---
title: "Reply to: Introduce yourself to your remote team"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2024/12/reply-to-introduce-yourself-to-your-remote-team/
last_updated: 2026-02-16
---


([via](https://cassidoo.co/post/remote-intros/)) Cassidy Williams:

> Something that that a few of my teams have done well is introducing themselves
> asynchronously. It can be a hard thing to do! When you're on a fully remote
> team and you're seeing everyone's face on Zoom for the first time, it's a
> little nerve-wracking to figure out how to present yourself, how to "bring
> your whole self to work," and not be a total weirdo.

> What my team at GitHub does (and what I've seen at a few other orgs now, it's
> catching on!) is we have a repository of "Human User Guides" full of details
> about each other.

User guides (go/user-guides) are a great way to introduce yourself to your team
at work. Cassidy notes:

> — Time zones/availability
> — Communication preferences (Slack vs Zoom vs email vs phone vs something else)
> — Things folks might misunderstand about you
> — Things everyone should know
> — How you prefer to get feedback
> — Things that you like to talk about, work-related and non-work-related

The list is already quite comprehensive, however I would also add:

- [Ask vs Guess](https://jeanhsu.substack.com/p/ask-vs-guess-culture)
  preferences
- [MBTI]({{< ref "2024-12-22-mbti" >}})

One caveat is maintenance[^1]. Information could easily get outdated. It's
possible to write your user guide in such a way it represents a snapshot of your
preferences at the time you wrote it, OR as a living document that keeps
evolving as you grow. Adjust expectations clearly. One way to do so is to add a
date to it in case you anticipate information easily getting out-of-date
therein.

Also, why stop there? Set up oneshot 1:1 meetings with your immediate team
members, and then with your extended ones. It doesn't matter whether these
meetings are in-person or virtual. Set up serendipitous meetings with folks
outside of your team[^2]. Some people call these lunch ninjas, others call these
[coffee donuts](https://www.donut.com/). Not everyone may end up accepting your
invitations, but that's perfectly fine! Just move on.

[^1]: As everything else in life...
[^2]: Directors, VP and C-level folks are unlikely to accept your invitations
    though.