111–120 of 131 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a manager tell me we can't hire people to be low productivity people just because we need people in the rotation. Idk if I agree with that, though I guess I get the point.
Who suggested hiring low productivity people?
Here's what this conversation always boils down to: Slack is a tool, just like one of probably dozens you use in your day-to-day work. It doesn't set or enforce any guidelines for how it should be used. If left unchecked it has a tendency to amplify the worst parts of your company's culture. If you make an effort to moderate it, it can be a huge asset to productivity. Speaking of the example in the article, there is…
The guys at 37signals/Basecamp said it well here: https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-presence-prison/ The problem isn't the tool, it's the mindset that often goes with it.
Here's what this conversation always boils down to: Slack is a tool, just like one of probably dozens you use in your day-to-day work. It doesn't set or enforce any guidelines for how it should be used. If left unchecked it has a tendency to amplify the worst parts of your company's culture. If you make an effort to moderate it, it can be a huge asset to productivity. Speaking of the example in the article, there is…
- email is good for mindful conversations. It is slow and doesn't need to interrupt. mailing lists feed into this.
- wikis are great for information that is designed. But it takes a lot of energy, and really requires dedicated maintenance. I've never worked anywhere where internal wikis were better than mediocre.
- bug systems have an off-label use - they are great for finding out about problems in company specific software/systems
- ticket systems are great for resolving small problems. But they seem to be closed systems that aren't searchable.
- slack. Now slack is good, not evil. I think where slack shines is up-to-the-minute communication where several people help work through a problem. but in moderation! Be polite, do not nag.
It is also exceptional at "trivial" knowledge that nonetheless holds back bright minds from progress - and is searchable.
What goes into slack is the less-formal-than-email stuff, the less-organized-than-wiki stuff, and less-critical-than-bug-report stuff.
Slack is like a bad email client. It takes the onus off the message author and instead places it on everyone else. It's not your job to make sure I'm CC'd when necessary, it's now my job to wade through dozens of channels to make sure I'm always up to date.
I don't super understand these articles. Before slack we had Lync, and then skype, and now it's slack. It doesn't replace email, it replaced those other communication apps. I am aware that Slack has a crusade against email but the article or that business example didn't ask why not both? There's a need for real-time communication and there's a need for email too.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can set up filters. How am I ever supposed to reliably sift through the noise on Slack?
Culturally, you make the onus on the sender to make sure the receiver got the message.
> hi edmundsauto
(silence until you reply)
slack IS email. corporate communication changed medium but remained the same. paper/reports/memos > email clients > rich email clients > webmail+blackberry > webmail+email apps > slack (desktop email app) it is just the first, crappy, desktop email app client. The incumbents will eat them soon, just like microsoft and oracle ate all other email clients in the 90s. I mean, slack is already in someone’s plate.
Except that searching through email was a lot easier than searching for something in Slack. Important conversations would be scattered all throughout slack. I had a notes file in which I would store URLs for these important messages. I just retired recently and can say truthfully that simply not having to deal with Slack has improved my sense of wellbeing immensely.
Here's what this conversation always boils down to: Slack is a tool, just like one of probably dozens you use in your day-to-day work. It doesn't set or enforce any guidelines for how it should be used. If left unchecked it has a tendency to amplify the worst parts of your company's culture. If you make an effort to moderate it, it can be a huge asset to productivity. Speaking of the example in the article, there is…
This ignores the fact that defaults matter, and defaults shape the usage of the tool. I want to reply in threats, but often don't, because it requires me to let go of my keyboard and fumble around with the mouse to do it. That's why I vastly prefer Zulip (which additionally isn't slow as molasses).
Here's what this conversation always boils down to: Slack is a tool, just like one of probably dozens you use in your day-to-day work. It doesn't set or enforce any guidelines for how it should be used. If left unchecked it has a tendency to amplify the worst parts of your company's culture. If you make an effort to moderate it, it can be a huge asset to productivity. Speaking of the example in the article, there is…
Slack expects you to look at slack during your work hours - and robs you from the focus needed for deep work. Or, you do deep work, and lose on the decisions, chatter made in real time. Slack turns the working environment to an equivalent of n open office where everyone chatters all of the time. Good luck doing anything else.
People don't interrupt me on Slack, simply because Slack doesn't jump in front of my IDE. When I see a notification dot and have time, I'll look at it and reply