Slack 101: Connecting With Other WordCampers on Slack

Like WordCamp US 2016, we will have a Slack channel on the WordPress Project slack. For those already on the WP Project Slack, the channel name is just #wcus.

What is Slack?

Slack is a communication tool used by the WordPress Community to communicate about various aspects of the WordPress Project. In addition to being able to directly message anyone who has an account, you can join a number of different “channels” to communicate about specific topics. For example, WordCamp US has a channel on the WordPress Project Slack to talk about WordCamp US-related things. As stated above, that channel is called #wcus.

Slack is also the easiest way to connect with fellow attendees before, during, and after the event.  It’s a fantastic messaging tool.

Wanna Join the Conversation?

Joining the WordPress Project Slack is fairly simple. For starters, you’ll need to decide how you want to access Slack. There are a wide variety of options:

1. There’s a web app,
2. Apps for both Android and iOS phones,
3. And native apps for both Windows andMac.

Once you decide how you’re going to view slack, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Go to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. Look for the heading called “Joining the WordPress team on Slack.” Click on the link to log in to WordPress.org under the heading.
2. If you don’t have a WordPress.org account, create an account by clicking on the “Create Account” link at the bottom right corner of the login box. Follow the prompts to create your account and then go back to https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and go through step one again.
3. Once you log in, under the “Joining the WordPress team on Slack” should show a new message.  Read the message, and if you’re okay with the fine print, click the link to send yourself an invite to the WordPress Project slack.
4. You should receive an email with “WordPress.org has invited you to join a Slack workspace” as the subject line. Click the “Join Now” button.
5. Follow the prompts until you have an account.

Joining the #wcus Channel

Now that you’ve joined the WordPress Project Slack, you’ll need to join the #wcus channel to see the conversation. To join the channel, do the following:

1. In the left hand bar, click on the “Channels” heading. A new screen should pop up.
2. In the search box, search for wcus or #wcus. Other than the #wcus channel, there is only one other (#wcus-contributor-day) that should pop up. Click on the channel.
3. On the next screen, at the bottom, there is a button labeled “Join Channel.” Click on the button, and you will be a part of the #wcus channel.

Laura Byrne-Cristiano contributed to this post.