Slack

What is Slack and Why We Use It

Slack is a virtual communication tool and is provided as a free benefit for STC members. STC has a dedicated workspace with various channels for posting announcements, sharing jobs and events, and general discussion and networking.

Slack Membership

This Slack is open to STC members to join and share. All are welcome and encouraged to join the STC Communities Slack to meet, engage, and collaborate with fellow technical communication colleagues.

How to Join STC’s Slack Community

Join now by clicking the button below.

Join Our Slack Community

Note that the link above is temporary and expires periodically (a Slack ‘feature’) and is updated on this page at the beginning of each month. If you are having trouble with the link, please wait and try again after a day or two.

When you have created your account, install Slack and then launch the Society for Technical Communication Slack workspace.

This is the only Slack supported by the Society for its members. Some STC Communities have a Slack for their community business, but those workspaces are not managed by the Society.

Using Slack

Slack has an easy-to-use desktop app to install on your phone and your computer. You can have multiple Slack workspaces within the app.

Follow these steps to install and configure the Slack app on your computer and to add all your workspaces to the app.

Download the Slack client/app for Windows or for Mac.
Install the client/app and sign in with your email.
When the browser opens a list of the workspaces associated with your log in email, click the arrow to open each workspace, one at a time.

Once you’ve added STC’s Slack to your desktop app, you can begin joining and interacting in channels.

Channels

To help get you started, below are some of the most useful channels in STC’s workspace. These include channels for events, education programs, professional interests, social channels, hobbies, and more. Introduce yourself, learn what’s happening, and get to know other members.

Default Channels

Everyone who joins the Slack will be added to these channels:

#general – Start here for general STC and techcomm topics, questions, and conversation.
#introductions – Say hello and introduce yourself to the group.
#slack-conduct – Understand the expected behavior for those who participate in the STC Slack. Please report possible conduct issues here.
#slack-help – Get help with using STC Slack.
#webinars – Learn and join fellow STC colleagues for online education events.
#community-events – Check out what our communities are up to.

Special Interest Channels

We have topic-based channels for our virtual Special Interest Group (SIG) – Communities of Interest (COI) that are focused on specific subject areas within technical communication. Members of these communities are encouraged to meet, engage, and collaborate with colleagues who have similar interest in these channels. Search for #sig- channels to join them.

Slack Tips

Slack works best from the desktop app. You can also join the fun using your browser or the Slack mobile app.
Use keyboard shortcuts. Get a list of all shortcuts with /shortcuts. The handiest shortcut is Ctrl-K (or Command-K on Mac), which opens the search bar.
Use threads! Conversations can be hard to follow unless topics are threaded. Even if a channel is about a specific topic, threading conversations keeps everyone organized and updated.
Help limit noise. Do not use @everyone as it is reserved for Slack admins and STC staff. Use @channel and @here extremely sparingly, such as when messages are time sensitive.

Notifications

Speaking of noise, by default you will be notified of all new posts, responses to threads, and direct messages. You can change when and how you receive notifications by following the steps here: Configure your Slack notifications.

Slack Resources

Slack has a lot of documentation and tutorials on their website—check them out!

Getting Help

If the tutorials above don’t answer your question, please join our #slack-help channel to ask an admin for assistance.

Conduct Guidelines

Everyone who joins the STC Slack workspace is valued and should be treated with respect and courtesy. As such, the Code of Conduct below lays out the expected behavior of Slack members; it applies to all channels and areas of the STC Slack workspace.

We also have a thread with guidelines for Reporting Issues, for cases of conduct violations or instances where members feel certain behaviors should be looked into or addressed. All reports will be kept confidential with information only shared with STC staff and Board members if needed. If you have further questions or concerns after an incident, please send a note to the STC Board of directors at board@stc.org.

Code of Conduct

All users of STC’s Slack workspace must abide by the STC Code of Conduct.

We want the STC Community Slack to be a fun, productive, and safe space for all members. The STC Board of Directors created it because we believe that articulating our values and obligations to one another reinforces respect between our members. Members of the STC Slack are invited to contribute to this code of conduct by submitting suggestions in the #slack-conduct channel. You may be a witness to something that seems like it isn’t aligned with our values. Please error on the side of caring for your fellow members in situations like these and reach out to the admin team with any concerns. Slack admins reserve the right to ban any group member who violates either the letter or the spirit of this code of conduct. Treat others the way they’d like to be treated. We have created this Slack workspace as a space to ask questions, discuss topics, and seek advice. We want this community to be able to discuss our interests thoughtfully. Please be supportive of your fellow technical communicators. Keep it clean and civil. We ask that you refrain from profanity. If you have to ask yourself if something is appropriate to post, it probably is not. Please error on the side of caution.