PANDAUDIT Discord Server Setup Guide
Comprehensive guide for setting up and managing your PANDAUDIT Discord community server.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Server Creation
- Channel Structure
- Role Configuration
- Permissions Setup
- Community Guidelines
- Moderation Strategy
- Engagement Tactics
- Server Optimization
- Growth Strategies
Overview
Purpose
The PANDAUDIT Discord server is a community hub for:
- Finance professionals learning data analytics
- Accountants exploring automation
- Data enthusiasts sharing knowledge
- Python learners in the finance space
- Community members discussing blog content
Goals
- Create an engaged, supportive community
- Facilitate learning and knowledge sharing
- Drive traffic to pandaudit.com
- Build brand loyalty and authority
- Gather feedback on content and products
Target Audience
- Accountants and finance professionals
- Data analysts in finance/accounting
- CPAs exploring data analytics
- Excel power users looking to level up
- Students pursuing finance/accounting careers
Server Creation
Step 1: Create Server
- Open Discord
- Desktop app or web version
- Make sure you’re logged in
- Create Server
- Click ”+” button on left sidebar
- Select “Create My Own”
- Choose “For a club or community”
- Server Name and Icon
- Name:
PANDAUDIT CommunityorPANDAUDIT - Data Analytics & Automation - Icon: Upload PANDAUDIT logo
- Click “Create”
- Name:
Step 2: Server Settings
- Go to Server Settings
- Right-click server name → “Server Settings”
- Overview Tab
- Server Name: PANDAUDIT Community
- Server Description: “A community of finance professionals exploring data analytics, automation, and modern tools. Connect, learn, and share your journey!”
- Server Icon: Upload high-quality PANDAUDIT logo
- Server Banner (boost level 2+): Optional branded banner
- Moderation Tab
- Verification Level: Medium (must have verified email)
- Explicit Content Filter: Scan media from all members
- DM Settings: Disabled (to prevent spam)
- Community Tab
- Enable Community: Toggle ON
- This enables:
- Welcome Screen
- Discovery
- Announcement Channels
- Rules
- Set Rules Channel: #rules (we’ll create this)
- Set Updates Channel: #announcements
- Discovery (optional, for public servers)
- If you want server discoverable on Discord
- Add description, tags, invite link
Channel Structure
Recommended Channel Organization
Here’s the ideal channel structure for PANDAUDIT community:
WELCOME & INFO
welcome
rules
announcements
roles
COMMUNITY
general
introductions
wins-and-milestones
random
CONTENT & LEARNING
blog-updates
data-analytics
automation
python-discussion
excel-and-powerbi
HELP & SUPPORT
help-and-questions
code-troubleshooting
resources
SHOWCASE
showcase
project-ideas
collaboration
MODERATION (hidden from members)
mod-chat
mod-logs
reports
VOICE (optional)
General Voice
Study/Co-working
Lounge
Detailed Channel Setup
WELCOME & INFO Category
1. #welcome
- Purpose: Greet new members
- Permissions: Read-only for @everyone, bot can post
- Setup:
- Create channel: “welcome”
- Topic: “Welcome to PANDAUDIT! Introduce yourself in #introductions”
- Set read-only permissions
- Pin welcome message:
**Welcome to PANDAUDIT Community!**
We're thrilled to have you here. This is a community for finance and accounting professionals exploring data analytics, automation, and modern tools.
** Get Started:**
• Read the rules in <#rules>
• Introduce yourself in <#introductions>
• Check out latest blog posts in <#blog-updates>
• Ask questions in <#help-and-questions>
** Useful Links:**
• Website: https://pandaudit.com
• Blog: https://pandaudit.com/blog
• Quick Reference: https://pandaudit.com/cheatsheet
** Need Help?**
Type `!help` to see bot commands, or ask in <#help-and-questions>
Happy learning!
