Slacking

So, I just checked out Slack and played around a bit, and I can see how this tool would be really useful in the workplace, or as a part of a PLN. We really don't use any chat tools at my work at all, since the school I work at tends to be a bit old fashioned. We rely mostly on email, phone calls, and meetings. However, among the people in my team, a tool like this would be great! Important emails can sometimes get lost in a full inbox, a problem that would be eradicated by having a chat devoted only to a specific team and the work/issues that they are dealing with. Additionally, it would be great to use in place of email chains that involve multiple parties, since the conversation is all contained in a topical space.

I can also see how this would be really great as a group space for professionals that are involved in the same field, or share research interests, as long as the group does not grow too large. It would be great for the members of a particular academic project, or who are interested in a particular subtopic in their field, to share information and discuss projects.

I think I might introduce the idea of trying out slack with my team. We are a pretty small department of five, so I think it would work nicely to help facilitate conversation when we are not all in the office. Sometimes we have emergencies or issues that need to be resolved quickly, and this would be a much more convenient medium through which to communicate than email. No more scrolling through numerous emails looking to see if your colleague has responded, or sent needed information. Hopefully they will be open to it!