Hello GTN Smörgåsbord Participants! We are very excited to see so many of you have registered for the training event *GTN Smörgåsbord: Tapas Edition *on March 14-18! Everything you need to know about the course, including the program, is listed on the course webpage <https://gallantries.github.io/video-library/events/smorgasbord2/tapas.html> . *New: GTN Certificate Bot!* This year, certificates of attendance work slightly differently. We now have a Slack bot where you can submit your Galaxy histories as soon as you finish a tutorial. Detailed instructions can be found on the course webpage. *Getting ready for the event* Come join us in Slack <https://join.slack.com/t/gtnsmrgsbord/shared_invite/zt-x7vinbs1-BA~Kht6N86JBhDq0uTIVdQ> where all of the course discussion during the week will occur! Once you've signed up, introduce yourself in #social <https://gtnsmrgsbord.slack.com/archives/C01EDBVMHBQ> and meet your instructors and fellow participants! Some more information about how we will use Slack during this event can be found here <https://gallantries.github.io/video-library/slack>. *Having problems joining Slack?* Let us know in our GTN Gitter channel <https://gitter.im/Galaxy-Training-Network/Lobby> or email us. You can also already *create a Galaxy account *(if you don't already have one) on one of the 3 big Galaxy servers (see the* "Course Setup" *section of the program) to save some time during the course. *During the event* This is an asynchronous event, this means there are *no live sessions.* When the event starts, you just open the course webpage <https://gallantries.github.io/video-library/events/smorgasbord2/tapas.html>, and find a tutorial that looks interesting, and start the video and start learning! *Unsure which tutorials you want to follow?* We have defined the Bioinformatics Buffet Module, <https://gallantries.github.io/video-library/modules/bioinformatics-buffet> a week schedule with introductory tutorials to a range of popular topics. Please also feel free to ask us for recommendations in Slack! (now or during the course) Also make sure to* join the Slack channel for each tutorial you follow *(link found below the video) and let us know you are starting. Any questions you may have about the tutorial can be asked in this channel. There are over 100 instructors across all time zones ready to help you, so *please ask away! *(really, don't be shy, it makes us feel useful ;) ) Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions. Ciao, Helena & Saskia on behalf of the GTN Tapas organizing committee Practical Information When: March 14-18, 2021 (all time zones) Where: Online Format: self-study using GTN training materials and video recordings. Support: on Slack (invite link <https://join.slack.com/t/gtnsmrgsbord/shared_invite/zt-x7vinbs1-BA~Kht6N86JBhDq0uTIVdQ> ) Website: link <https://gallantries.github.io/video-library/events/smorgasbord2/tapas.html> Format of the Course This is an *asynchronous* course. This means that all trainings have been pre-recorded, and you can work through these videos at your own pace and according to your own schedule during the week. This means you can start and stop at whatever times you want. You can skip tutorials that you already know, or that may not be so interesting for you. You can join all 5 days, or only 1. That is all up to you. Note: there are no live sessions, everything is at-your-own-pace-and-schedule! Common Questions *Q: Will the materials stay available after the course?* A: Yes! Everything you need will stay online after the workshop so you can continue working on them for as long as you want. *Q: What is Slack?* A: Slack (https://slack.com/) is a chat platform. So if you get stuck, you can ask your question on Slack, and one of our instructors will try to answer it. *Q: Do I need to install anything before the workshops?* A: No, all you will need is a web browser. We recommend a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari. (preferably not Internet Explorer) *Q: Can I get a certificate?* A: Yes, certificates of attendance will be available on request. It is explained on the schedule page. *Q: Do I need to complete all the tutorials?* *A: *No! This would be impossible in one week! You can follow as many or as few tutorials as you like; you will get a personalized certificate of attendance (upon request). *Q: Will the videos be captioned?* A: Yes *Q: Can I do a tutorial on a different day than the schedule?* A: Yes, that is not a problem. You can do any tutorial on any day that you want! *Q: Can I do a tutorial that's not in the program?* A: Yes! you can do any tutorial from the GTN website <https://training.galaxyproject.org>. Please make sure to check the *"Available on these Galaxies"* section in the overview box of the tutorial to see which Galaxy servers support the tutorial. --- Saskia Hiltemann (she/her) Researcher @ Erasmus Medical Center While I may be sending this email outside my normal office hours, I have no expectation to receive a reply outside of yours.