There are so many forms of human interactions, and while all beneficial to some extent (we are, after all, social animals), they might not serve your need or fit your style at all times. I, for one, sometimes found discord too overwhelming and email notifications too anxiety-inducing. And that's ok, you don't have to use it when you don't want to. One thing I try to tell people is you should feel absolutely free to disappear for any amount of time from any MLC platform, knowing that you'll be the same welcome the moment you come back. The first and foremost thing, is to take a good care of yourself; we've all been there, so we understand.
If and when you are ready to engage with the community, though, how to best use all the platforms MLC provide?
We have:
- A Discord server for chatting about almost anything research related.
- An office hour program you can sign up with 1:1 video chats with experienced researchers.
- An email list that you hear from once per week, about one paper or one talk, and that's it.
- A live talk every Friday.
- Live group research updates every 8 weeks.
- A live group casual voice chat every two months.
- A live town hall meeting where we discuss organizational planning, every two months.
- Get-togethers at major ML conferences.
- Interest group meetings that focus on discussing specific research areas.
In sum, if you want to interact with people, there are plenty of opportunities! It is up to you to decide what works best for you. Let us know if there's some other type you are looking for but couldn't find here. We can brainstorm and create together.