If MOOCs are like sitting in a virtual classroom and Podcasts are like a virtual foyer/lobby to listen to a fireside chat,

Discord/Slack Channels are like a virtual cafétaria to discuss, vent, meet new people and just hangout while doing mundane things you do everyday.

Meeting new people in a closed community like a Discord server is vastly different(and better!) from meeting via a matching algorithm like Tinder/FB.

The difference: you've context before you talk to people 1:1 & you have the optionality to ignore-by-default.

The ignore-by-default is the feature that helps you avoid meeting-fatigue (scheduled Zoom) while being in a watercooler-serendipity context like sitting physically in a real café or a movie-theater.

Inspired by this thread by @vgr: https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1255515586198732804?s=19