2. #rules
- Purpose: Server rules and guidelines
- Permissions: Read-only for @everyone
- Content: See Community Guidelines section
3. #announcements
- Purpose: Important server updates
- Permissions: Only admins/mods can post, @everyone can read
- Setup:
- Create channel
- Topic: “ Official announcements from the PANDAUDIT team”
- Enable “Announcement Channel” (for cross-posting)
4. #roles
- Purpose: Self-assignable roles for interests
- Permissions: Read-only, bot can post
- Content: Role selection message (see Role Configuration)
COMMUNITY Category
1. #general
- Purpose: General discussion about data analytics, finance, etc.
- Permissions: @everyone can read/send messages
- Topic: “ General chat about data analytics, automation, finance, and more!”
- Setup:
- Slowmode: 3 seconds (prevents spam)
- No NSFW content
2. #introductions
- Purpose: Members introduce themselves
- Permissions: @everyone can read/send messages
- Topic: “ Introduce yourself! Tell us your name, role, and what brought you here.”
- Pin intro template:
**Introduction Template** (optional, use as inspiration):
**Name**: Your name
**Role**: Your job title/industry
**Interests**: What brings you here?
**Learning Goals**: What you want to achieve
**LinkedIn** (optional): Your profile
Don't be shy! We're all here to learn and grow together.
3. #wins-and-milestones
- Purpose: Celebrate achievements, breakthroughs, promotions
- Topic: “ Share your wins! Automated a process? Finished a project? Got promoted? Celebrate here!”
- Setup: Consider adding auto-reactions ( )
4. #random
- Purpose: Off-topic, casual conversation
- Topic: “ Off-topic chat, memes, and random discussions”
CONTENT & LEARNING Category
1. #blog-updates IMPORTANT
- Purpose: Automatic notifications when new blog posts published
- Permissions: Read-only for @everyone, webhook can post
- Topic: “ Fresh content from pandaudit.com! New posts appear here automatically.”
- Setup:
- Create channel
- This is where GitHub Actions webhook posts
- Bot auto-reacts to posts here ( )
- Encourage discussion with prompts
2. #data-analytics
- Purpose: Discussions about data analytics, visualization, reporting
- Topic: “ Data analytics discussions: pandas, visualization, dashboards, reporting”
3. #automation
- Purpose: Process automation, RPA, workflow optimization
- Topic: “ Automation discussions: Python scripts, RPA, workflow optimization”
4. #python-discussion
- Purpose: Python-specific questions and discussions
- Topic: “ Python discussions, tips, libraries, and best practices”
5. #excel-and-powerbi
- Purpose: Excel, Power BI, and traditional tools
- Topic: “ Excel, Power BI, Power Query, and traditional data tools”
HELP & SUPPORT Category
1. #help-and-questions
- Purpose: Ask questions, get help
- Topic: “ Ask questions about data analytics, Python, automation, or finance workflows!”
- Setup:
- Slowmode: 5 seconds
- Pin “How to ask good questions” guide:
**How to Ask Good Questions**
To get the best help:
1. **Be specific**: Instead of "Python doesn't work", say "I'm getting a KeyError when trying to merge dataframes"
2. **Share context**:
• What are you trying to achieve?
• What have you tried?
• What error are you getting?
3. **Include code** (use code blocks):
\```python
# Your code here
\```
4. **Share error messages**: Copy full error text
5. **Be patient**: Community members help in their free time
6. **Say thanks!**: React with or reply when helped
**Great question example**:
> "I'm trying to merge two Excel files using pandas. I have a 'customer_id' column in both files, but I'm getting a KeyError. Here's my code: [code]. The error says: [error]. I've tried [attempted solutions]. Any ideas?"
Happy learning!
2. #code-troubleshooting
- Purpose: Share code, debug issues
- Topic: “ Share code snippets for review and debugging help”
- Setup: Enable code syntax highlighting
3. #resources
- Purpose: Share helpful links, tutorials, tools
- Topic: “ Share helpful resources: tutorials, articles, tools, datasets”
- Setup: Consider using threads for organization
SHOWCASE Category
1. #showcase
- Purpose: Share completed projects, automations, analyses
- Topic: “ Show off your projects! Dashboards, automations, analyses, and more.”
- Setup: Encourage screenshots, code links, explanations
2. #project-ideas
- Purpose: Brainstorm project ideas, get inspiration
- Topic: “ Project ideas and inspiration for finance/accounting automation”
3. #collaboration
- Purpose: Find collaborators for projects
- Topic: “ Looking for project partners? Post here!”
