How to Join The Phoenyx Nest on Matrix

What is Matrix?

Matrix is an end-to-end encrypted messaging protocol (like Signal!) that is both open source and self-hostable, but functions more like Discord. The Phoenyx Nest is now hosting a Matrix server!

End-to-end encryption means that no-one can read the messages on The Nest server who hasn't been invited, and no one, not even the admins, can read private chats like your DMs.

The server supports having many different rooms (equivalent to Discord's channels), voice and video calling, and custom emojis and stickers!

The server is also set up with two levels of vetting in order to join, first to make an account, and second to be added to The Nest space itself. The server is also not federated, meaning that is is isolated from the larger Matrix network, and people must pass through the vetting steps in order to access it.

The server hardware is rented from the German company NetCup, and is physically located in Nürnberg, Germany. NetCup has strong privacy policies and is not directly subject to US regulations, and German privacy law is generally far stronger than the US.

What is in this guide?

This guide consists of 5 parts:

  1. Creating an Account
  2. Joining The Phoenyx Nest Space
  3. Creating a Passphrase and Recovery Key
  4. Customizing your Account
  5. Sending DMs

Parts 1 - 3 walk you through all the essential steps you need to join us on Matrix, and steps 4 and 5 give you some additional info to make it your own!

Step 1: Creating an Account

  1. First, go to https://auth.phoenyxnest.com
  1. Next, click Sign up
  1. To register an account, you'll need the invite code. To get the invite code, talk to an Admin, or if you're at an event, look for a paper with the trans flag background. It will have the code written in the center.
  1. Type in the code
  2. Then press Continue
  1. Type in your username
  2. Type in your password both times
  3. Then press Continue

Note:

Your username (which will show as @username:matrix.phoenyxnest.com) cannot be easily changed, but you can easily change your display name at any time.

  1. Now you can set your display name. By default, it is set to your username, but feel free to change it to whatever you'd like! You'll also be able to change it again later
  2. You also have the option of adding your email. Your email is not required, but adding it here will allow you to reset your password with a link, rather than needing to reach out to an admin
  3. Then press Continue
  1. After a moment of loading, you'll be logged into your new account, and taken to the Applications screen!
  2. To open Matrix, press Matrix

Step 2: Joining The Phoenyx Nest Space

By creating an account, you're now able to log into the Phoenyx Nest Matrix server (equivalent to Discord as a whole platform), but you'll need to be invited into The Phoenyx Nest's space (equivalent to a Discord server).

Either:

  1. Click Matrix on the Application screen at https://auth.phoenyxnest.com

Or

  1. Go to https://webchat.phoenyxnest.com
  1. Click Continue with Phoenyx Nest Account

Checkpoint:

You've now joined The Phoenyx Nest Matrix "Home server", the equivalent to joining Discord as a platform. Lets take a brief moment to go over the UI, and then we'll have you join The Phoenyx Nest's space.

On the left side of your screen, there is a sidebar which lets you navigate to:

  1. The server "home". This is where rooms (i.e. Discord channels) that aren't assigned to a space (i.e. a Discord server) live. If you create a room to chat with people on the server, this is where you'll find it!
  2. Your DMs. This is where all of your DMs can be accessed.
  3. Your inbox. This is where you can see your notifications, and invites to join private rooms and spaces
  4. User Settings. This is where you can update your username and profile picture, add custom stickers and emoji, and manage your Recovery Passphrase and Recovery Key.

We'll talk about all of these more later.

In the center of the screen, you can see a list of the Rooms that you are in. When you join the server, you get added to Unvetted Chat.

  1. Press Unvetted Chat to open it
  1. If you were already in the Discord server, paste your Discord username in the chat. If you are just joining the Nest, go ahead and say hi!
  2. Press Send

Checkpoint:

After an admin sees your message, they will double check that you are vetted, and then will send you an invite to The Phoenyx Nest's space. This might take a second, especially if a lot of new people are joining at once!

