How to use Slack to communicate with your app development partner

Slack is a very powerful tool that enables efficient communication with your team members. Its powerful features facilitate daily work and promote productivity. How not to get lost in the maze of features and settings? The following article will explain how to use Slack to make your work even better.

Slack basics

Getting started

The first is to log in manually, and the second is to log in using the magic link.

Log in manually:

1. Open the Slack app, then tap Sign In.
2. Tap I'll sign in manually.
3. Enter your Slack URL, email address, and password to sign in.

Log in with the magic link:

1. Open the Slack app, then tap Sign In.
2. Tap Email me a magic link.
3. Enter your email address, then tap Open email app.
4. Open the email from Slack and tap Confirm Email Address.
5. Tap Next to sign in. If single sign-on (SSO) is required for your workspace or org, authenticate with your company's SSO provider to finish logging in.

Channels

Most of the communication on Slack is done through channels. They allow efficient communication with all users interested in the topic.

It is good practice to name channels appropriately to organize the workspace and make it easy to navigate.

Some tips on how to name channels:

• When you create a channel for a project start its name with #projectname-. When you add more channels related to the project, they will be grouped together on the sidebar.
• Use prefixes in general channels so that names are consistent and descriptive, e.g., #help, #team, #qa, #lunch
• If your company works in multiple locations it may be a good idea to add the location of the branch in the channel name

There is no rigid framework or rules for creating channel naming. It is important that the created system is consistent and easily identifies the channel. It is good practice to create a guide for those creating new channels so that the approved nomenclature does not change.

But how to create a new channel? 

1. From your sidebar, click the Channels header and select Create a channel.
2.  Give the channel a name, then click Next.
3.  Choose a channel type (public or private), then click Create.
4.  Add people to the channel, or click Skip for now.

Threads

The biggest issue with communicators is the difficulty of finding a topic that was discussed several months ago. Sometimes it takes a very long time, and you may not even find the information you need. What to do to improve finding archived messages and ensure maximum transparency on the channel?

Use threads!

1. Hover over the message you'd like to reply to.
2. Click the Reply in the thread icon.
3. Type your reply.
4. If you'd like to send your reply back to the channel or DM's main view, check the box below your message.
5. Send your message.

Threading will allow you to organize the conversation on the channel and from now on all the answers in a given topic will be in one place. Good practice in starting a thread on the channel is to use the ' sign at the beginning and end of the text. This will change the color and the text will appear in a frame making it even more visible.

You can also find all the threads you follow in the side menu under Threads. Threads with unread replies will appear at the top of the list.

Pin a message

Do you think a message on the channel or in private messages is very important and can be useful for quick access in the future? Use pinning!

1. From your desktop, hover over the message you'd like to pin.
2. Click the three dots icon.
3. Select Pin to channel, or Pin to this conversation in a DM.

You can find the pinned messages in the header of the conversation. All users of this conversation will see the pinned messages.

DM’s

If you don't want to involve all channel members in a topic you can use direct messages. You can find them on the sidebar under the Direct messages tab. 

In addition, you can create a group conversation with up to 9 people. Just click the plus button next to the tab's name and then type in the names of all the people you want to add.

Use private messages only for such topics that should not be discussed on the channel or will introduce clutter on the channel. Start threads about projects on the channel which will allow everyone involved to access full information.

Notify a channel, workspace, or person

Do you have something important to share and need everyone to notice?

Use:

• @everyone can only be used on #general. This will notify all people on that channel regardless of whether their availability is set to active or they are out. Use this carefully and only in cases where you have something really important to announce like a day off 🙂
• @channel to notify everyone of the urgent information on the channel. This will send a notification to all channel members.
• @here if you want to gather the interest of everyone who is currently working in a particular channel. This is an excellent option to notify only those who are at work that day.

Do you want to call up a specific person and ask them for more details about a task or don't want to engage everyone on the channel? Use @name to notify a specific person.

Huddles

Text is not enough and you need to discuss a topic quickly? Sometimes writing about a problem is inefficient and takes a lot of time. In such a case, it's a good idea to use the voice call feature also known as Huddle.

How to start Huddle?

1. Open a channel or DM.
2. Click the headphones toggle in the bottom left corner of your sidebar. To see a larger view of the huddle, click the new window icon.
3. If you'd like, click the camera icon to turn your video on.

Huddle can be started both on the channel and in a private message. By starting a Huddle on the channel, all interested parties can quickly join the conversation. Want to ask specific people to join? Use the @name function on the channel.

Want to join the huddle?

1. Open the channel or DM where the huddle is taking place. 
2. Click the headphones toggle at the bottom of your sidebar. To see a larger view of the huddle, click the new window icon.
3. If you'd like, click the camera icon to turn your video on.

Remember that the use of webcams is in good tone, and although it is not required your co-workers will be pleased when you show up at least for a moment.

Other Apps

Slack allows connecting other tools to work even more efficiently. An example is connecting Jira or Google Drive. By using these add-ons, we get notifications whenever someone mentions us in a file or edits a tab in Jira. Notifications are customizable, and we can find Slack-connected apps in the side menu under the Apps tab.

Summary

In summary, Slack is a tool that simplifies communication and organization of work in teams. The advice in this short guide will allow you to use its functions properly. When using the communicator, remember to adjust the content to the users and don't be afraid to use the tools that Slack offers.