Slack
The Team Communications collaboration tool that might remove the need for email in team projects.The uptake in Slack is speedy, with numbers doubling every quarter.
Admittedly, it is easier for Techies to get their head around this, but it will soon become commonly used. You can be an early adopter or just wait until everybody else is
using it.
Current users include the NY Times and Walmart.
Tip: Give the task of getting the team on board to just one person, a young member with a curious mind, someone who used Blackberry or uses Whats App.
“Imagine all your team communication in one place, instantly searchable, available wherever you go. That’s Slack”
When implemented, Slack will allow total transparency amongst team members and everyone can see who said what or when.
Email can create gaps in communications and delays in getting responses, which can be frustrating.
Email allows excuses and miscommunications to permeate.
We regularly miss things in translation and it can lead to having to redo work, just because one single line in an email was missed or misunderstood.
Email is slow.
Slack platforms
Platforms include Mac, iOS, Android and Windows.Slack offers a Web version accessible from a browser.
Keep an eye on all your communications with team mates or friends on a big screen or a small one.
Notifications can be push or via email or both.
Slack chat
“Slack offers persistent chat rooms organized by topic, as well as private groups and direct messaging.
All content inside Slack is searchable, including files, conversations, and people.
Slack integrates with a large number of third-party services and supports community-built integrations such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Zendesk”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slack_%28software%29
Private chat stays private, whilst Team Chat is there for everyone to see and find when needed, using a great inbuilt search engine.
With this sort of team communication tool, there is less requirement for meetings.
Internal team emails become almost redundant as team members can share text messages in mobile or desktop view.
File sharing and notifications are a part of the program.
The old days of sending loads of emails and Skype messages which created confusion, are gone, when you use Slack.
This allows you save time, encourage real time conversations, where the creativity can just flow, helping get ideas from inception to reality.
The free flow of information makes teams and companies more effective.
It helps remote team members feel more connected and see what the other team members are saying about a topic or project.
Slack is a modern day version of IRC Internet Relay Chat or AOL Chat.
Slack is everything in one single place.
All your messages.
All your files.
And everything from Twitter, Dropbox, Google Docs, Asana, Trello and many other services all together.
Files
Files get first-class treatment.
Add comments for feedback & stars for easy retrieval.
Built-in internal and external sharing options ensure you can get and share any file with anyone.
Advanced search, filters and sorting make it simple to get the right files.
It is simple to add your files.
Add files directly with a simple drag-and-drop.
Integrations with Google Docs and Dropbox keep external files in sync and searchable.
Paste images into Slack from your clipboard — great for sharing screenshots in real time.
Slack already integrates with dozens of services and more are being added every week.
Channels
Create open channels for the projects, groups and topics that the whole team shares.
Channels increase transparency by putting knowledge in everyone’s hands.
Discoverability, complete history & search across all channels is built in.
Channels include messages, files & comments, online images & video, rich link summaries and integration with the services you use every day such as Twitter, Dropbox & Google Drive.
Search with context
Slack searches whole conversations, not just individual messages, so you can find what you are looking for no matter who said what or when they said it.
Everything is perfectly in sync as you move between your desktop, iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
Powerful search & archiving means you can forget when you need to: we’ll remember for you.
Slack is full of thoughtful touches to make your working life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.
Slack has fully native apps for iOS and Android to give you the full functionality of Slack wherever you go.
You get access to everything from your mobile, file search and filtering, starred items, the team directory and messages.
Read-state synchronization
Slack’s read-state synchronization means that when you read something on your phone, your laptop will know about it and automatically mark those messages as read.
Whatever you do on one device — catch up on direct messages, post a comment, upload a file — is reflected everywhere. Everything is in sync to keep your place so you can always pick up right where you left off.
Flexible Notifications
Slack will notify you of new activity on your mobile, desktop or via email.
Choose the number of notifications you want: all the way from “everything” to “just when someone wants my attention”.
Customize your own list of highlight words to trigger notifications.
Slack Search
Slack is built around search from the ground up. Every discussion, every decision, and every document is archived, indexed, and available through one search box.
Powerful search operators make slicing and dicing your communication in Slack simple and fast.
Focus your search to just a specific channel or messages from a specific person, or to just the files that you’ve added to Slack.
Filter results by recency, relevance or file type to find exactly what you need.
Star any item in Slack for easy recall and retrieval – messages, files, comments, channels, and groups.
Flexible file browsing lets you find exactly the file you need.
You can sort and filter by file type or by person: a few clicks gives you all of Michael’s files, Google Docs from the whole team, or just your own snippets.
Slackbot
Use your own Slackbot from the outset, to create your profile, to track your Message history and also as a scratchpad for private notes, etc. Like Siri, it takes a bit of training, but can send you reminders and work with you.
