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Our Week Without Slack

motherboard.vice.com

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Re: Our Week Without Slack

#31

Post by carlesfe »

jkoebler wrote: post #24
carlesfe wrote: post #22

Wait, is Slack now so "mainstream" that it's problematic and the cool thing to do is to get off it? > "The longest I can go without checking it even if I'm incredibly busy is probably 10-15 minutes." Well... don't? Maybe close the app? Our team is 100% remote and we use Slack and email constantly, but when somebody needs to finish some urgent task, we just close it, no big deal. Is having a bit of privacy and piece o…

Hey, I'm the guy on the Motherboard team who said this. You make a fair point, but I think the main difference is that we're a team that publishes 20 or so stories every single day. That's 20 individual pieces of content that go from merely an idea to a finished, public product, usually in the course of a couple hours or so for each one. Each one doesn't require input but input is often useful for each of those. We h…

I can understand that different teams use Slack differently.

However, I assume you did manage to work before Slack existed, right? I'm not saying this sarcastically. We sometimes forget that there are many different ways to produce the same result. You can perfectly use it less.

It should provide value; if it doesn't, reduce its usage.

> That means dropping from slack means you completely lose track / have no input in perhaps many things that you could have helped out with. It's in theory not the end of the world, but we got used to providing input on basically every story, and so that's where I'm coming from on this

I always think of this quote when one of these dilemmas hits me: "You are not as important as you think you are". You think you need input or to contribute constantly, but that's not usually the case. Slow down on your communication, it's fine. Don't check Slack every 15 minutes when you're writing, check it less often. Easier said than done :)

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#32

Post by Mendenhall »

I like slack as a tool. How I used it mostly was for important things right then. We would have slack up and if something was posted you looked, because it was most likely urgent. No meme sending or idle chat allowed. I dont want my time wasted by looking at a stupid meme. Work and work only on slack is what works for us. (exception we use it when ordering lunch lol)

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#35

Post by jkoebler »

carlesfe wrote: post #31
jkoebler wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, I'm the guy on the Motherboard team who said this. You make a fair point, but I think the main difference is that we're a team that publishes 20 or so stories every single day. That's 20 individual pieces of content that go from merely an idea to a finished, public product, usually in the course of a couple hours or so for each one. Each one doesn't require input but input is often useful for each of those. We h…

I can understand that different teams use Slack differently. However, I assume you did manage to work before Slack existed, right? I'm not saying this sarcastically. We sometimes forget that there are many different ways to produce the same result. You can perfectly use it less. It should provide value; if it doesn't, reduce its usage. > That means dropping from slack means you completely lose track / have no input i…

Yep, I think this is the lesson we learned last week. The world doesn't end if any one of us drops.

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#36

Post by icebraining »

tlogan wrote: post #11
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #4

I disagree with the article. Slack is invaluable for my needs as a software engineer. However, none of the people mentioned in the article are software engineers. Different jobs require different levels and forms of collaboration. Maybe collaboration between journalists can and should take a different form than Slack. That doesn't seem very surprising to me.

Can you please explain how do you use Slack for development in your team? For devs, it is just too much noise to have any reasonable conversation: maybe because writing emails ensures that writer/sender thinks more about what to write in email. Or because we try to check email only twice a day (so that we are focusing on actual development). We tried using for checkins and build statuses but web page seems a better w…

Or because we try to check email only twice a day (so that we are focusing on actual development).

That's the thing I'd like to have in our chat - a way to mark a message as "not urgent" (or vice-versa), so that it doesn't interrupt their work. Usually I just end up emailing them, but that just adds a bunch of friction to both sides, and even then some of my colleagues are expected to reply to emails with little delay, since they handle client support.

On IRC one can configure the client to alert the users only when the message matches certain terms, but we use Hangouts :|

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#38

Post by kethinov »

They claim Slack is distracting while the picture at the top of the article is a bunch of people working in cramped quarters in an open office.

I think they have bigger fish to fry here.

Slack has a mute button. All that requires is self control. You can't mute coworkers sitting too close to you. Even with headphones (which notice half the people in the photo are wearing) you can only somewhat filter out the distracting people.

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#39

Post by AznHisoka »

kordless wrote: post #26
AznHisoka wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're just saying Slack creates an environment that makes it easy to be unproductive. So they made the right decision to not use it rather than force themselves to use up their "discipline energy" and use it properly. It's like going on a diet and deciding not to have any junk food in the house rather than have it around and force yourself to be disciplined. An entirely valid (and correct) approach.

And what of those that don't need to expend "discipline energy" whatever the fuck that is? Slack is not the problem, nor the removal of it the solution. This is corporate bullshit in action.

Then go ahead and use Slack. To each his own. For Vice it obviously didn't cultivate a productive environment.

Re: Our Week Without Slack

#40

Post by mkhpalm »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #17
wink wrote: post #2

As someone having an IRC client open while working since around 15 years this is so mindboggling. (Well, everything regarding the buzz about Slack and how it's a replacement for email, no it's the best thing since sliced bread, no wait, it's horrible.. etc.pp) Why yes, of course you need to restrain yourself from chatting all day. And learn to ignore people or tell them you're not able to talk to them right now - but…

IRC is often mentioned in regards to slack, but I find Instant Messenger(s) a bit closer in spirit. Did everyone stop using those too, in favor of facebook and slack, etc?

True, or Skype.
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