Sparking Slack Conversations
December 5-9, 2022
With many data visualization enthusiasts experimenting with different social media platforms, for the week of December 5 there’s a community-led initiative to spark more conversations on the DVS Slack. We hope you’ll join us, and love the enthusiasm from our community.
At DVS, we love community led initiatives that support our mission to nurture, celebrate, and advance the field of data visualization, so when our Advisory Council member Steve Wexler suggested the idea to pause on Twitter and focus on sparking conversations on Slack for a week we said, “why not?”
Plus, DVS currently has a pro Slack plan that means you’ll find nearly four years of rich data viz conversations, curated by channel and topic if you come to hang with us for the week.
If you’re new to Slack or just want to understand how DVS organizes our Slack workspace to make it easier to jump in, you can watch our orientation to Slack.
We’ll talk about the channel organization, from ‘help’ channels to ‘topic’ discussions, and show a demo channel. Our DVS Slack was set up as a private space to share among DVS members; as such, we will not be showing any channel content or individual posts beyond the contributors to this initiative.
The recording will be posted here after the session for those who can’t join us live.
Why Now?
With questions about ethical issues of supporting Twitter and frustrations many people have had trying to engage in respectful discussions around data visualization, DVS Advisory Council member Steve Wexler has mobilized a community of data viz leaders to see what it would be like to take a temporary break from Twitter and engage in data visualization discussions on the Data Visualizations Society’s Slack workspace.
Here’s the ask and the goal as described by the organizing crew:
The Ask from this community group (it’s not a lot)
Let’s do an experiment: December 5 through December 9 people NOT post or respond to any data visualization
content on Twitter but instead do so on DVS Slack. Continue to monitor Twitter for social, political, and cat video content. And if you use LinkedIn or other platforms, keep using them.
But for five days, anything data viz-related you would post to Twitter, post it to DVS Slack instead.
The Goal
Don’t think of this as an attempt to replace Twitter but instead as an experiment to see what happens when a lot of people make a concerted effort to engage in data visualizations discussion on DVS Slack.
So, what might come from this brief hiatus from Twitter?
Maybe some people will find DVS a good home for them. Maybe some good voices that have been marginalized will get a chance to be heard. Maybe some people who would not have connected will connect.
And while everyone may return to Twitter on December 10, some may continue to engage at DVS to have different types of discussions and debates. Discussions and debates that you can’t have on Twitter.
Current members have access to the DVS Slack already if you opted in at sign up. Access the Slack community here.
Not a current DVS Member? You can join at any level and gain access to our vibrant slack community.
Images on this page are from Pollen, an app created to summarize our Slack workspace by Pixels and Plans, led by former DVS Partnerships Director Julia Krolik.