Slack - The Workplace Communications Tool - Boon or Bane?

[FJAG]

Slack Technologies - a company that was founded by Canadian Stewart Butterfield after he sold Flickr to Yahoo! - has just gone public. It's workplace communications tool, Slack which was launched in 2013 is already being used by numerous major corporations and has an estimated value of some USD17 billion.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/tech/slack-ipo-direct-listing/index.html

In a lot of ways this software is a rolled up combination of workplace channels, instant messenger, document sharing and collaboration tools but it seems to take up a lot of worker time from other more productive tasks.

Slack is ruining my life and I love it
By Seth Fiegerman, CNN Business Updated 9:13 AM ET, Thu June 20, 2019

New York (CNN Business)In the time it took me to type this sentence about Slack, I received more than a dozen messages in a private Slack group and more posts than I can count in several team channels. I typed many words in response to those messages — some of them even borderline good words — but came no closer to completing my job for the day: writing this article about Slack.

If you don't know what Slack is, chances are you don't work in media or tech. Congratulations, you have probably made better life choices than I have. Most of the time, Slack is described blandly as a workplace communication tool. But that barely scratches the surface of its impact on teams, internet culture and, most importantly of all, my own damn life.

Slack is many things: an engine for collaboration and a distraction machine; a community-builder for an office and a facsimile of high school cliques; a service to streamline work and to blur the lines of your work/life balance. It is the bane of my existence and also, at times, the only salve for a stressful day.

Think of AOL Instant Messenger, but for people with jobs. Better yet, think of coworking space provider WeWork, with its promise of delivering office culture as a service. Slack does that too, but online rather than in a physical space. At a time when more people are working jobs behind screens, sometimes remotely in distributed workplaces, Slack is the new office watercooler. It is the work environment you have when you're stuck at your desk for hours and can't hover by the glorious office plant wall or the craft beer taps in the kitchen. (For the record: Our office has neither.)

...

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/tech/slack-confessions/index.html

Is anyone out there using Slack and if so what are your thoughts?

:cheers:

 

[Cloud Cover]

It’s like BBM groups for enterprise was supposed to be. I do not appreciate the hooks the app makes into the OS in a BYOD environment.

Our firm uses it but nobody wants to use it at full design potential.  If you are a litigator or managing partner it is just another distraction to displace valuable army.ca time.

 

[RocketRichard]

Slack Technologies - a company that was founded by Canadian Stewart Butterfield after he sold Flickr to Yahoo! - has just gone public. It's workplace communications tool, Slack which was launched in 2013 is already being used by numerous major corporations and has an estimated value of some USD17 billion.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/tech/slack-ipo-direct-listing/index.html

In a lot of ways this software is a rolled up combination of workplace channels, instant messenger, document sharing and collaboration tools but it seems to take up a lot of worker time from other more productive tasks.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/tech/slack-confessions/index.html

Is anyone out there using Slack and if so what are your thoughts?

:cheers:

My unit leadership uses it and it’s a great communications tool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Slack Technologies - a company that was founded by Canadian Stewart Butterfield after he sold Flickr to Yahoo! - has just gone public. It's workplace communications tool, Slack which was launched in 2013 is already being used by numerous major corporations and has an estimated value of some USD17 billion.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/tech/slack-ipo-direct-listing/index.html

In a lot of ways this software is a rolled up combination of workplace channels, instant messenger, document sharing and collaboration tools but it seems to take up a lot of worker time from other more productive tasks.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/tech/slack-confessions/index.html

Is anyone out there using Slack and if so what are your thoughts?

:cheers:

My spouse uses it at TD Bank.  She considers it very useful for customer service as it allows branch wide collaboration when dealing with more complex financial issues that customers may have.  Also good for getting answers you may not know quickly. 

 

[Cloud Cover]

“Another master to serve”.... https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48713469