Slack

Browsing and joining channels

Every Slack team can have designated channels that team members join by default. However, your team will also have other channels you can browse and join. Here’s how to find, join, and learn about new channels:

Browsing channels:

To browse your team's channels, click the Channels header in the left sidebar. This will open the channel browser, where you can search, sort, and explore all the channels on your team:

Note: On paid teams, Guest accounts are able to join both public and private channels by invitation only, and cannot browse or search open team channels.

Previewing and joining channels:

When you select a new channel via the channel browser or the Quick Switcher, you can preview the channel's activity before joining.

To join, just click Join Channel or press Enter.

Shortcuts and commands:

Use the Quick Switcher to search for channels by name: just use ⌘ K on Mac or Ctrl K on PC.

If you know the name of a channel you'd like to join, use the /join command. This will skip channel preview and add you to the channel instantly.

Learning more about a channel

Need to know more about a channel, or view its members? Click the show details icon    for any channel or direct message to view the details pane.

Here, you’ll find out details about the channel, including the purpose, pinned items, channel members, shared files, and more.

How to change your notification preferences

1. Click on where it says 'Strictly Savvy' in the top left hand corner of Slack  

2. Click preferences

3. Click Notification Settings

4. Select which preference you would like

How to ensure everyone sees your Slack message

Before you start typing your message start typing @everyone and a pop up will come up. Select that and then write your message. Everyone will now get a notification to make them look at the message.

Make sure you are writing this in a channel eg. general, harvest requests etc and not in a direct message.

How to get your Slack back if it has disappeared

If you need to open your Slack you can open it by going to the bottom right-hand side of your task bar where you will see the # icon. If it's not there, open your Start bar and type in Slack. This will open Slack and put it back into your taskbar. 

Inviting team members to a channel

Every member of a public or private channel can invite new members to join at any time. There are a few ways to invite someone to a channel:

Using the /invite command:

You can invite a team member to a channel with a simple slash command. Just type /invite @username to send an invite.

Linking to a channel:

To link to a channel in a Slack message, just type the channel name with a hashtag (e.g. #new-channel). Team members can click the channel name to preview its contents or join.

Inviting new members to a private channel:

When you invite new team members to an existing private channel, you can decide whether to give them access to the channel's history or to start a new channel.

Starting a new channel means the existing channel will be renamed and archived. A new channel will be created with all current members plus the new ones you invite. You and other current members will see a link back to the original channel’s archives.

Understanding channels and DMs

Your team can talk about a variety of topics in Slack: projects, deals, deliveries, financials, cat GIFs, and more.

Most of this information is useful to everyone, but not every discussion needs to be seen by your entire team. That's why Slack provides a few different ways to have a conversation: channels, private channels, and direct messages.

When to use a channel or direct message

#Channels are for conversations that are open to all team members. Messages posted to channels are archived and searchable to the entire team:

Private channels are best used for topics that are sensitive or confidential, or limited to a small group of team members. A private channel and its contents are visible and searchable only to the channel members. These have a lock symbol beside them.

Direct messages and group messages (DMs and group DMs) are useful for quick, private conversations between two or more team members. These conversations are visible and searchable only to you and the team members you DM.

Who can join a channel:

Channels can be joined freely by any member of your Slack team. See Browsing and joining channels for more on discovering new channels on your team.

Private channels can be joined by invitation only. See inviting team members to a private channel for more.

Using @mentions

While holding a conversation in a channel, you may need to call the attention of a team member. Type a person’s @username in your message to grab their attention.

If you @mention someone who isn’t currently in the channel, Slackbot will ask you what to do next:

By default, the first name you enter in your Slack profile is also included as one of your highlight words, and will notify you in the same way as an @mention. Some teams may choose to turn this off, but can still choose to include it in your highlight words. 

Checking your recent mentions:

View your latest @mentions, @channel messages, and highlight words by clicking the Mentions & Reactions icon   in the top right corner of Slack. This will open the Recent Mentions pane.

To see only your @mentions and highlights, uncheck the Include @channel mentions option.