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Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

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Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#81

Post by Cthulhu_ »

bombcar wrote: post #35
gkoberger wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slack has a really nice popup that blocks this from happening by mistake, and confirms you really want to do it. (Also, @here is a great alternative because it only notifies people actively on Slack.)

It would be nice if there was something like @eventually for everyone in the channel the next time they get on or similar.

Isn't that just the 'unread' marker?

I mean if it's imperative that everyone reads it, just send an e-mail instead or keep a non-interactive #announcements channel.

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#82

Post by barrucadu »

jawns wrote: post #2

Most important Slack etiquette ... Don't @channel large channels after hours!

While @channel is generally rude (unless it's something really urgent, and even then that's better solved by having one person specifically be interruptible for urgent questions), it's even better to just not check Slack after hours.

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#84

Post by swilliamsio »

LesZedCB wrote: post #55
multiplegeorges wrote: post #15

> Less messages means more efficient collaboration I think this should be "Fewer messages...". Good grammar improves communication, as well.

if it was good enough to get the idea across in order to be corrected, it succeeded. grammar is fake. language is made up, didn't you know? pithy response aside, i work with a lot of ESL international folks, caring about grammar comes _way_ after being gracious in communication. edit: also, period goes inside quote, even with ellipses. https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/ellipses . secondly, the extra comma before "as wel…

> also, period goes inside quote

According to Wikipedia, it very much depends: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Punc...

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#85

Post by fleddr »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #76
joseph8th wrote: post #67

At risk of repeating what everyone else has said... My PM does the "Hey" thing. I do not multitask. I'm a serial tasker. So I turned off all notifications on Slack. The only way I know I have a message is the red dot that appears in the panel icon. Now, it's async again. When I even glance up to see if there are new messages... Red dot or no red dot

If they only say "Hey" with no follow-up, I'll just assume it was nothing and they got distracted. In smaller environments it could work to link them to e.g. https://nohello.net/en/ and / or educate them though. But turning off notifications works; it keeps your focus, and making them wait for a reply trains and reminds them that it's asynchronous communication. A lot of people have grown accustomed to fast replies t…

Your assumption may be wrong though. Especially if you work internationally, the greeting ritual may be a form of civil courtesy.

I do hate it though. Just ask the damn question, don't wait for me to say "hey" back.

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#86

Post by chockchocschoir »

joseph8th wrote: post #67

At risk of repeating what everyone else has said... My PM does the "Hey" thing. I do not multitask. I'm a serial tasker. So I turned off all notifications on Slack. The only way I know I have a message is the red dot that appears in the panel icon. Now, it's async again. When I even glance up to see if there are new messages... Red dot or no red dot

Another non-confrontational way of dealing with this issue is to engage the first time they do it, and when the conversation is about to end, tell them "hey by the way, in the future I'd appreciate it if instead of saying "hey" and waiting for me to reply, you'd just write me the question in one go, as that would be less distraction for me. Thank you, hope you understand" or something similar.

This way there won't be any misunderstandings about why some people seem more responsive than others, because now that person knows how to communicate with you.

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#87

Post by chockchocschoir »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #78
27182818284 wrote: post #10

> Never send a direct message that just says “hey” or “hello.” The corner of the page: "Hey friend, got a minute to chat" ha!

That's not the gotcha you think it is; it's not just "hey", it's an actionable question.

No, they're the same. Although here used in different contexts (trying to start a sync conversation VS marketing trying to get you to sign up for something), but they are effectively saying the same thing, "I need a minute from you for X".

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#88

Post by fleddr »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #78
27182818284 wrote: post #10

> Never send a direct message that just says “hey” or “hello.” The corner of the page: "Hey friend, got a minute to chat" ha!

That's not the gotcha you think it is; it's not just "hey", it's an actionable question.

It's still poor etiquette as it lacks basic context. Chat about what? Something important? The weather? What is the urgency/priority?

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#89

Post by maccard »

_carbyau_ wrote: post #53
maccard wrote: post #14

> Write longer messages that scan quickly I like this one. I'm an emoji fan, but understand that not everyone else is. It boils down to "spend time crafting a message that contains the correct information" or even more succinctly "respect other people's time". There's nothing worse than a giant wall of text with all the pertinent information buried in the middle of it.

Takes time to be concise: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/ It's a trade off between comprehension and ease of distillation made easier if you know your audience well. If you take the time to ease comprehension then ALL who read it save time. But how much of your time will save how much of theirs?

> But how much of your time will save how much of theirs?

There's definitely a tradeoff to be had here, and it's up to you to decide. I err on the side of over-editing in work/professional communications (and likely under-editing on social media), out of courtesy for the people reading what I'm saying!

Re: Collaborate with kindness: Etiquette tips in Slack

#90

Post by Qem »

The etiquette tip I'd like to see adopted for most collaboration software is: "Don't be the cam psychopath!". By cam psychopath I mean, people that are constantly pestering and complaining about their subordinates/colleagues that don't like to keep their cam open in meetings.
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