Keybase Documentation

What do we use Keybase for?

XRNYC uses Keybase to communicate between members either individually or in groups. Keybase works similarly to other messaging platforms such as Whatsapp, Slack, Skype, or Telegram.

Downloading Keybase

You can get Keybase in the App Store or Google Play. Or download it from the Keybase website here.

Setting up Keybase

1. Once you have downloaded the app you will be asked to create an account

2. Select a username. It has to be unique and it cannot be changed. This is the name people will see when you post, so please make it something people will recognize as you, i.e. pick a name you would want people to use in conversation. So for instance if you like to be called “Sam Smith”, the handle XRNYCBrooklyn99 does not let us know how to address you – better choices would be “sam.smith” or “sammy.flatbush”.

3. Select a device name. The device name will be unique to the device (e.g. phone/computer) you are using Keybase on.

4. Provide your phone number. This will be used to send you a code via text, so you should supply your real phone number if possible.

5. You will get a text message with the code. The code also appears above the keypad. Enter the number into the space provided.

6. Navigate to the Teams page (1) and select Join a team (2)

7. Type in “XRNYC” and click continue. The Admins team will review your request and add you to the group. You should be accepted within 24 hours. If you do not see XR listed under the Groups tab after 24 hours you can contact [email protected] Congrats! You have now completed the initial set up.

8. When you have been accepted into the group you will see the Big Team xrnyc and the subgroup #general board listed on the chat tab. Clicking on “General” will allow you to see the XRNYC conversation and post comments

9. IMPORTANT last step: Install Keybase on your computer (or some other second device, or generate a paper key (see below)) and connect your account. Your devices basically are your passwords in keybase. So if you only have keybase on one device and you lose that device you will not be able to get into your account – there is no password reset option. Alternatively/additionally, you can make paper keys under Settings (hamburger icon) > Devices (a paper key is a passphrase you write down on paper and store in a safe place that will let you recover your account if you lose your other devices – a common practice in the world of crypto).

Using Keybase

Overview

1. Keybase has 5 tabs. You will be using the Chat tab most of the time

2. In Keybase there are Teams, such as XRNYC, which are visible on the Chat and Teams Tab.

   1. As part of set up you probably asked to be part of the XRNYC Team

   2. As you become involved in different Working Groups (WG) you may be invited to the Keybase Team associated with that WG

3. Teams have Channels

   1. When you join a new team you are automatically given access to the #general channel

   2. You can join new channels based on your interests (See instructions under Chat)

Chat Tab

1. The Chat tab is used to do person-to-person text messaging as well as reading and posting to various channels.

2. When you join XRNYC by default you are subscribed to the #general channel.

3. You can find and join other channels by clicking on the gear to the right of the Team Name, clicking “Subscribe to Channels”, turning some channels on and clicking save. You should subscribe to at least #announcements.

   

4. If you want to message someone you can find them based on their Keybase name, phone number or email address.

5. Once the contact has been added you can message them.

Files Tab

Keybase automatically gives you a private and public folder. There will also be folders for each team you belong to. Each team can opt to use folders to store information.

Teams Tab

The teams tab will list all the teams you are on.

The same information can be found on the Chat tab

More Tab

Most of the functionality on the more tab is not important.

However the Notification section does allow you to change what events trigger an email.

If you are getting too many emails from Keybase you may want to adjust your settings.

