We started using Slack to supplement live discussion in the NLUG community. We don’t have any intention of abandoning our mailing list/Google Group which has been in use for decades.
Like IRC, Slack is just better for live chat/ real-time conversation. Combined with the mailing list, it gives us more robust community discussions.
Other benefits are the ability to make subchannels (public or private) for regular discussion topics. One Example is our Job Leads channel.
You can also send private messages one-on-one to other members, share files, share your screen, make calls, and teleconference meetings.
As we get used to our new location’s media resources, we’ll explore using teleconferencing to include remote members.
There are also tons of third-party plugins and advanced features we haven’t even scratched the surface of using yet.
Multi-Platform
Slack is multi-platform. If it didn’t run on Linux, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. I use Slack on all my devices and the ability to carry on conversations anywhere is one of the things that makes it so useful. Likewise, having the ability to control notifications. Just go to the App store for whatever desktop or mobile device you’re using. Yes, it is in the Ubuntu store.
You can also access slack from a browser. Perhaps your job won’t let you install the client on your work computer. You can still keep up with your discussions. https://app.slack.com
Getting Started
Once you’ve gotten Slack installed, here’s a great article Getting started for new members.
Every Slack workspace uses different credentials. If you already belong to another workspace, you might get confused when your login credentials for that group don’t work in ours.
You’ll need an invite link to join our workspace.
Click here for your invite link.
If you need our workspace address, it’s nlug.slack.com
Once you get signed in, say Hi or ask for help with some Linux issue or project you’re working on.