I School Alumni Slack

Berkeley School of Information on Slack is your professional networking platform exclusively for the I School community.

In the I School Slack team you can connect with other I Schools; find people by graduate program, employer, or career field; join and create interest-based channels; find colleagues in the geographic regional channels; find and post jobs and events; and more!

Berkeley School of Information on Slack is a closed network, accessible only to I School alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

Berkeley I School Slack

Create Your Account

Are you a new Slack user?

Before joining Slack, you will need an active bMail email account with an active @ischool.berkeley.edu email address.

Follow these instructions to activate or reactivate your bMail email account.

Create an account using your I School email address to join the I School Slack workspace.

Be sure to create your account by entering your I School email address; don’t log in with Google.

Create your Slack account.

Getting Started With Slack

Be sure to log in by entering your I School email address; don’t log in with Google.

Update your profile

Slack is a great networking tool, but only if you let people know who you are! Fill out your profile completely, including your I School role, LinkedIn, employer, job title and more.

Channels & direct messages

Slack has public and private “channels” (or chatrooms) for information exchange and conversation. If you have a question, ask it on a channel dedicated to that topic. If you can answer a question in your area of expertise, please do so!

Curious what channels to join?

Everyone is automatically enrolled in the #announcements-global channel; this channel is for team-wide communication and announcements and may be a place you see official announcements from the I School. We also suggest the following channels:

#introductions — Say hi and introduce yourself to the I School Slack community.
#career-discussions — General discussions about career paths and opportunities for I School students and alumni.
#jobs-and-internships — Share jobs and internship opportunities relevant to the I School community
#area-* — A variety of area channels representing different geographic regions around the world (see #area-411 for a list.)
#noise — In the spirit of our noise listserv, a place for non-work-related flimflam, hodge-podge or jibber-jabber
#alumni — A channel for all alumni to connect

There are also channels related to specific programs at the I School, areas of interest, and more. Check out our more comprehensive guide or browse the channel listings in Slack.

Communicating one-on-one and with small groups

In Slack you can also have one-to-one or small group messages between individuals. Direct messages (DMs) are best used as an alternative to casual emails, where quick conversation is the objective.

Notifications

Slack has default notifications to help keep you informed of what is happening, including desktop, mobile, and email notifications. You can configure these notifications to ensure you get information when and how you want it.

Here’s when you’ll receive desktop and mobile notifications by default:

Someone sends you a direct message (DM)
Someone mentions you, notifies a channel you’re in, or uses one of your keywords
Someone replies to a thread you're following
You receive a message from Slackbot

These defaults apply to both desktop and mobile notifications unless you configure your preferences. For more information, see the Slack guide to Slack notifications and article on how to configure your Slack notifications.

Relevant Policies and Use Practices

Slack is an informal communication tool so you can phrase things conversationally; please keep in mind that normal standards about treating others with respect and courtesy apply. In addition, all I School Slack users must adhere to the University of California Standards of Ethical Conduct and the Electronic Communications Policy. Students must also adhere to the UC Berkeley Code of Student Conduct and the I School Acceptable Use Policy and technology use policies in the context of Slack. The School reserves the right to revoke access for any individual that violates relevant use policies.

While the I School administrators will not have automatic access to private channels and chats in the platform, we are obligated and will take appropriate actions to respond and investigate any complaints of inappropriate conduct/abuse, as per the relevant policies highlighted above.

For questions related to data privacy, please refer to Slack’s outline regarding data ownership and privacy principles. The I School is the official owner of this Slack team, and serves as the owner of all current and archived data in this forum.

The I School may use the official Slack channels (announcements) to broadcast public announcements and administrative reminders as a complement to existing channels of communication.