MODERATION Category (Mods Only)
1. #mod-chat
- Permissions: Only @Admin and @Moderator can see
- Purpose: Mod team coordination
2. #mod-logs
- Permissions: Only @Admin and @Moderator can see
- Purpose: Bot logs moderation actions here
- Setup: Configure bot to post kick/ban/mute logs
3. #reports
- Permissions: Only @Admin and @Moderator can see
- Purpose: User reports and issues
VOICE Category (Optional)
1. General Voice
- Purpose: Casual voice chat
2. Study/Co-working
- Purpose: Study together, virtual co-working
- Setup: Can enable “Stage” for presentations
3. Lounge
- Purpose: Hang out, music, gaming
Role Configuration
Role Hierarchy (Top to Bottom)
1. Server Owner (you)
2. Admin
3. - Moderator
4. PANDAUDIT Bot (bot role)
5. - Active Contributor
6. - Member
7. @everyone (default)
--- Interest Roles (for notifications) ---
Analytics Enthusiast
Automation Fan
Python Learner
Excel Pro
CPA/Accountant
Student
Role Setup
1. Create Roles
Go to Server Settings → Roles → Create Role
Admin Role:
- Name: Admin
- Color: Red (#E74C3C)
- Permissions: Administrator
- Display separately: Yes
- Mentionable: No
Moderator Role:
- Name: Moderator
- Color: Yellow (#F1C40F)
- Permissions:
- Manage Messages
- Kick Members
- Ban Members
- Mute Members (Timeout)
- View Audit Log
- Display separately: Yes
- Mentionable: Yes
Bot Role (auto-created when bot joins):
- Verify it’s positioned ABOVE “Moderator” role
- This allows bot to moderate mods if needed
Active Contributor:
- Name: Active Contributor
- Color: Green (#2ECC71)
- Permissions: Default + Add Reactions
- Display separately: Yes
- Mentionable: No
- Criteria: Manually assign to active, helpful members
Member (optional, mostly cosmetic):
- Name: Member
- Color: Blue (#3498DB)
- Permissions: Default
- Display separately: No
Interest Roles (self-assignable): Create these for members to self-assign:
- Analytics Enthusiast: Purple (#9B59B6)
- Automation Fan: Teal (#1ABC9C)
- Python Learner: Yellow (#F39C12)
- Excel Pro: Green (#27AE60)
- CPA/Accountant: Navy (#34495E)
- Student: Light Blue (#5DADE2)
Set all interest roles:
- Display separately: No
- Mentionable: Yes (for notifications)
- Permissions: Default
2. Set Up Self-Assignable Roles
In #roles channel, pin this message:
**Choose Your Roles!**
React to this message to get roles and notifications:
- **Analytics Enthusiast** (data viz, reporting, analysis)
- **Automation Fan** (RPA, workflow automation)
- **Python Learner** (Python discussions and help)
- **Excel Pro** (Excel, Power BI, traditional tools)
- **CPA/Accountant** (accounting-specific content)
- **Student** (learning, studying for career)
*These roles will ping you for relevant content and discussions!*
To remove a role, just unreact.
