Slack is a great messaging app (we use it here at ChurchMag and also recommend it for churches). One of the features that makes it great is the channel feature. Each team or group can create a number of channels for communicating different things. Consider a channel as a room in a building where you discuss particular subjects. To labor this: the kitchen is for talking about food, lounge sports etc.
Here are four simple reasons Slack channels are awesome:
Categorizing
Has an email thread ‘assaulted’ you, taking you forever to figure out the subject? I know you have. Not everyone is great at giving emails good subject lines.
Categories can force people to think about how something relates to the team or project. Posts are in the relevant channel. Thus context for communication is established sooner, saving everyone time and headaches.
Noise
Sometimes many non-related issues find themselves in the same email. This can create noise and cause some issues to be overlooked at the expense of others. This is one of the reasons Slack channels are awesome: they minimise noise.
@Channel
You can send a channel broadcast, which alerts everyone in it. Before you do so Slack asks you if you’re sure you want to alert everyone in the channel. I think this is great for causing people to pause and think: do I need everyone’s attention on this now? Sometimes it is not necessary to shift the entire teams’ focus. Can be a great help for productivity.
Choice
Depending on your team or context, you get to choose which channels you’ll join. This means you don’t have to be a part of a channel you have nothing to do with. Because your focus is online, it’s cool that you don’t have to suffer from the chatter of the Sunday production team, for example.
A smaller group of people can be tasked with a project. They create and channel for it, and communicate without bugging everyone else. Bliss.
Here are four simple reasons Slack channels are awesome.
What is it you like about Slack channels?
Eric Dye says
I can’t imagine ChurchMag without Slack, can you!?!? ;P
Blessing Mpofu says
Same here! Always a fun space to be in!
Alena Barney says
Yes, I do use slack and it’s simply superb. More convenient. I use it as a channel for my online job as well.
Blessing Mpofu says
yeah, great tool to use 🙂
Josette Dingle says
We recently started using slack and the teams are finding it very useful.