Notifications / People Tab

The notification section will

• Let you know if people have started following you

• Suggest new people for you to follow

• Encourage you to update your profile in various ways

XR NYC’s Channel Structure

Channel	Purpose	Access
Welcome	To help new rebels onboard and get started! Contains a link to onboarding documentation and moderation policy.	Write access for moderators Read-only access for others
XR NYC Announcements	Announcements from the working groups to the whole XR NYC community.	Write access for coordinators Read-only access for others
General	General discussion among all of XR NYC.	Write access for everyone
411	The place to ask any and all questions for more senior rebels to answer, like where to find something, who to contact, what a group is for, or what a policy is.	Write access for everyone
Working Group Digest Announce_WG_Digest	A weekly digest of working group updates, 1-2 sentences max.	Write access for coordinators Read-only access by members
Community Group Digest Announce_Community_Digest	A weekly digest of community group updates, 1-2 sentences max.	Write access for coordinators Read-only access for others
Group Announcements e.g. Announce_Arts	A lobby space where rebels interested in a group's work or wanting to be involved can stay updated and learn about opportunities to be involved.	Write access for group members Read-only access for others
Group Discussion e.g. Discussion_Arts	A lobby space where rebels interested in a group's domain can discuss the work and give input.	Write access for everyone
Private Group Channel e.g. WG_Arts	A private team for active group members. Anyone who is actively doing work for a working/community/interest group will be added to this team.	Write access for group members No read-only access

How to Join Channels

Signup for the channels that you are interested in. To decide which announcement and discussion channels to sign-up for, refer to our Working Group Directory, Communities, and Interest Groups for a full list of all our available groups and their descriptions.

To sign-up for a channel go to xrnyc settings > manage chat channels

Then search and select your channel

Set up your notifications.

We recommend changing your settings to only notify you on @mentions instead of all activity.

To set up notifications to go to the channel > information > settings and select “Only when @mentioned”.

Best Practices

• Do not use @channel unless it is an emergency. That will notify people even if they are currently not active. Instead use @here which will only notify people when and if they are currently active.

• Think before you type. Try to consolidate your thoughts into a single message rather than several short messages one right after another.

• Use the search bar in the top left corner for keywords and files before asking a question to see if it’s been answered before.

• If you see any behavior that is violating our moderation policy please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone with a crown next to their username like this:

Or reach out directly to our moderators: @erindepew and @felixboehme . We want to keep the XRNYC keybase a safe place with healthy discussion and free from toxic or abusive behavior.

FAQ

1. Why are we using Keybase (as opposed to Slack)?

2. We’re using Keybase because it’s a secure and encrypted channel. If you want to get nerdy, you can view the NCCGroup Protocol Security Review here however all you really need to know is that most chat applications will record conversations and activity for usually benign purposes (debugging, performance…) but because it’s recorded in a centralized way there’s always a chance that they may share that information with a third-party. Due to the nature of XR NYC’s work, privacy is a big concern for us so we are using Keybase because it’s encrypted and decentralized, meaning they wouldn’t be able to share our information with a third party even if they wanted to.

3. Should my topic be a Channel or a Team?

   1. If your topic is a neighborhood group, working group, or affinity group you may want to create a separate team in order to have private communications. However if you do so make sure you create a public channel under xrnyc as well so the rest of the organization can ask questions and make requests! We recommend you follow the conventions in our Directory of Keybase Channels documentation.

4. Are their naming conventions for Teams?

   1. Yes. Your team name should be either WG_[your working group name], NG_[your neighborhood name], or IG_[your interest group name].

5. Are there naming conventions for Channels?

   1. If it’s not for a specific neighborhood, working, or affinity group, go nuts, but just make sure it’s something that people will think to search for! For working, neighborhood, and affinity groups we recommend you follow the conventions in our Directory of Keybase Channels documentation.

6. How many days should I allow messages to remain before they auto delete?

   1. We recommend setting message deletion to 180 days. For highly sensitive channels such as legal or action, we recommend one week. For anything critical surrounding actions we recommend short term communication be moved to signal and deleted within 48 hours.

7. What kind of files can I store in my account?

   1. Whatever you want! However we do recommend that for larger files (such as video or raw photos) that they be stored with Mattermost.

8. Is there a file size limit on my account?

   1. No! As long as you can upload it without your connection timing out, Keybase will store it. But each account has 250 GB of file storage and team accounts have 100 GB of file storage available.