Implementation Options:
A. Use Reaction Roles Bot (recommended):
- Invite a reaction role bot (e.g., “Reaction Roles”)
- Configure reactions to assign roles
B. Manual Assignment:
- Have mods manually assign based on requests in #roles
C. Use PANDAUDIT Bot (if you extend it):
- Add reaction role functionality to your bot
Permissions Setup
Channel Permission Templates
Read-Only Channels (#welcome, #rules, #announcements):
- @everyone:
- View Channel
- Read Message History
- Send Messages
- Add Reactions
- @Admin, @Moderator:
- All permissions
- @PANDAUDIT Bot:
- View Channel
- Send Messages
- Embed Links
- Add Reactions
General Channels (#general, #introductions, etc.):
- @everyone:
- View Channel
- Send Messages
- Embed Links
- Attach Files
- Add Reactions
- Use External Emojis
- Mention @everyone
- Manage Messages
- @Moderator:
- All above + Manage Messages
Mod-Only Channels (#mod-chat, #mod-logs, #reports):
- @everyone:
- View Channel (hidden)
- @Moderator, @Admin:
- View Channel
- Send Messages
- All permissions
Voice Channels:
- @everyone:
- View Channel
- Connect
- Speak
- Mute Members
- Deafen Members
- @Moderator:
- All above + Mute/Deafen Members
Server-Wide Permission Settings
@everyone Role Permissions:
- View Channels
- Send Messages
- Read Message History
- Add Reactions
- Connect (voice)
- Speak (voice)
- Administrator
- Manage Server
- Manage Roles
- Manage Channels
- Kick Members
- Ban Members
- Mention @everyone
Community Guidelines
Create this in #rules channel:
**PANDAUDIT Community Guidelines**
Welcome! To keep this community helpful and supportive, please follow these guidelines:
---
**1. Be Respectful **
• Treat everyone with kindness and respect
• No harassment, hate speech, or discrimination
• Disagree respectfully - attack ideas, not people
• Remember: we're all here to learn
**2. Stay On Topic **
• Keep discussions relevant to data analytics, automation, and finance
• Use appropriate channels (#random for off-topic)
• Avoid excessive self-promotion
• No spam or unsolicited advertising
**3. Help Each Other **
• Share knowledge generously
• Be patient with beginners
• Give context when asking questions
• Thank those who help you
**4. Share Responsibly **
• Don't share proprietary/confidential data
• Credit sources when sharing content
• Use code blocks for code snippets
• No pirated content or illegal material
**5. Keep It Professional **
• No NSFW content
• Keep language professional
• Respect intellectual property
• Follow Discord's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
---
** Moderation**
Violations may result in:
1. Warning
2. Temporary mute
3. Kick from server
4. Permanent ban
Moderators have final say. If you disagree with a decision, DM a mod respectfully.
** Reporting Issues**
If you see rule violations:
• Use Discord's built-in report feature, OR
• DM a moderator with details
Don't engage with rule-breakers - let mods handle it.
---
** Questions?**
Ask in <#help-and-questions> or DM a moderator.
By participating, you agree to follow these guidelines.
Let's build an amazing community together!
Moderation Strategy
Moderation Team
Roles:
- Owner: You (final authority)
- Admins: Trusted individuals with full permissions (1-2 people)
- Moderators: Active community members who enforce rules (2-5 people)
Moderator Criteria:
- Active in community
- Level-headed and fair
- Good communication skills
- Understands community values
- Available at different times (time zone coverage)
Moderation Workflow
1. Warning System
1st offense: Verbal warning (use !warn command)
2nd offense: 10-minute mute
3rd offense: 1-hour mute
4th offense: 24-hour mute or kick
5th offense: Permanent ban
Exceptions (immediate ban):
- Spam bots
- Hate speech
- Doxxing/harassment
- Sharing illegal content
- Raiding
2. Handling Reports
- User reports issue → Goes to #reports
- Moderator investigates:
- Review message history
- Check user’s past behavior
- Consider context
- Take action:
- Warn, mute, kick, or ban
- Log action in #mod-logs
- DM user explaining action (if appropriate)
- Follow up:
- Thank reporter (if not anonymous)
- Monitor situation
3. Mod Communication
- Use #mod-chat for coordination
- Tag other mods for second opinions on difficult cases
- Hold regular mod meetings (weekly or biweekly)
- Document decisions for consistency
Bot Commands for Moderation
Your PANDAUDIT bot includes:
!warn @user [reason]- Issue warning!mute @user [duration] [reason]- Temporary mute!unmute @user- Remove mute!kick @user [reason]- Kick from server!ban @user [reason]- Permanent ban!clear [number]- Delete messages!warnings @user- View user’s warnings
Train all mods on these commands.
Engagement Tactics
Daily Activities
1. Morning Check-In
- Post in #general:
Good morning, data analysts! What are you working on today?
2. Question of the Day
- Post engaging questions:
- “What’s your biggest Excel pain point?”
- “What data analytics skill do you want to learn next?”
