How to use

The online community

disrob.ing is a Matrix community.

If you’ve used community apps like Discord or Slack, Matrix is similar. If you haven’t, you can think of it like a chat room or group text message, but with multiple “rooms” you can join for different topics.

We use Matrix because it allows us to stay in control of the content that is posted here. Matrix is open source and not owned by a corporation, so we are able to run our own server (called a “homeserver”). Additionally, Matrix is end-to-end encrypted, which means that no one who is not in the chat – not even the web hosts – has access to what is posted in there.

How to get started

You can read all about joining Matrix in their official documentation. Because it’s open technology, there are a few options for apps (clients) you can use to connect to it. We recommend Element because it is the most popular and has all the features we use.

Because Matrix is an open platform, there are more decisions to be made than if you were using a closed platform controlled by a single company.

If you don’t want to have to make decisions, we have a set of recommendations - skip ahead to “please make my choices for me”!

Creating an account

You can create accounts easily on the Element website.

If you accept the default homeserver of matrix.org, your username will look something like @myname:matrix.org. This might be a more acceptable address if you plan to use Matrix for more than just this community.

Alternatively, you can get a @myname:disrob.ing username if you change the homeserver on the signup screen to matrix.disrob.ing. If you do this, you will need a “registration token” (this is to stop spam): you can use the token m3djYE9dDMfJ9z9k for now. We’ll change this periodically and always update this page when we do so.

Note that Element only allows you to be signed into one account at a time. Having multiple accounts for different purposes might make it difficult for you to see notifications.

Logging in

You can log into Element on the Element website or using the Element app on your desktop or phone, which you can get from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Don’t forget when you log in to use the full username you created above, e.g. @myname:matrix.org or @myname:disrob.ing.

Once you are logged in, you will need to go to #chat:disrob.ing to find the community for the first time (you can get there by clicking the link here). After you have joined it, you will find it in the sidebar of your Element, so you only need to do this once.

In there, you will find the rooms. Be sure to join Lounge and introduce yourself!

Verifying your session

This bit’s slightly technical, but it keeps our communication properly secure, I promise!

Because sessions are end-to-end encrypted, you’ll be asked to set up security keys. These allow you to access messages you have read in previous sessions or on other devices.

The easiest way to set up security keys is to sign in on more than one device (e.g. on the web and on your phone). If you do this, then every time you sign in on a new device, you can use the device that’s already logged in to verify keys. Element will prompt you to do this.

Alternatively, you can set up a text security key, which is a long string of letters and numbers. You should keep this somewhere safe, because you will need to enter it whenever you sign into your account.

Don’t worry if you lose your security key or you get signed out of all devices. You can create a new one any time. You’ll still have access to your account, but you will not be able to read any past messages. Unfortunately, there is no way to get these past messages back in this case, because of the nature of end-to-end encryption.

You can read lots more about end-to-end encryption in Matrix and Element on the Element website, including why it is necessary to keep communication secure.

Make sure you have notifications!

Whatever Element you’re using (web, desktop or mobile or a combination!) be sure to enable notifications, so you know when chat is happening in your community.

In the past, we’ve noticed sometimes if you don’t visit for a while, your notifications stop, so be sure to log in from time to time anyway to see if there’s anything fun that you’ve missed!

Please make my choices for me!

Joining a Matrix site can feel a little overwhelming because of how much more choice there is. If you want someone to make your choices for you, I’d recommend:

1. Sign up for an account using the Element web on a computer.
2. Accept the default homeserver of matrix.org - you’ll need to pick a unique username that doesn’t already exist on that homeserver. You don’t need an invite code for this.
3. Then install the Element app on your phone from Google Play or Apple App Store.
4. Sign in on your phone using the account you just created.
5. You’ll be prompted to verify your session. The steps to follow are different each time, but they’ll always require you to do something on both the phone and the web app so you can confirm you have access to both.
6. Any time you sign in on a new device, you can do this again as long as you still have access to one of the two devices you previously had access to.
7. Once you’ve set up your account, join #chat:disrob.ing by clicking on this link and following the link to open either in the Element web (on desktop) or Element app (on mobile).
8. Join the Lounge which should be visible on your screen and post your intro message!

After you’ve done all these steps, you’ll be able to come back here any time by either opening the Element app on your phone or visiting the Element web - you won’t need to do any of the other steps again.

If you get stuck

Take a look at our FAQ in case your question is answered there.

Or you can get in touch with the organisers and we’ll try to help you!