channels that relate to them is a good way to get practical discussion started, and talking in the Citadel is good for more casual interaction.
Congratulations! With a week of engaging, learning, and community-building under your belt, you’re actively contributing to the Knights of Academia. After your first week, just remember to keep in mind the reasons you joined the server and ask questions whenever you need. KOA is always holding new events and branching out, so keep trying new things, and good luck on your journey to a better self and a better world!