Buzz
As mentioned earlier, Slack is one of the most popular cross-platform group chat software today, with over 1 million daily users as of last year. In the article below, Mytour will guide you on how to use Slack.
Using Slack: Effective Team Collaboration Software
Mastering Slack: A Comprehensive Guide
Begin by accessing the Slack homepage and logging into your account. As an Admin, you wield the power to access and tweak crucial settings.
Tailoring Notifications on Slack
Upon your initial login to Slack, all notifications are activated. Should you wish, you can customize notification functions to receive alerts from channels or solely when your name is mentioned.
To access settings, firstly open the channel you want to customize notification functions for, then click on the channel name at the top corner of the screen and select Channel notification preferences.
A new window will appear on the screen, where you can set up and customize notification functions on both your computer and mobile phone.
Search for users and messages
One of the most prominent features when using Slack is the Search feature. Everything you or others post will be quickly searchable by Slack.
When you start typing in the Search box, Slack will suggest things you might want to search for, such as specific users or messages from someone in the channel.
Additionally, you can use Slack more effectively by using certain special phrases to narrow down search results, such as: 'today', ... to search for all messages sent today.
Emoji
In addition to the search feature, another standout feature on Slack is the ability to add custom emojis. If allowed by the Admin, anyone can add custom emojis (emoticons).
To add emojis, first select the image you want to add, give it a name, and upload the image. Note that the image size should be 128px x 128px, with a file size below 64K.
Furthermore, using Slack has become even more enjoyable recently as the developer introduced the 'reaction' button, allowing users to add emojis (emoticons) next to messages.
To add emojis, simply hover over the message you want to express your emotion, then click the wrench icon in the top right corner, select Add a reaction, and choose any emoticon.
Edit messages on Slack
To edit messages on Slack, simply hover over the message you want to edit, then click the wrench icon, select Edit.
Or a quicker way is to press the up arrow key to edit the last message you sent.
Set reminders
Furthermore, you can use Slack to set reminders for tasks that need to be done.
Pin messages
If there are important messages or documents that you want everyone in the channel to know, in this case you can pin the message to the channel to display it on the information menu.
To pin a message, simply hover over the message you want to pin, then click the wrench icon in the top right corner, select Pin messages.
Theme
By default, the theme used on Slack is purple, however, if you want to change to a different theme, you can absolutely do so.
From the options menu, select Sidebar theme and choose any available theme displayed on the right panel, or if you want a custom theme, click on the Customize option below.
Integrate everything
You may not know, Slack is also integrated with other services including Google Calendar, GitHub, IFTTT, Mailchimp, New Relic, ... . Setting up and integrating services together can significantly save you time.
Some basic commands to know when using Slack.
Here are some basic Slack commands:
@channel : A channel on Slack is like a discussion room, where all members discuss a related topic. To send a notification to all members in the channel, simply type @channel + your message.
@username : To send a notification to a specific user in the channel, you type @username. For example: @Lan.
@here : Similar to @channel, use the @here command to notify those who are active, currently online.
DM : Send direct messages or private messages to other users.
/shrug : Add ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄ to your message.
/open : Open a new channel.
/leave : Exit the channel.
/collapse : Hide all images and GIFs in the channel.
This article from Mytour has just guided you on how to use Slack. Additionally, if you have any questions or need clarification, readers can leave their comments below the article for discussion.
