Welcome to Baltimore Tech Slack!

This Slack is for anyone interested in or working in tech in or around Baltimore, Maryland. Feel free to invite friends and coworkers!

To invite people, share the link BaltimoreTechSlack.com (which redirects to this page).

Slack Expert, Ready to Join?

1. Read our Code of Conduct (below)
2. Join Baltimore Tech Slack

Newer to Slack?

What is Slack? What is a server? What is a channel?

• Slack is a chat app.
• You join Slack servers (also called “workspaces”) for groups you are in, like:

• “Baltimore Tech Slack”
• “Company Name Slack”
• “Ruby for Good Slack”

• Each server is a collection of channels, which are chatrooms with topics like:

• #job-board
• #lang-javascript
• #meetup-code-and-coffee (meetup group chat)

Example Server + Channels

Many servers have over 100 channels you can join!

Here are some example channels from the Baltimore Tech Slack server to give you a sense of what it’s about:

• General channel examples

• #general
• #job-board
• #meetups-and-events

• Meetup group channel examples

• Code and Coffee (meetup)

• #meetup-code-and-coffee for people who attend Code and Coffee events
• #code-and-coffee-volunteers-and-organizers for volunteers/organizers of the Code and Coffee events

• DevOps Columbia (meetup)

• #meetup-devops-columbia

• DevOpsDays (conference)

• #event-devopsdays-volunteers

• Coworking together (ad-hoc meet-ups)

• #social-coworking

• (many others!)

• Topic channel examples

• #lang-javascript
• #practice-game-development
• #platform-wordpress

Finding Channels

To browse existing channels, left click on the Channels dropdown and click Browse Channels. There you can see a list of all public channels.

Channel Naming Conventions

 To make searching for channels easier, we employ a naming convention so you can more easily find channels that might interest you.

Naming Convention Prefixes:

• event- used for channels about specific events (example: #event-devopsdays)
• lang- used for channels dedicated to a specific tech language (example: #lang-javascript)
• meetup- used for all channels concerning specific meetups (example: #meetup-devops-columbia)
• practice- used for channels to discuss a particular practice in tech (example: #practice-ai)
• resource- used for channels that focus on information on a specific topic (example: #resources-homeowners)
• social- used for explicitly non tech channels (example: #social-pets)

Users are free to create their own channels, but we request that you follow the naming conventions. Every year or so, admins try to clean up the slack by archiving unused channels or renaming channels to make things easier to find.

How to Join Slack

There are a few steps to joining:

1. Joining the Server

1. You cannot join from within the app
2. You must “Invite Yourself” via the Baltimore Tech Slack Join Link first
3. Tip: Use a personal email address or else you’ll lose access if/when you eventually switch jobs (it’s frustrating!)

2. App Setup

1. Have the app already?

1. Use the “Add a Workspace” button to add your newly-joined server

2. Don’t have the app yet?

1. Install the app(s)

1. Desktop app
2. Phone app

2. Log into the app

1. Log into the app using your email
2. It will offer to log you into all of your servers

3. Settling In

1. Update your Slack profile

1. Consider making your display name your full name (or nickname)
2. Consider adding a photo of yourself, so people you meet in person at meetups will recognize you
3. Consider adding your pronouns, name pronunciation, etc

2. Join channels

1. By default you will be added to SOME channels, but not all of them.
2. To join more channels, browse the list of channels via the  “Add Channels” button (it will “add” them to your sidebar)

Baltimore Tech Slack Code of Conduct

The slack community exists to provide a space for individuals who are committed to building an equitable tech ecosystem to communicate, interact, share interesting ideas, and support each other in achieving their goals.

1. No Harassment

The Baltimore Tech Slack Community is committed to providing an experience that is safe and free from harassment or offense for everyone, regardless of personal attributes such as gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.

We do not tolerate harassment in any form. We expect members to act in good faith to avoid intentionally offending others.

This code of conduct applies to all public and private channels as well as direct messages. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from these spaces at the discretion of the admins.

2. No Soliciting

It is forbidden to offer products or services through direct messages.

There are some channels where it is appropriate to advertise services (#jobs) or events (#meetups-and-events), as long as they are of interest to folks in our community.

This Slack is not a platform to solicit individuals for products or services.

3. How to report harassment or spam?

Reach out in #admin-requests or ask an admin directly.

You are encouraged to reach out to the admins even if you are not directly affected — we need to take care of each other 👏