Welcome back to #LMA23 Slack the Conference! We’re talking more tips and tricks for using Slack now and in the future.
Use Starring to Cut Through the Clutter
You might have looked at the #LMA23 Conference Guide spreadsheet and thought “wtf am I getting myself into?”.
I mean, I set this up, and I thought that.
There is a method to this madness, which is to ensure we don’t overwhelm the crap out of people with all the chatter while setting up channels related to sessions so the notes are easily exportable after the conference. But, that’s not what I wanted to talk about here.
Here’s how you can control some of that clutter.
This works for all of the sections on that left sidebar.
This is my view:
Granted, I’m in all the channels. But holy crap, that’s a lot to look at, and it’s hiding the channels I really want to get to. Using Slack’s starring (favoriting, if you will) function, you can organize your streams to your liking.
On the desktop app, right-click on the #channel and select “Star channel.”
That pops up the #channel to your starred items at the top of the sidebar.
IF YOU ARE ON THE MOBILE APP: the mobile equivalent of the right-click in these examples is to click on the #channel, which will bring you into the chat. Touch the #channel at the top of your phone (it’s in the upper left to the right of the arrow that heads back to the sidebar). This will bring up a panel. In the upper-right-hand corner (I’m on iOS), there’s a star icon.
Once you’ve got your starred channels, use the arrows to roll-up the channels so you’re not annoyed by them.
Now, if you want to level-up (or just satisfy that organizational urge), use SECTIONS.
Under that same right-click menu, if you hover “Move channel,” you’ll see section options. Create new sections, move #channels around. Toggle the sections on/off so you can get to the right channels.
If you’re on your mobile, follow the instructions above like you were starring the channel, but notice on the bottom of your screen something pops up with the word “change.” Pressing that will allow you to choose a section to move it to.
Here’s my final sectioning.
Direct Messaging
You CAN star direct messages to keep those chats at the top of your sidebar.
You may have already figured out how to direct message. 
The direct message chats themselves function the way the #channels do, only it’s a limited audience.
The sidebar “Direct Message” section auto-populates for you (or at least they do for me). If you don’t see your friend in the sidebar, hover over the “Direct Message” line and click the plus button.
In the main part of your screen, you’ll see a search field where you can search for other users.
The mobile direct message area is at a separate tab at the bottom of your phone app. The chats you’re currently engaged in will show up here. If you want to start a new private message with someone, in the lower right is a little icon paper & pencil. You can check the audiences you want to chat with – note that #channels and users show up here.
Group Chats
You can chat with groups, as well, using the same process.
On the desktop, you just use that search bar to select more users. For mobile, use the checkboxes to select more than one user.
Slack Integration: Simple Poll
One of the integrations I installed on the #LMA23 Slack space is Simple Poll. Each integration has its own set of rules, so this works specifically with Simple Poll.
Once you integrate an app, it’s generally accessible from all #channels in your workspace. And usually these integrations use the slash [/] to start.
Simple Poll has an awkward yet kinda simple text architecture. Here’s an example of a poll using that logic:
/poll “Are you staying in Florida for leisure” “Yes” “No”
Here’s how that looks within the #channel.
Users can click on the “1”s and “2”s to vote.
Let’s try a little longer one:
/poll “Which days will you be in Hollywood, FL?” “Saturday” “Sunday” “Monday” “Tuesday” “Wednesday” “Thursday”
When you hit enter on your keyboard, you’ll get a popup to confirm the poll. You can edit it there directly by clicking “Edit this poll.” It won’t be posted to the channel until you click on “Create Poll.”
These integrations always give you prompts and tips to use them in the #channel.
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