What is Slack?

Slack is a group messaging app which helps keep us connected between meetings.

How do I get added to Slack?

Attend a meeting! Then talk to any Executive Board member. Any of them will be able to add you to Slack.

Important security note

Slack is essentially a public space. Do not post anything in Slack, even if it’s in a private channel or a DM, that you would not post publicly. All communication with sensitive information should be conducted over Signal or face to face. The company behind Slack still has a backup of any messages you delete.

Do I need to be on Slack to be in the chapter?

No! Meeting times and locations can be found here. And all major decisions (bylaw amendments, political resolutions, large expenditures) will be voted on at in-person meetings.

That being said, a LOT happens on Slack. People discuss political questions, post valuable readings, share jokes/post spicy memes, and sometimes make smaller, more logistical decisions (i.e. minor decisions that don’t need to be voted on by the larger body of the chapter). While participating in the Slack channels is not at all mandatory to participating in the chapter, being involved in the group chat can help in getting to know other chapter members and definitely will help keep you up-to-date on the conversations being had and events being planned.

Channels

• The #general channel is a channel for general announcements. It also has all of our events in it. Every morning, a list of any DSA Sacramento events being held that day will post there, and every Sunday, a list of any events being held that week will post there. Also, if event location or times are updated, it will post there. If you want to sync the calendar to your own calendar, use this link!
• The #random channel is a channel for any discussions, links, media, etc. that you may want to share. A lot of the action happens here so be sure to join this channel!
• All committees and working groups have dedicated channels. All channels that do not correspond to a committee have descriptions to indicate what the topic of that channel is.
• To find all the channels, click the ‘plus sign’ icon (+) next to ‘Channels’ on the sidebar to the left of the chatbox. You are absolutely welcome to join any and all public channels!

Tips and Tricks

• Putting “@channel” somewhere in a new post will alert everyone in the channel to the post. Best when used for posts containing important information relevant to everyone in the channel, especially if responses from many people are needed.
• Putting “@here” in a post will alert people who are in that channel and who have their status set to active.
• Pinned posts are posts that contain information that people might need to reference regularly. Pinning them saves them in the chat.
• Viewing pinned posts:
  • On desktop: At the top of every channel in the middle column there’s a little thumbtack icon; click that for pinned posts.
  • On mobile: At the top of every channel there’s the name of the channel with a little drop down arrow; tap on that. This will open a general channel info screen, scroll down past the channel description for pinned posts.
• Pinning posts:
  • On desktop: hover over the post, then click the “…” button named “more message actions.” A menu will pop up, where you will choose “pin to #nameofchannel”
  • On mobile: tap the body of the post, then scroll down to the bottom, and select “…” A menu will pop up; choose “Pin Message”

Etiquette and Best Practices

• Be sure to always respect the DSA Guidelines for Respectful Discussion.
• Threading:
  • Using the reply function on posts helps keep discussions organized and easy to follow.
  • Here’s how you do it on a regular text post:

  

  • For an image or file post, the commenting works differently, so we ask that you start a new text post underneath and thread under that post instead of the image or file.
• Again, Slack should be thought of as a public place. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mom or a cop to read. Please adhere to the guidelines for respectful engagement (See below!)
• Be judicial about your use of @channel, which will notify everyone. Our #general channel has over 200 members, so be sure to seriously consider whether or not everyone needs to be notified.