Merfolk & Discord FAQ

How can I get into contact with a specific person from MerMapp?

Right now there is only one way of doing it and it only works if the person has joined our Discord server. In that case, when you go to their profile, you will see a black Discord icon below their profile image at the right. Clicking on it will lead you directly to a DM with them on Discord.
If they're not on our Discord server (or you are not!), then right now there is no way of connecting.

How can I invite a person to my pod?

The short anwer: Discord.
The long one: As soon as your pod has more than just you in it, it will automatically create a private channel for all the people in the pod (and add the ones that will join later to it as well). To access it, click on the Discord icon next to the pod's name and chat away :).

What is a pod for and who can create one?

Mermaiding is a lot more fun when you can share it with others - so the Pods are there for you to create smaller groups within our platform to connect with your own "tribe"; your own group of mers that you want to be in contact with the most. Normally, that would be a group of people that share a similar location so that they can easily meet physically for a joined swim, photo shoot, movie night, book club or whatever other mermaid activity is simply better in a group than alone. However, it can also be an online group for people that don't have other mers close by. More on that on the FAQ 3 questions further below.
As to who can create one - simple: Anyone. This doesn't depend on premium or free. We want anyone to be able to find their tribe. So simply go to the "Merfolk" bubble on the home screen and then on the 3rd tab to see all the pods that already exist. Best check out if there already is a pod in your area that you want to join before creating a new one. If there isn't or the one that is already there doesn't fit your expectation, simply create a new one by clicking on the yellow + button and add some good amount of detail so that everyone knows what you're looking for in the members of your pod and what activities you plan to do.

Can I decide who joins my pod?

Totally. If you want to be in control of who joins your pod and who doesn't, make sure to select "request based" under "Join Mechanism". This will also then enable you to ask the interested person some entry-questions that they have to answer whenever they request to join. Once they fill out these questions, you will see their pending request on the pod detail page. So make sure to regularly go to that page and see if there are any pending requests as right now we still don't have notifications for this :(. If you're okay with the person's answers and they are aligned with your pod values/guidelines, accept them, otherwise deny them the access. They will get an automatic notification about your decision and that's it.

If there is something you have a question about that you don't find answered in the FAQ section, write to support@mermapp.com

I want to have a person from the pod I created removed - how do I do that?

Right now you have to reach out to support to get this done. So just shoot us an email via support@mermapp.com or contact one of our admins on Discord via a DM.

How can I use the Chat/Discord to connect with others?

Go to the home screen with all the bubbles and click on "Chat". There you will see instructions how to add yourself to Discord. In a nutshell, you need to join our server via the link that's given in the instructions, tick the check box of having connected with the server and copy-pasting your Discord user name. For this, obviously you need to have or create a profile on Discord. This is free and one of the most widely used chats. The reason we don't have an internal chat is that this would cost us another $1000 or so to get programmed, so unless you're a developer yourself who would love to get this done for less, we'll stick with Discord for a while longer ;-)

What 'counts' as a pool?

Pools in MerMapp's definition is literally any body of water in which you can swim. Be that a river, lake, ocean, public indoor or outdoor pool, waterfall, water park, you name it.

What do the symbols on the pool detail pages mean?

If you've already created a pool, those symbols will already make a lot more sense, but if you haven't here is the explanation:
Fin: This pool allows you to wear fins in it (it could however be that you need to tell the one in charge before-hand which will be noted in the pool's description).
Paw: This pool allows you to bring your pet and swim with them together.
Price-Tag: This pool is free to use.
Leaf: This pool is a natural outside pool.

I'm the only one in my area - can I create an "online pod" instead to still enjoy a proper pod?

You're not alone in this - and it's not even only for the situation in which you're alone in your area: it could be that you're travelling a lot and therefore don't have a permanent "home", aka "digital nomad" ;-) (which is how MerMapp's founder and her husband are living by the way). So we've got a workaround solution for this: Any "online-only-pod" should locate themselves on the continent of Antarctica as we're pretty sure that nobody else would actually have a physical mermaid pod over there. Also, make it clear in the pod's title that this is an online pod only and in order to have some good engagement, we recommend some regular online meet-ups as events.

Somebody is behaving weird and I feel uncomfortable - whom do I tell?

If you ever feel uncomfortable due to someone's behavior on MerMapp, please don't hesitate to report it to us. Your safety and well-being are our top priorities. We aim to maintain a respectful and inclusive space for all merfolk and ocean enthusiasts. After receiving a report, we typically issue a warning to the individual involved, giving them a chance to correct their behavior. Repeated offenses may lead to a ban to ensure the community remains a safe and positive space.

How can I communicate with my pod?

Right now there are two ways of doing this and for both the person has to be registered on MerMapp:
1. Tell them the name of your pod - they can enter on Merfolk and enter the name on the map's search bar. It will bring them right to the pod and clicking on the purple dot and the info it shows about it will lead to the page where they can apply to join.
2. If you're using MerMapp via a browser, go to your pod and copy the URL you see at the top of your browser. Send it to the person in question and they'll get right to your pod's page to join.

I've changed my username - how can I update it on MerMapp?

Go to your profile and click on the three dots at the top right. You'll see a few turqouise buttons at the top amongst which one says "Update Discord Username". Click on that one and follow the instructions on the page (which is basically just copy-paste your new username and hit "Save" ;-)).

How spot-on are the location markers on the map for people, pods and pools?

The pods are markers that indeed are spot on.
For the pods they should represent the meeting point of the pod (except for online pods marked in Antarctica as there it is just a workaround for them actually not being physically meeting pods) concretely. However, this is something that MerMapp moderators have to trust, so it could be possible that there are slight variations between the map and reality. Best talk with your pod in the dedicated Discord channel where to meet when you're going for the first time, just to make sure there is no mistake.
For the pools, they should represent the concrete locations of where to go swimming - whether that be in nature or in a dedicated public/private location. This is something MerMapp moderators indeed can verify as GoogleMaps will show whether it's a swimming pool, lake, pond, ocean, etc.
For people dots - this is an approximation as it depends on how concrete people want to be letting others know where they live. In general, the dot will rather represent that they live in this general area/town instead of representing their exact living coordinations.