# Channels and DMs

## Room types

- Public channels: discoverable and joinable by anyone in the workspace; great for cross‑team topics.
- Private groups: invite‑only rooms for sensitive or focused work.
- Direct messages (DMs): 1:1 or small ad‑hoc group chats.

## Create or join

- Click + in the sidebar → New Channel or New Group → name it and set privacy.
- Join public channels from the channel browser; request an invite for private groups.

## Room housekeeping

- Topic & description: set context so newcomers understand the purpose.
- Archive vs. delete: archive to keep history read‑only; delete only when certain.
- Member roles: assign moderators for triage and topic curation.