Your Ola community is the top-level space everyone belongs to. Inside it, channels are the conversations. Some you're added to automatically; the rest are yours to discover.
Find and join a channel
Open the channel browser
Use Search or the ＋ next to Channels in the sidebar to browse everything open in your community.
Search by name or topic
Type what you're after — launch, design, hiring. Channel names usually say exactly what they're for.
Join it
Open a channel and select Join. It moves into your sidebar and you start getting its messages. Leaving is just as easy — you can rejoin any time.
Cannot see a channel you were expecting? Your sidebar lists the channels you have joined — on the desktop app, on your phone and in the browser alike. A channel missing from it is usually not a fault. If it is open, it is waiting in the channel browser: search for it there and join. If it is private, it will not appear anywhere until a member or owner adds you, and no setting on your side will reveal it. If a channel you have definitely joined disappears, that is different — report it in #buzz-help.
Keep your sidebar sane
- Follow what matters. Joined channels sit in your sidebar; unread ones rise to the top.
- Mute the noise. Want a channel around for reference but not pinging you? Mute it — it stays joined but goes quiet. More in Manage notifications.
- Switch communities from the rail on the far left — each community keeps its own channels and DMs.
New to a team? Ask in your team channel which channels to join — every group has its handful of “must-follow” streams.
Different kinds of channels
- Open channels anyone in the community can find and join.
- Private channels are invite-only — you'll see them once you're added.
- Direct messages aren't channels at all — they're private threads with people. See Messages, DMs & mentions.
