Slack: collaboration tool we think entrepreneurs will love

Slack hits the spot for entrepreneurs

There are many collaboration tools on the market and in the app stores, but finding things within these tools can be difficult; that is where Slack comes in. Slack is a collaboration app with a universal search capability which makes finding things like files, conversations, and notifications a breeze. You can even search across a third-party provider, like Google Drive. Communication happens in Slack through public channels, direct messages, and private groups.

When you log in, you will see your Slackbot homepage (#general). You also get a scratchpad where anything you type is private, but will show up in your personal search results. It is perfect for notes, addresses, links, or anything you need to keep track of.

Private groups are similar to a channel expect that an invitation is required to join. Activity in private groups is only visible to the group’s members. Any private group member can invite new members to the private group at any time, but private groups are not discoverable by anyone who is not already a member of the group.

Setting up your channels

You also have a “random channel” (#random), which is intended to be used for non-work related links, articles, humor, or anything else you need to concentrate on in a separate place from work-related channels. But, you can close any channel (except your general one) anytime and re-open it whenever you need to, with all your stored information in tact. When you have unread messages in any channel, the channel name appears in bolded white font. When you are mentioned in a channel, you will receive a notification and see a counter showing the number of unread mentions.

Everything is indexed, archives, and synced across devices so you can pick up where you left off. When you are ready, invite your teammates to Slack. If you use a specific domain for work email, you can set that up so everyone can sign in more easily. You can then install the apps for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android. You can fully access your archives, upload files, and access files and messaging on-the-go.

Slack also syncs across all platforms including iOS and Anroid, so anything you do on your tablet will be automatically synced to the web-based version. Slack’s main goal is to eliminate external email. Slack differs from the competition in that it offers both private and group messages, as well as “channels.” Channels give you a space to discuss non-project/work related item while still maintaining some organization of the conversation.

Currently, Slack is in beta, so you might have to wait for an invitation, and using a common invitation (they were unaware we were press when we set up), we were able to use all features for free, but it is unclear whether or not all features will remain free, as Terms of Service mention payment plans which are not yet mentioned on the site.

Photo tour of Slack