Slack is a professional platform that facilitates communication and collaboration within a team. To start using it, you need to create a team (or join an existing group), and then invite other users to join. Once the chat is set up, it is possible to use various channels to communicate publicly and send direct messages to exchange private information. In the chat you can use special text formats, add emojis or reactions, check mentions, share files and much more.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Creating a Team
Step 1. Open Slack
You can use the website (https://slack.com) or download the application for desktop or mobile platform at
It is easier to set up on the website, then use one of the applications to start chatting
Step 2. Enter an email address and click on "Create Team"
On the website this field appears in the center of the page. You will be prompted to enter the team name.
- Before proceeding you will be asked to enter a 6-digit security code, sent to your email address.
- On mobile devices you will be prompted to enter an email address after tapping the "Create Team" link.
- If you already know which team you want to join, you can also click on "Find Your Team".
Step 3. Enter the team name and click "Next"
You will be prompted to create a web domain for the group.
Step 4. Enter the web domain and click "Next"
You will be prompted to enter your name / username.
All team domains end in ".slack.com"
Step 5. Enter a name / username and click "Next"
You will be prompted to review the information associated with the team before proceeding with creation.
Step 6. Click on "Create My Team"
The team chat room will open.
You can select "Edit" next to any part of the team to go back and make changes before confirming
Step 7. Invite other users to join the team by clicking on the "Invite People" button, located in the left sidebar
A page will open asking you to enter the email addresses and names of the users you want to send an invitation to.
- On mobile this button appears at the top of the main chat screen. It also allows you to access the device contacts to send invitations.
- If you've joined a team and don't have admin privileges, this button won't appear.
Step 8. Create a channel
Click on "+" next to "Channel" in the left sidebar. This way you can choose a name, invite users and decide whether to make it public (any user of the team will be able to see or join) or private (by invitation only).
To access the sidebar on a mobile device, tap the team name in the top left
Step 9. Send direct messages to your teammates
Click on "+" next to "Direct Messages". Enter a user's name - a direct message channel will be created within the left sidebar, allowing you to communicate privately with that user.
Direct message channels can include multiple users
Step 10. Edit the notifications associated with the channel
Click on the icon depicting a gear, located at the top right. Select "Notification Preferences…". In this section you can decide in which cases you wish to receive a notification (for example every time you receive a message or only when you are mentioned) on any platform associated with your account.
- You can set up custom notifications to be received whenever specific words are mentioned.
- If you are using a mobile phone, you can access this section from the Settings menu.
- You can temporarily disable notifications by pressing the bell icon in the top left (top right on mobile devices).
Part 2 of 3: Send Messages and Manage Workflow
Step 1. Switch between teams
If your account belongs to multiple teams, you can switch between groups by clicking on the relevant name in the top left and selecting "Sign into Another Team".
If you are using your mobile phone, after tapping the team name, you will see an icon depicting four squares in the top right, instead of the "Sign into Another Team" link
Step 2. Switch between channels
Click on any link within the "Channels" section (in the left sidebar) to open the associated chat.
- You can also press Ctrl + K to open a menu that allows you to quickly search for a channel.
- To open the sidebar on a mobile, tap the team name in the top left.
Step 3. Send messages in the chat
Type in the text field and press Enter.
By clicking on the button that looks like a smiley face (located to the right of the text field on the website and to the left on mobile devices), you can add emojis to your messages
Step 4. Use special formats
You can change the format of a term or an entire message by inserting it between certain symbols. You can find a full list here.
- By inserting an asterisk (*) at the beginning and end of the message, the characters will appear in bold.
- If you enter an underscore (_), the characters will appear in italics.
- By inserting a tilde (~), the text will be strikethrough.
- By using three grave accents (,,,), the text will appear in a box.
Step 5. Edit the messages
Hover the mouse cursor over a message: an icon consisting of three dots will appear. Click on it: a menu will open that will allow you to edit, delete, mark as unread, fix or set a reminder for the message in question.
- If you're using a mobile device, touch and hold a message to see the full list of editing options.
- Pinning a message allows you to insert it at the top of the channel, keeping it fixed as you scroll through the page. Use this option for important announcements.
- You can set a reminder to remind you of something between 20 minutes and a week.
Step 6. To indicate that a message is important, click on the star icon
When hovering the mouse cursor over the message, the star will appear next to the timestamp. It will be added to a list of saved messages that you can check later by clicking on the star icon at the top right.
If you're on a mobile, tap a message to select it, then tap the star that appears at the top of the screen. You can see saved messages by tapping on the team name and selecting "Starred" from the drop-down menu in the top left
Step 7. Mention a user in a chat
Type "@" followed by the username of the person you wish to name. The user in question will be notified with a notification.
- Example: "@user: slack message".
- Mentions can also be used to address an entire channel or team ("@channel", "@team").
- You can check the messages in which you have been mentioned by clicking on the "@" icon at the top right. On a mobile device, this option can be accessed by tapping the team name and selecting "Mentions" from the drop-down menu at the top left.
Step 8. Add reactions to messages
When you hover your mouse cursor over a message, click on the smiley face to insert an emoji, which will appear directly below it. You can use this option to vote for something or without a particular purpose.
- Reactions can also be added to messages from the edit menu. On mobile devices, this is the only way to enter them.
- You can only express a reaction using emojis.
Step 9. Upload files to the chat
Tap the "+" button in the text field and select "Upload file" from the pop-up menu to search for the document on your device.
- If you use a computer, you can also drag and drop files into the chat window.
- On mobile devices, you can take and upload photos directly from the text field menu.
- Slack allows you to store files (including images) on your servers up to a maximum of 5GB. This capacity can be increased by performing a paid upgrade.
Part 3 of 3: Additional Features
Step 1. Set up custom reminders
Enter "/ remind" in the text field, followed by the name of a person ("@user") or a channel ("@channel"), the action to be performed and the time. Once you have entered the data, Slack will set up an automatic reminder.
- The standard formatting is as follows: "/ remind [person] [what] [when]". Example: "/ remind #general to finish work at 5pm!".
- The time can be specific ("at 12:00") or generic ("in 5 minutes").
- The reminders appear in the form of direct messages from Slackbot.
Step 2. Create text / code snippets
Click on "+" on the left side of the text field and select "Create a Snippet". A window will open with various options for formatting a box.
- Select a programming language from the drop-down menu at the top left and Slack will match the color formatting with the different values.
- Select the "Share In" drop-down menu to decide in which channel or conversation to share the snippet.
- Enter a comment: it will be included below the box.
- On mobile devices, you can only use the "` `` "formatting tag to insert boxes.
Step 3. Use the timestamp archives
Click on a timestamp on the left side of the message. The page dedicated to the archive of the message in question will open, where you will find all the other messages sent immediately after or in response.
- The archive link is permanent and can be shared.
- On mobile devices, you can tap a message and then the link icon in the top right.
Step 4. Integrate it with other platforms
If you have administrator privileges, you can log into slack.com/integrations and choose app extensions to include on Slack to interact directly.
- Various business collaboration programs, such as Google Drive, Trello, or Dropbox, feature neatly curated extensions for Slack.
- You can also integrate third-party bots in order to take advantage of more specific tools than the Slackbot.
Advice
- Slackbot is a useful tool to know all the details of the platform and its various functions. It can also be used for reminders or automated messages. These options can be activated by accessing the channel settings.
- When the keyboard is out of use, your status will automatically change, but you can also switch between them manually by clicking on the dot next to your name (or using the settings menu on mobile devices).
