There is a place where I visit almost everyday, Hangops. For me it started as the videos that they built using Google’s Hangouts, and posted to YouTube. But it has grown to a slack community that is there for you. If you would like to join too, come on over to the signup page.

The main channel has “be excellent to each other” in its topic. This is where most of the conversation happens, and topic range from what people are working on, their latest thing they’ve learned, to even the local weather. If you are having trouble with something, and don’t want to interrupt the conversation, head on over to #help. About 10 percent of the members are there too, and will highlight in the feed that somebody is looking for advice.

Other channels help you with working. There is #career_advice, a place to learn and contribute to leveling up your career. A corollary channel, #job_board helps you find that next job if you are done with where you are now. If you want to improve your work environment, visit #culture.

There are topical channels so you can find like minded people. I lurk in #puppet, and get help when I have issues with my upgrade path of puppet. #home_infrastructure is great to talk about what gadgets you have, automating your house, building something to play on, or having a home lab to level up your technical skills. #infosec is where I learn new things about security, and push people to get a YubiKey.

There are also the more social channels I use. #book-club is great to find something new or old to read. #pets-of-hangops is great to find pictures of cuteness. #ladevops is my regional channel, but other channels use area codes to find the people near you.

The last channel I’ll talk about is #mental_health. This is a place to learn that you are not alone. We are there to support each other, and help people find professional help that works for them.

Hangops is a place that I’ve learned new things, but I also feel I can contribute to. Since the videos that spawned the slack have been occurring with less frequency, we are looking to see how it will continue. Follow @hangops on Twitter to find out what is happening there. I’ve turned on mobile notifications for their tweets, so I know the urls of the hangout when it starts.