title: How do I tar a directory of files and folders without including the directory itself?
body: <p>I typically do:</p>
  
  <pre><code>tar -czvf my_directory.tar.gz my_directory
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>What if I just want to include everything (including any hidden system files) in my_directory, but not the directory itself? I don't want:</p>
  
  <pre><code>my_directory
     --- my_file
     --- my_file
     --- my_file
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I want:</p>
  
  <pre><code>my_file
  my_file
  my_file
  </code></pre>