- “Share one automation that saved you time this week”
3. Resource Sharing
- Share helpful articles in #resources
- Post tips in #data-analytics, #python-discussion, etc.
Weekly Activities
1. Weekly Challenges ( Every Monday)
- Post in #general:
** Weekly Challenge #[number]** **Challenge**: [Description of challenge] Example: "Create a pivot table using pandas that shows monthly sales by region" **Requirements**: • [Requirement 1] • [Requirement 2] **Submission**: Post your solution in #showcase by Sunday! **Prize**: Featured in next week's community spotlight
2. Feature Friday (Every Friday)
- Spotlight a community member in #announcements:
** Feature Friday: @[Username]** This week we're highlighting @[Username] for [reason]! **Project**: [Brief description] **Impact**: [What they achieved] **Shoutout**: [Why they're awesome] Great work, @[Username]! Keep inspiring the community!
3. Tutorial Tuesday (Every Tuesday)
- Share a mini-tutorial or tip
- Link to relevant blog post
Monthly Activities
1. Monthly Recap (First Monday)
- Summarize:
- Top discussions
- New members
- Best projects shared
- Community milestones
- Upcoming events
2. AMA (Ask Me Anything) (Once per month)
- Host Q&A session
- Can be:
- Your own AMA
- Guest expert AMA
- Community member AMA
3. Community Survey (Quarterly)
- Ask for feedback:
- What content do you want more of?
- How can we improve the server?
- What topics should we cover?
Event Ideas
1. Office Hours (Weekly, set day/time)
- Live Q&A in voice channel
- Screen-sharing for troubleshooting
- Casual chat and networking
2. Co-Working Sessions
- Virtual co-working in voice channel
- Work on projects together
- Accountability and motivation
3. Workshops/Webinars (Monthly)
- Live training sessions
- Record and share afterwards
- Topics:
- “Intro to pandas for Accountants”
- “Automating Excel with Python”
- “Building Dashboards with Plotly”
4. Hackathons (Quarterly)
- 24-48 hour coding challenge
- Teams or solo
- Prizes: Certificates, shoutouts, blog features
Server Optimization
Welcome Screen Setup
- Server Settings → Welcome Screen
- Enable Welcome Screen: Toggle ON
- Welcome Channels: Select:
- #rules
- #introductions
- #help-and-questions
- #blog-updates
- Welcome Message:
Welcome to PANDAUDIT Community! Connect with finance professionals exploring data analytics and automation. • Read #rules first • Introduce yourself in #introductions • Ask questions in #help-and-questions • Check out our blog posts in #blog-updates Type !help to see bot commands!
Server Boosts (If You Have Them)
Level 1 (2 boosts):
- Custom server invite background
- 128 kbps voice quality
- Animated server icon
Level 2 (15 boosts):
- Server banner
- 256 kbps voice quality
- Custom stickers
Level 3 (30 boosts):
- Vanity URL (discord.gg/pandaudit)
- 384 kbps voice quality
- Custom role icons
Bots to Consider Adding
- PANDAUDIT Bot ( Already have)
- Moderation, community features
- Reaction Roles Bot
- Self-assignable roles
- Examples: Reaction Roles, YAGPDB
- MEE6 or Carl-bot (Optional)
- Leveling system
- Auto-moderation
- Custom commands
- Dyno (Optional)
- Advanced moderation
- Auto-mod
- Custom commands
Recommendation: Start with just PANDAUDIT Bot + Reaction Roles. Add more only if needed.
Emojis
Create custom emojis for branding:
- PANDAUDIT logo
- Python logo
- Pandas logo
- Excel icon
- Common reactions (thinking, celebrating, etc.)
Upload: Server Settings → Emoji → Upload
Growth Strategies
Getting Your First 50 Members
- Invite Personal Network
- Colleagues
- LinkedIn connections
- Twitter followers
- Email list (if you have one)
- Promote on Website
- Add Discord widget to pandaudit.com
- Include in navigation menu
- Add to footer
- Blog post call-to-actions
- Social Media Promotion
- Share invite link on:
- Twitter/X
- Reddit (r/accounting, r/datascience, r/python)
- Facebook groups
- Create graphics announcing the community
- Share invite link on:
- Blog Post Integration
- End each blog post with:
Discuss this post on Discord: [link] Join our community of finance professionals exploring data analytics!
