Coming to work in Odyssey's editorial office in NYC was kind of similar to joining a sorority. New people, new excitement, a new support group, but the biggest thing: new words.
The first day someone told me they were going to drop something in my Slack, I thought, "Drop what?! A mixed tape? Big news? Like it's hot? Drop it low?" I had no clue. And as it turns out, there are many terms that are so Odyssey-specific that I figured I'd write out the Urban Dictionary of Odyssey.
"G-chat me." // The cool way of talking to anyone in your company. Better hope they're on Hangouts!
My idea of Google chats is when I was in middle school and none of us had unlimited texting, so we were either using Google chatting to have late conversations at night on our desktops, or when we were in the computer lab and our whole class was gossiping about our substitute teacher. Crazy enough, G-chatting is the cool way of getting in touch with anyone in your office. You think texting is the quickest way of electronically communicating and sending GIFs? Think again. Google once again owns our lives.
"Drop it in my Slack." // 1. What you use when someone's not on their G-chat or 2. What you use when someone needs more info before processing what you're saying to them in person.
My confusion with dropping something in Slack started and ended on Day 1 as I learned the beauty of Slack. Slack is basically just a company GroupMe where you can join any group! The GroupMe hog in me is dying (no one can kick me out!). Though this isn't sponsored content for Slack, it might feel like it because I LOVE Slack. EICs, if your AME ever asks you to join a Slack channel, hop on this beautiful opportunity. It acts the same way as Google chatting, except it's much easier to send links, which of course, for Odyssey, is all we live through. "Drop it in Slack" is kind of the lazy and fun way to know you'll have all the information later when you're at your Slack (which is usually never). Heck, I Slack myself often.
"We need to have a hard conversation." // Ish is getting real.
What's the opposite of a hard conversation? A soft conversation? But is Odyssey ever a soft company? Um, totally not. But having a hard conversation is the nice way of saying, "let's get down to business."
"Just use Pexels." // The solution to all of your cover photo needs.
We all hate ugly stock photos, but Pexels changes lives and is the answer to all problems you might be facing when choosing a cover photo.
"Throw it on my calendar." // The glistening assurance of your meetings staying guaranteed.
So long are the days of Evites, setting up appointments in person, or letting anything other than Google control our days. Don't want to have a meeting with someone? Sorry, they've already thrown it on your calendar and you're set. Can't remember if you get to hit snooze in the morning? Check to see if something's been thrown on your computer. Other definitions: the reason for 70 percent of the emails in your inbox.
(How I imagined throwing something your calendar felt-- really not as aggressive.)
"Have a healthy pipeline." // Stay on top of everything.
Maybe this is more of a term for any company, but as someone in my first ~real~ job, this was a new term for me. And I think it's pretty inspiring: Never settle for just what you have. Always have something in the works and always be thinking ahead of the game.
"Let's launch." // Starting a brand new and sparkling Odyssey community!
I forget that not every current and potential content creator is going to know what 'launch' means in Odyssey terms, but every Odyssey employee is going to have had that word in their dreams. 'Launching' entails a beautiful 15 content creators and 15 articles and is basically our favorite thing ever.
"On the ground." // Being a real content creator.
On the ground versus being in the sky? Being underground? Is the NYC editorial office above ground? Oh wait, it's people like me. Being on the ground in my own community and creating content.
"Party parrot" // One of the best aspects of Odyssey's Slack.
Back to Slack again. Don't know how to respond to something great? Just give it a party parrot. The party parrot will save lives. Why is it a parrot? No clue, but we love it.
"Language" // Talking about Odyssey.
No, it's not the difference between English and Spanish, it's honestly a really cool way of talking about how amazing this company is. Also synonymous with 'creator culture.'
"One sheet" // NOT a parody of Drake's 'One Dance.'
Okay, y'all, still working on this one. But when I sang Drake's 'One Dance' with the words 'One Sheet,' there were mixed reviews. Wondering if it's because of my lack of singing talent, but we'll see.
BABYYYY, I like your idea....
"Evergreen content" // Content that will always be relevant.
Okay, yes, I know now that this is an industry term, but I'm thankful for those at Odyssey who hung on with me when I was crazy confused why everyone kept referencing a tree and comparing it with articles.
"Hand-off" // Someone else getting to manage your delightful community!
Though in my head it feels like a relay race where you're handing off the baton.... it's more of a relay marathon. So, EICs out there that are wondering why a hand-off call was "thrown on your calendar" (ah, see, getting there), know that it means you get to talk with someone else amazing in Odyssey's editorial office.
"SQUADS" // Where you owe your most loyalty.
Squad rolling deep... in articles and healthy communities! Honestly, I love working at a company that makes "team meetings" sound more fun. Besides, it gives you the ability to talk about "Squadyssey," and we all love merging words.
"Canva" // Your AME's newest obsession.
Speaking for my homegirl AME Alissa, Canva is changing lives with our lack of graphic designing ability.
"GIF keyboard" // Something that's never spoken about.
Requirements for getting a job at Odyssey: knowledge of AP style, being a dope person (see below), organization, GIF keyboard. Too often, my friends are shocked at how quickly I can send GIFs in group texts. But when I walked in on Day 1 and everyone already had a GIF keyboard, I knew I was in good hands. Um, hello, I work at Odyssey. Of course everyone has it.
"Dope" // Every Odyssey employee's favorite word.
I didn't know "dope" was still so relevant, but our first day, I think I heard it 28 times.
I feel insanely lucky to work at such a ~dope~ company like Odyssey and work among such amazing people! Want a taste of all of this and the cool culture that comes with it? Request an invite.
