Getting started with Slack

What is Slack?

Slack is a messaging platform used by teams and businesses. Slack helps you work in a more connected, flexible, and inclusive way.

Slack is a powerful tool and can quickly get overwhelming, but they have tons of tips and settings so you can make the tool work for you!

Setting your profile

Help your teammates find you by uploading a clear profile photo and filling out your profile details.

Using channels

Slack organizes conversations into dedicated spaces called channels. Channels bring order and clarity to work — you can create them for any project, topic, or team.

Here are some good tips on how to use channels:

• Use public channels as much as possible to increase access to shared knowledge across your workspace.

• Make sure the channels you create or maintain have a clear topic and description so that people understand what they’re used for. Learn more about organizing work in channels.

• To help keep discussions organized, use threads. Learn some other ways to collaborate effectively in channels.

• Archive channels when they’re no longer needed.

Using @mentions

Work often involves waiting for reviews or approvals before you can move forward. When matters are time-sensitive or you want to address a specific person in Slack, you can grab their attention in any channel by mentioning their username preceded by an @ symbol. They will then get a notification. 

It's a good idea to @mention someone when:

• Decisions need to made 

• You have next steps with due dates.

• You have outstanding questions you’d like to discuss in the channel with the larger team

Setting your notifications for channels and DMs

Slack aims to help you stay focused on your core projects and priorities by giving you strong controls over what you’re notified about and when. Customize your notifications to:

• Set work hours with your team. Outside these hours you are on Do Not Disturb, and messages sent in this period will arrive the next morning unless the sender decides it’s urgent enough to notify you

• Set up keywords you’d like to be alerted for any mention of (like a customer name or “free pizza”)

• Choose which conversations you want to receive notifications for and which you’d like to turn down or mute

Editing your status

Statuses on Slack are meant to be flexible and allow you to tell your teammates something about your schedule.

Common statuses people set:

• OOO 🏝

• Doctor's appointment - be back at 2pm PST 🩺

• In NYC - working EST hours 🗽