Getting Started - Find and Create Groups
Slack Stuff:
Take some time to lurk if you’re new to the Slack Platform and test stuff out.
Here are some definitions:
Channel and Group: mean the same thing and are used interchangeably. When you join or start a group, you’re creating a channel (a space for your group) in Slack.
Member/User and Writer are used interchangeably: when you join Slack, you become a member or user. We use the terms Writer when referring to you and Member when referring to technical stuff.
Composing Messages in Slack for desktop users:
Messaging composers don’t do line breaks automatically. If you click a hard return on your keyboard, it will POST your message immediately.
For Line Breaks: press SHIFT+ENTER (or compose your message in Word or Notepad and copy and paste it)
To delete or edit posts, click on the vertical three dots. Try drafting detailed messages in .doc or .txt then copy & paste.
Step #1 - Set up Profile and Bio
Take a few minutes to set up your Slack profile and link up your bio. This is not window dressing! The Bio is how members can learn about you, what you're working and what you’re looking for, so they can connect with you. Slack purges all data after 90 days, so your Bio is your fallback for writers looking/seeking critique partners.
Add the link to your bio in Profile from you web site, a google drive (with share permissions to "anyone"), or create a free 1-page bio splash here.
Step #2 - Introduce yourself and your project
Go to #announcement or #in-search-of-critiques channel and introduce yourself. Add your project details (logline, synopsis, description, etc) and tell us all what you’re looking for! If you're creating a critique group, please describe your critique structure (or specify block method).
Step #3 - Find Critique Partners or Create Groups and Invite Others
View member profiles or scroll through #in-search-of-critiques.
DM (direct message) people you’d like to work with.
Once you gather your team, get busy and schedule your meetings.
Use Zoom or Google Meet.
Gather with your group by email or by creating CHANNELS. Creating channels keeps everyone on the same page. You can create as many channels/ groups as you want in Slack. New channels are set to Private by default. No one can see your workspace except the members you invite!
DOWN THE ROAD
Slack purges all feeds every 90 days. Feel free to repost your project as often as you want under #in-search-of-critiques so new or existing members can find you. One-on-one groups are great too!
Feel free to invite writers outside of network. Sometimes people are shy about working together until they find a structure or format they can follow and especially if they can be part of a community and meet new writers. Just click “Add People” in Slack. Please read our invite rules first.
EXPLORE ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT GROUP ACTIVITIES
24-7 Pom-Fly's
If you want company while you’re writing, researching, or plotting and planning, host a “Pomodoro on the Fly” by posting a Zoom or Google Meet link in #pom-fly and enter @channel to notify everyone. You can do this 24-7.
First-Blu5h Five
Organize a first-blush Zoom gathering to read 5-pages from 5-writers to get to know each other and our work!
Poetry Pantheon
This a group created for poets. To be invited into this group DM @Ji.
You can also create your own specialized groups on Slack as well (for screenwriters, novelists, etc.) and invite members or friends/colleagues outside the network.
CELEBRATING WINS
Acknowledging milestones, creating markers, and supporting one another when we finish a draft or project is valuable to the creative process. Take the time to Celebrate Wins with the entire community by organizing a virtual live reading!
BEST PRACTICE
*Also see: Rules & Etiquette
TECHNICAL STUFF:
How to Reset or Delete a Channel:
Group Organizer: Right-click on the Channel. Choose the “Settings” tab, then “Archive channel for everyone” at the bottom.
Members dropping a group must click “Leave Channel” or else they still have access to the group channel.