More recently, among the many messengers , another one has appeared – Slack for corporate communication. It is positioned by the developers as a “Skype killer”, as it has taken over several popular functions of this program. Now the messenger is attracting more and more interest in its segment, however, potential users would like to know more about its capabilities, so we will tell you about them later.
Features of the Slack messenger.
Why Slack is needed
Slack allows employees of one enterprise to communicate, taking into account all the main features of such communication – this is what this program is, in short. There are public channels for discussing some common topics for all topics , as well as local groups and the ability to send private messages. In the messenger, you can share various files, it is equipped with a convenient search, so that you can quickly find the necessary materials. It supports popular cloud storages Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, Twitter and many other applications. Slack has two versions: free and paid. In the first case, some functions are unavailable, but they can be removed for 400-760 rubles per month. To make it clearer why you need it, let’s look at the advantages of the Slack messenger:
- Interaction with other platforms: for creating projects, storing information, editing documents, forwarding letters, etc. The file containing information about a product or service is located in the immediate vicinity of the chat, which is very useful when it is the subject of discussion.
- You can mention users by commenting on the content – they will receive a notification and will be able to view what seemed to you worthy of attention.
- You can upload various materials: photo, video, audio, projects in specific formats.
- The messenger takes into account all the features of the group chat: here it is easier to understand which question is answered, who is writing to whom and what is the subject of discussion.
- The Slack devs have done a good job on the search function : no matter how extensive the discussion thread is, nothing will get lost in it. You can search by different words, date, categories, hashtags, files, etc.
- The application can be downloaded to various devices: iPhone, Android and Windows Phone smartphones, Mac OS, Linux and Windows computers and laptops.
- You can set up notifications as comfortably as possible: select specific dialogs and chats where it is important to receive them. Thus, with rich communication, you will avoid constant persistent notifications about meaningless posts in chat rooms.
- You can easily switch between multiple chats.
- Messages that have already been sent can be edited, settings of the system of template and automatic responses to the same type of frequent phrases are provided.
- When you add a link, a preview is installed on it in the form of a small picture for clarity, so that the interlocutors know in advance what you have shared and do not get confused in different links.
- For each participant in the dialogue, a time is set that corresponds to his time zone, which is very important when the team is large and the employees are in different cities.
Of course, there are also disadvantages:
- Slack in the free version limits the ability to search messages to 10 thousand. The earlier ones can no longer be found.
- The paid version is quite expensive: from 400 to 760 rubles per month.
- Despite the fact that you can write posts in Russian, the interface is English.
- On Linux, the application consumes a significant amount of RAM resources.
- Video chat is very slow, as there is no own, and the integration with Hangouts is not well thought out.
- In the free version, you cannot make group calls.
Installing Slack on various devices
For Windows, the messenger can be downloaded from the official website: the service itself will determine the appropriate distribution kit for your system. Download it and run the installation with a double click. On Linux, there are several ways to install Slack:
- just like on Windows – just double click;
- via terminal using the command: $ sudo dpkg-i / path to file.
The mobile application for Android is available in Google Play, for iOS – in the AppStore.
How to use Slack
Now that you know the pros and cons of Slack, it’s time to discuss how to use it. You remember that the application interface is in English, but nevertheless it is not difficult to understand it.
Create account
- To create a Slack account , open the application and click the button below that says “Create a new workspace” – if you are responsible for organizing a work chat and you need to create one, or the blue link “Find your Slack workspace” if you want to join already existing community.
- Enter your e-mail in the required field.
- Check your mail and copy the code from the letter.
- Go back to the Slack window and press Ctrl + V.
- Enter your name and nickname.
- Choose security password.
- If you are an administrator, then also fill in the information about your company, indicate the number of people you will add, your position and role in the chat.
- Send the invite link to your colleagues.
Messenger appearance
After logging into your account, on the colored plate on the left, you will see the rubricator of groups and chats, notifications, and on the right – a window with a ribbon, a search bar, a tool for marking important messages and settings. If you’re on Linux, it’s best to turn off hardware acceleration right away so that you don’t experience problems displaying emoji and animated content. To do this, click the arrow next to the name of the community, select Prefertences – Linux App – Disable hardware acceleration and check the box next to the last one.
Setting up your profile
Moving on to setting up your account:
- Click on the username again, select the section called “Profile & account” – “Edit profile”.
- Add your photo, some information about yourself.
- On the right, there is also a cogwheel icon, by clicking on which you can choose a way to log into your account, change your password, set a plate with your time zone, set up a relationship with other messengers, if it is more convenient for you to write to Slack through them, etc.
Channel setup
The structure of the messenger consists of extensive branches of communication – channels and small local groups within them. If you sign up for Slack by invitation, you don’t need to configure anything – you are in a ready-made environment. And if you organize communication with colleagues, then you have to do something:
- A new channel is created by clicking on the “+” symbol next to the word “Channels” in the heading on the left.
- Name the channel, write an annotation, what is its subject matter, invite colleagues.
- To allow only certain persons to access the information, you can specify them in the privacy settings.
The finished channel can be changed by opening it and clicking on the cogwheel icon at the top right.
Sending Slack Messages
To send a message, in the rubricator on the left, select a participant in the conversation (their list is under the heading Direct Messages) or a channel (Channels) – a form for typing will appear on the right. In the first case, the message can be read by all users of the specified channel, and in the second – only one person. In public channels, it is technically possible to delete already sent messages (via the corresponding button), but some communities prohibit this, because the meaning of the discussion is lost. To mention a user in a general conversation, just put the @ symbol in front of the nickname – he will receive a notification.
Invite friends
To invite to your channel, you can use the link you received when registering your profile, or find the Invite People heading on the left. A person will also have to create an account on this network in order to have access to publications.
Built-in applications
As already mentioned, Slack integrates with other resources: mail, document editors, instant messengers, storages, etc. If you need such a function, open the Apps section and select the extension you need – under each of them there is a button to install.