- End each blog post with:
- Email Signature
- Add: “Join our Discord community: discord.gg/yourlink”
Scaling to 500+ Members
- Consistent Content
- Regular blog posts automatically shared to Discord
- Daily engagement in channels
- Weekly challenges and events
- Value Proposition
- Focus on providing value:
- Help with questions
- Share resources
- Create tutorials
- Spotlight members
- Focus on providing value:
- Partner with Influencers
- Reach out to:
- Finance YouTubers
- Accounting podcasters
- Data analytics bloggers
- Offer:
- Guest blog posts
- AMA sessions
- Cross-promotion
- Reach out to:
- SEO and Discovery
- Enable Discord Server Discovery (if eligible)
- Add relevant tags
- Maintain high engagement rate
- Paid Promotion (Optional)
- Discord server listing sites
- Facebook/Instagram ads
- Reddit promoted posts
Retention Strategies
- Onboarding
- Welcome new members personally
- Encourage introductions
- Guide them to relevant channels
- Recognition
- Spotlight active members
- Create “Active Contributor” role
- Thank helpful members publicly
- Exclusive Content
- Discord-only content
- Early access to blog posts
- Exclusive tutorials/workshops
- Community Events
- Regular events (see Engagement Tactics)
- Build calendar of recurring events
- Make it predictable
- Listen and Adapt
- Regular surveys
- Ask for feedback
- Implement suggestions
- Show members you’re listening
Success Metrics
Track These Monthly
- Member Count
- Total members
- New members this month
- Member retention rate
- Engagement
- Total messages sent
- Active members (sent at least 1 message)
- Most active channels
- Content Performance
- Reactions on #blog-updates posts
- Questions asked in #help-and-questions
- Projects shared in #showcase
- Events
- Event attendance
- Participation in challenges
- Feedback scores
Discord Analytics
Access: Server Settings → Server Insights (requires Community enabled)
Metrics Available:
- Member growth
- Activity (messages, voice minutes)
- Engagement rate
- New member retention
Launch Checklist
Before officially launching your server:
- Server name and icon set
- All channels created and organized
- Channel topics and descriptions added
- Roles created and hierarchy set
- Permissions configured for each channel
- #rules channel populated with guidelines
- #welcome channel has welcome message
- #roles channel has role selection setup
- Welcome Screen enabled and configured
- PANDAUDIT Bot invited and online
- Bot role positioned correctly (above moderated roles)
- Bot tested (commands work)
- Moderation team assigned and trained
- Invite link created and ready to share
- Server icon, banner (if boosted) uploaded
- Custom emojis added
- Server description written
- Discovery settings configured (if applicable)
- Pinned messages in key channels
- GitHub Actions webhook configured for #blog-updates
- Test notification sent to #blog-updates
- Discord link added to pandaudit.com website
- Launch announcement prepared
- Initial members invited
Resources
Discord Resources
- Discord Community Guidelines
- Discord Server Setup Guide
- Discord Moderator Academy
- Discord Safety Center
Moderation Tools
- Discord AutoMod - Built-in auto-moderation
- Discord Server Templates - Pre-made server structures
Community Building
Final Tips
-
Start Small: Don’t worry about having every channel perfect. Start lean and grow.
-
Be Active: The more active you are, the more active your community will be.
-
Set Expectations: Clearly communicate rules and guidelines from day one.
-
Listen: Your community will tell you what they need. Listen and adapt.
-
Be Patient: Building a community takes time. Focus on providing value.
-
Stay Authentic: Let your personality and brand shine through.
-
Celebrate Wins: Recognize achievements, big and small.
-
Have Fun: Enjoy building and growing your community!
** Congratulations!** You now have everything you need to create an amazing PANDAUDIT Discord community.
For ongoing support, refer to:
- DISCORD_SETUP.md - Webhook integration
- DISCORD_BOT_SETUP.md - Bot deployment
Let’s build something great together!
Visit pandaudit.com for more resources.