Using Slack
Most of our communication is done through Slack, a messaging app designed for use in work environments. Slack is divided into "channels", which are basically group chats for specific purposes. There are many channels, the most important ones for members of the Software Team are likely going to be:
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#h-y-p-e-r-m-e-m-e-s- memes, duh... -
#_important- announcements for the entire society -
#gen-general- concerning the entire society -
#tech-gen- concerning the entire Tech Team -
#tech-software- concerning the Software Team -
#tech-software-prs- automated updates on PRs
If you are working on a project like sensors or motor control where you are working closely with another tech team, you should also join their channel(s).
Slack has some awesome features that help keep things organised:
- You can reply to messages in threads, which is great for having multiple conversations in one channel simultaneously.
- You can edit and delete your messages, which is great for avoiding spam through corrections and clarifications.
- You can message specific members through direct messages (DMs) in case there's something that only concerns them like an admin issue. Use this with care, often it's better to start a conversation in a relevant channel because others may either be able to contribute or there's some useful information. E.g. when you are stuck and discussing the issue with your PM, it's usually better to chat in the software channel. Keeping these discussions public means that the issues are still solvable in the future, which is much more useful than you may think!
- You can search for specific channels and also manage channels in groups on the left. This can be quite useful, e.g. to sort DMs by projects/teams.