Discord has announced a number of improvements. The chat and voice app has seen a significant increase in users since last year's pandemic.

One of the big new features, Stage Channels, should help bring a little more order to Discord. If you are hosting an event where several people speak to an audience, this would be ideal. It is also possible to have a Q&A in this format, giving the audience a chance to speak, but generally they will be asked to shut up and listen.

Along with the stage channel, there is also a new discovery feature for the community stage. This will allow non-member servers to view what is happening around the world, even if they are not members. There are also plans to monetize this feature, so you may be able to host your own version of TED Talks in the not-too-distant future.

The stage feature requires that the server's "community" mode be enabled. This can be undone, so there is no need to continue using it if it does not work. This option can be found by going to server settings and selecting community. The stage feature works on all platforms, including Discord's web browser program.

Discord will also address the pesky problem of discussion threads. This is good news. The current option for replying to people in a thread, while much better than before, is still a bit clunky. We don't have much information on how the threads will eventually turn out, but hopefully it will be a good way to manage the little banter that develops in the channel.