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CIRA Slack Workspace Quickstart

- Posted by: Barbra Lashbrook - January 5, 2023 Back to CIRA Wiki Home


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How can I request an account for myself?

The CIRA Slack Workspace is not currently configured for e-mail sign-ups and you will need to receive an invitation from a current member to join. To request an invitation, ask your CIRA supervisor or CIRA team lead, or send an e-mail to austin.boone@colostate.edu.

How can I create an account for my team member?

Any member of the CIRA workspace can send workspace invitations, though all invitations will pass through administrator approval. There are three primary invitation types. The first is for Members, which will be the most common. The member category covers basically anyone you’d expect the CIRA-All e-mails to reach. Temporary employees (e.g., summer interns) are most likely single or multichannel guests, and external partners can be single or multichannel guests or can be collaborators through Slack Connect. For guidance in choosing between a guest and a Slack Connect collaborator, check out https://slack.com/resources/slack-for-admins/guests-vs-channels-in-slack-connect. If you have further questions about the best setup for your situation, e-mail austin.boone@colostate.edu.

The process for inviting new members and new guests is the same and instructions can be found at https://slack.com/help/articles/201330256-Invite-new-members-to-your-workspace. If Slack Connect is the right solution for you, instructions for setting up a Slack Connect channel can be found at https://slack.com/resources/using-slack/getting-started-with-slack-connect

How do I access Slack?

Slack is accessible via web browser or using an application for your computer (Windows, Mac, and even a beta version for Linux) or phone (Android or iOS). There are ample Internet Tirades about which access point is better, but ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. You can access the CIRA Slack Workspace via your web browser at https://cira-csu.slack.com or download the relevant application for your system at https://slack.com/downloads

How do I join an existing channel?

By default, you will only be added to the cira-all channel. To browse and join other available channels, Click All channels at the top of the sidebar on the left of either the browser window or the application interface. If you don’t see the All channels option, click More and you should see it about halfway down the popup. When you hover over the channel in the list, you’ll see a button to Join show up on the righthand side (or Leave, if you are already a member of the channel).

How can I create a topical channel?

New channels can be created using the Create Channel button at the bottom of the full channel list described in “How do I join an existing channel?” section above or by clicking the + sign that shows up to the right of the Channels heading in the sidebar on the left when you hover over it and clicking on Create a channel.

For this workspace, the naming convention for channels is project-topic and you must provide a description of the channel when created (even though the channel creation window says this is optional). Channels will be reviewed monthly and owners of channels that do not adhere to these guidelines will be notified. Channels that do not conform within one month after notification will be deleted.

You may decide to create either public or private channels, depending on your use case. If this is a channel that should be open to all, leave the Make private slider off. If it is a channel that should only be open only to your project or group, select Make private and add members directly. Note that once a channel has been made private, it cannot be made public later.

Where should I look to see what I am being notified about?

By default, you will receive notifications about all new messages in the channels you are subscribed to (both messages and huddles), activity in threads you started or have contributed to, and direct messages.

To figure out where a notification is coming from, there are three main places to look in the sidebar on the left of either the browser window or application interface. If you receive a notification from activity in a channel you are subscribed to, that channel’s name will be bold under the Channels heading. If you receive a notification in a thread that you started or have contributed to, Threads will be bold at the top of the sidebar. If you receive a notification from a direct message, the person’s name who sent you the message will be bold under the Direct messages heading.

How do I tone down my notifications?

By default, you will receive notifications about all new messages in the channels you are subscribed to (both messages and huddles), activity in threads you started or have contributed to, and direct messages, which is likely too much. Notifications can be configured globally and channel-by-channel to help you make the most of the feature. For help in setting up notifications that are useful to you, check out https://slack.com/help/articles/201355156-Configure-your-Slack-notifications

You can also temporarily mute all notifications following instructions at https://slack.com/help/articles/214908388-Pause-notifications-with-Do-Not-Disturb

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