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Slack is a chat-based communications platform that can be used to communicate with the entire company. There several types of communication channels present in Slack that you will encounter.

Slack message types

There are three main types of message types in Slack:

• Public channel: This type of group is a shared collaboration between all of its members and is visible to anybody in the company that is not a guest. People may leave and join the channel as needed without being invited.

• Private channel: This type of channel is for discussing certain matters that should not be made public and their use should be considered sparingly.

• Direct messages (DM): Direct messages are usually 1 to 1 messages between two users though up to 8 participants can be directly messaged at once.

Basic Setup

Slack is available as a web app on medtrainer.slack.com or via an app that is downloadable to most major operating systems as well as mobile devices.

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Signing in

Web app

When signing in at medtrainer.slack.com you’ll need to provide your email address and password to access. If you’ve also enabled two-factor authentication, you’ll also need to provide the six-digit code provided by your 2FA app or device.

Desktop application

If you’re signing in on a desktop application on Windows, macOS or Linux you’ll be asked for the workspace url and a web browser will be opened to log you in to Slack. After you have signed in, your browser will ask you to open your desktop app to continue. After this step, you should be signed in and ready to go.

Mobile app

If you are signing in on a mobile application you’ll be asked to enter the workspace url and to provide your email address and password as on the desktop and web versions. The difference with this login is that you may request a Magic Link to sign into Slack if you have your work email synced to your phone. Once the link arrives, you will be prompted to select which app to open it with and select Slack.

Communication

Channels

You may join any public channel in Slack and collaborate with other staff members. Channel names all start with a # symbol, such as #general or #random. Upon signing in to Slack you may notice that you are part of at least two channels (#general and #random) though you may have more depending on the configuration.

While using Slack remember these guidelines:

Be respectful

Our team is diverse and there are people from all walks of life. As such we should make an effort to be respectful of everyone in Slack.

Use common sense when posting: if you feel like something you wrote may offend someone, maybe it shouldn’t be posted. Also, keep in mind that Human Resources and IT maintain a set of policies regarding digital communication and the correct usage of these platforms.

Be nice

Text is not a perfect medium for communicating and tone may be misunderstood every once in a while. If you feel that something is off, it’s better to clear things up instead of reacting defensively.

Read through the current conversation

Slack channels (both public and private) are spaces of collaboration and once you enter, there may already be a conversation in the works. You should refrain from changing the current subject unless you’ve noticed that the conversation has died down.

Avoid GIF or image spam

A picture speaks a thousand words so a GIF should speak several thousand by that logic. Regardless of how many words are actually conveyed through a GIF it is recommended to use these images sparingly in public and private chats to avoid losing the thread of the conversation. Also posting long images can cause the conversation to get lost in the history.

It may be better to use emoji reactions to convey emotions that stem from a particular message. They are far less intrusive and people can tell who reacted that way.

Notifications

Slack notifies you whenever you have been tagged with an @mention as well as certain keywords that you can set in your preferences. Slack will highlight the phrases where these exist so you can find them faster.

@channel or @here notifications

The company has employees from different time zones and with different schedules and as such we should be respectful of when they’re offline. The @channel mention notifies every member of the channel that it is sent in regardless of whether they are online or not. This may cause their notifications to go off after-hours. It is recommended to use @here instead which will notify the users of the channel that are currently online.

Profile Picture

We work with a lot of people in our organization and while some may never meet, it is always a good idea to have a good profile picture that people can use to put a face to your name. Things to consider:

1. Find a picture where your face is clearly visible on a solid background and that there is good lighting

2. Be sure to follow the dress code in your profile picture

3. Make sure you’re the only one in the frame

4. Smile!