How to Host Friday Brownbag
The Friday Brownbag is our weekly social meeting, every Friday at 11 AM ET (4 PM UTC). It runs for an hour. Each week one person hosts: they choose the content, kick things off, and moderate the discussion.
It’s not required, but it’s strongly encouraged. We’re a fully remote team, and the brownbag is one of the main ways we stay connected — so please come hang out when you can.
The Format
Section titled “The Format”A typical brownbag follows three beats:
- Icebreaker. Open with a question for the group — something light to get everyone talking before the main content.
- Watch something together. Most weeks the host picks a video, usually around 10 minutes, for everyone to watch during the session. (Some hosts do a demo or present something of their own instead — that works too.)
- Moderate the discussion. This is the heart of it. Lead the conversation about what everyone just watched: reactions, questions, how it connects to our work.
The content is the host’s call. Pick a video, talk, or topic you’re genuinely interested in — the discussion is better when you care about it.
The Schedule
Section titled “The Schedule”Hosts are tracked in the brownbag schedule spreadsheet. Every Wednesday at 9 AM ET, a bot posts a reminder to Discord naming this Friday’s and next Friday’s hosts.
If you need to swap weeks, find a replacement yourself and update the spreadsheet. The Wednesday reminder links straight to it.
If 11 AM ET (4 PM UTC) doesn’t work for you on your week, you can move the time — just give the team advance notice and update it on the HR calendar.
Hosting Checklist
Section titled “Hosting Checklist”Before Friday:
- Pick your icebreaker question.
- Choose your video (or prep your demo / topic). Aim for ~10 minutes of content so there’s plenty of room for discussion.
- Have the link ready to screen-share.
During the session:
- Start on time at 11 AM.
- Make sure the meeting is being recorded. This is the host’s responsibility — check before you get going so the session lands in Bluedot. Recordings get shared afterward so anyone who missed it can catch up.
- Open with the icebreaker.
- Share your screen and play the video for everyone.
- Moderate the discussion afterward — that’s the main event, so leave most of the hour for it.
If You Can’t Make It
Section titled “If You Can’t Make It”Give as much notice as you can. Find someone to swap with, update the schedule spreadsheet, and let the team know in Discord.