HOW TO USE SLACK
Slack housekeeping and general guidelines
WHO IS IT FOR? Our Slack group is the meeting point of all the Google Developer Scholarship students from all the 4 tracks, who made it into Phase 2. To make this Community more personable, please use your real name (or indicate it in your profile), upload your photo (or a nice avatar), and mention your Track (or insert a cool badge in your status).
WHAT IS IT FOR? Slack is the main platform for your Community Mangers to keep in touch with you, and to inform you about the Scholarship. As this Slack continues the amazing Community that was formed in Phase 1, you can use it for socializing and networking with fellow students, for organizing meetups, for collaborating and working on cool projects together, for sharing ideas and resources, for discussing the course material, and of course for getting support and helping each other all the way to Graduation.
However, don't forget that for any questions related to your course content and your projects, you have many more additional services: your personal Classroom Mentors, the course Discussion Forums, and also your ND-specific work groups, with their further technical support.
WHAT IS IT NOT FOR? For being unfriendly, disrespectful, unproductive, and for any other violating of the Code of Conduct.
Slack Etiquette
Slack can be hectic and overwhelming, so let's do our best to keep it in order. While some behavior isn't a full on violation of the Code of Conduct, it's still unwelcome. Anything that makes the feed chaotic and hard to follow, interrupts the conversation flow, attracts too much unnecessary attention, or is simply annoying – is better avoided. Think of Slack as a big real-life crowded place. Anything you wouldn't do there – don't do on Slack either.
Here are some tips:
1. If you want to comment on somebody's post – do it in a thread! Don't post a separate comment. This won't spam the feed and will make the conversation easier to follow.
2. Unless it's an image – then don't comment on it directly, but in a separate message, as it will open a new thread each time.
3. If you notice that you're only talking with one person and the conversation concerns only the two of you – consider moving it to a private chat. (Get a room!)
4. Put all your text in one message, and please
don't
post
every
sentence
separately.
5. Avoid repeating the same message, or posting it on multiple channels. This may bring to an opposite result from what you imagined.
You've Got Control
Unlike many instant messaging platforms, Slack actually allows you to edit and to delete your messages!
This is very easily done. Just go back over your posted message and click on the 3 dots on the right. There you will have the option to either edit your text, or to delete it altogether.
Slack Channels
There are Slack channels that are for all the Scholarship students (like #general-announcements) and track-specific channels (like #and-live-help.
As a first step, please join the channels that are relevant to your track – your general channel (#abnd, #and, #fend or #mws). Also please join the track-specific live help, resources, study buddies, and careers.
- ABND stands for Android Basics
- AND stands for Android Advanced
- FEND stands for Frond-End
- MWS stands for Mobile Web
Help us keep messages in the proper channel by familiarizing yourself with each channel's purpose.
#general_discuss = A place to say hello to and connect with students from all 4 tracks.
#office_hours = Where you can bring your question to your Community Managers! We will be live in this channel every Tuesday + Thursday from 2-3 PM PT.
#ama_sessions = We'll host AMA's (aka Ask Us Anything) in this channel. We'll also have experts come in and answer your questions live. Keep an eye out for the first AMA session!
#announcements = We will have experts come in and answer your questions live in this channel. Keep an eye out for the first AMA session!
#careers = Please use this space to share about how you've grown in your career. It could be an interview, a promotion, or a new job! We want to hear stories We want to hear your stories about your career successes.
#motivation = Who doesn’t need a little pick-me-up now and then? Head on over to this channel for some motivation from your classmates.
#meet_ups = This channel is to share about a meet up you’ve had (not to connect to have a meet up - use the doc for that!) Share a photo, quick description, where it was held and who attended.
#resources = If you have a resource that you think would be helpful for other students, post it here!
Track Specific =There is a #live_help channel and a general channel (e,g. #abnd_general) for each track! These are for course related conversations. Make sure to add the channels to your workspace ASAP
How to Find and Join a Slack channel
You can join any public channel you want. You don't need to be invited. You may join as many channels as you want, but we advise you to join just the ones that are relevant to you.
Click on "Channels" on the left-side panel of your Slack window in order to scroll through all channels, or search for a channel name. You can select and preview the channel.
If you decide to join, click on the green "Join Channel" button at the bottom of the channel preview.
You can also leave channels by clicking on the "Settings" wheel in the upper right corner.
Private Messages
You can write to anyone you like in a private chat. Just always remember the Code of Conduct!
If you want to write someone, you can click on their profile, and select "Direct Messages". Or you can click on "Direct Messages" on the left-side panel and search for them.
You can create a private chat room with up to 8 more people!
Just select more people from the list. That means that if your group has up to 9 people, you can work on your project in a group chat.
