Using Discord for community expansion has some real friction points worth considering. The platform essentially operates as a closed ecosystem—if you're not already part of the server, there's zero visibility into what's happening inside. This creates a significant barrier for organic discovery and newcomer onboarding. For projects serious about scaling their community, this siloed nature means you're constantly fighting an uphill battle to bring people in. The lack of external searchability and open access fundamentally limits how far word-of-mouth can actually reach.