  1. To see your invite when it comes through, press Back
  1. Then press Inbox
  1. Press Invites
  1. Then press Accept

The Phoenyx Nest's space will automatically open, and you can see it in the left sidebar, similar to a Discord server.

Note:

Unlike Discord, where you see all of the channels in a server, in a Matrix server, you choose which individual channels you want to join, or to leave later.

  1. To see the list of all the channels available in the server, press Lobby

You can now see a list of rooms, and the three public "sub-spaces" (I know 😉) in The Phoenyx Nest!

  1. To join a room, like Intro To Matrix, press the Join button
  2. To join a sub-space, like Phrolicking Phoenyx, press the name itself, or the small plus icon
There are currently three sub-spaces within The Nest. They are:
  1. ✨Magic Discord Portal✨, which is a bridge between the Discord server and the Matrix server. Every message sent in Discord shows up on Matrix, and visa versa. This is temporary for during the transition to Matrix, and will eventually will be replaced with encrypted Matrix rooms.
  2. Phrolicking Phoenyx, which is the encrypted space for NSFW channels and conversations.
  3. Tech Support, which is where you can ask for help, report bugs, and suggest custom stickers and emoji to add to the server!

Known bug:

When you first press join on the sub-spaces, they will say No Rooms

Please refresh the page, and the rooms will load

  1. Now you can join rooms within the subspaces by pressing Join
  1. Once you've joined all the rooms you'd like, press Back

This interface now looks and functions very similar to Discord, and you can press any of the room names to view that room.

Step 3: Creating a Passphrase and Recovery Key

Before you do anything else, you’ll want to create a Passphrase and a Recovery Key for your account! Matrix is end-to-end encrypted, which ensures that no one else can read your messages, including admins at The Nest!

When you log into a new device / window with your Phoenyx Nest account, you’ll need to verify that it is your device to access your old messages. This ensures that even if someone gets access to your account, your messages still stay protected.

There are two ways of doing this verification. One is to use another device you are already logged into, but if you are logged out of every other device, you need to use a passphrase or recovery key.

You should create a Passphrase and Recovery Key as soon as possible, to make sure you don’t lose any messages.

  1. Press your profile image to open User settings
  1. Press Devices
  1. Next to Device Verification, press Enable
  1. Enter a recovery passphrase you will remember. For best security practices, this should be different from your password, but nothing will stop you from making it the same.

    I highly recommended you write this down in some way, if you use a password manager, add it there!
  2. Press Continue

As part of this process, you also get a randomly generated Recovery Key.

  1. I recommend you Copy it somewhere safe that you will have access to. Ideally, that would be a password manager, but your Notes app or Email would also work!
  2. You can also Download a text file of the key onto your device.

Please do at least one of these options!

If you forget your passphrase, and do not have this key, you will lose access to all of your previous encrypted messages.

✨🎉 You did it! 🎉✨

You're now all set up on The Phoenyx Nest's Matrix server! The following sections give you more information on the fun stuff, like customizing your account, and sending DMs, but you can also stop here.

Step 4: Customizing Your Account

  1. To change your profile picture and display name, first press User Settings
  1. Next, press Account
  1. To change your Display name, first press your name, and make any changes.
  2. Then press Save
  3. To change your profile picture, press Upload and choose and image from your device

Step 5: How to send DMs

The easiest way to send a DM is to use the Member pane in one of The Nest’s rooms!

  1. Open a room within the Phoenyx Nest that both you, and the person you want to DM, have joined.
  1. Press the three dot menu in the upper right
  1. Press Room Settings
  1. Press Members
  1. Either search for the person you'd like to DM, or find them in the list
  2. Press on the person's name
  1. Press Message

Known bug:

When you press message, the new message screen appears behind the Members and Room Settings screens. You may need to hit the X to close both screens before you can see the Create Chat screen

The Create Chat screen will then appear, with the person's full username already typed in. You also have the option to disable end-to-end encryption.

If you disable end to end encryption, it is technically possible for anyone with admin access to the server to read the messages in that chat. I highly recommend you keep encryption on.

  1. Press Create