[OSList] Invitation: An always-on open space using a tool called "Slack"

[Lucas Cioffi via OSList]

Hi People,

In January, I shared this link <https://open-space-slack.herokuapp.com/> in
the email below to invite fellow OS-LIST folks to a pretty nifty chat
tool.  There are about 16 people who joined, so it's not critical mass
yet.  If you'd like to be an admin for this space, please let me know, and
I will gladly share the love.  The neat thing about Slack is that people
usually keep it on in the background while they're doing other work on
their computer, so it has the potential to be a 24/7 water cooler where you
get an immediate response.  This is quite different and quite complementary
to the emails on OSLIST.

I've also opened a similar chat space for people who are innovating in
civic tech, opengov, election reform, etc.  Here is the link to join
<http://civic-innovation-slack.herokuapp.com/> and the link to participate
<https://civic-innovation.slack.com/messages>.  There are about 115+ people
who have joined this second group from 11 timezones.  I will put a bunch of
effort into this experimental community over the next few months, so you're
welcome to drop in and play.  I think you'll find Slack very informal,
highly collaborative, and surprisingly worthwhile.  What we learn here we
can transfer to the OS community on Slack mentioned in the first paragraph.

Lucas Cioffi
Founder, QiqoChat.com
Charlottesville, VA
Mobile: 917-528-1831

On Sun, Jan 10, 2016 at 9:46 PM, Lucas Cioffi <lucas at qiqochat.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Slack is an online chat tool that I've become a big fan of over the past
> year.  I'd like to open up some space on it for our community.  It allows
> far greater customization and control than Facebook and LinkedIn; I think
> it has much to offer us.
>
> *What's different about Slack?*
> It's fun, social, colorful, instant, and easy to jump in.  Its biggest
> selling point is that you can go online and see who from our community is
> online right now at this very moment.  You can toss in a question into the
> chatroom and it's likely that someone will respond very quickly.
>
> People leave Slack open in the background when they are browsing other
> websites online.  It's like having the community's coffee break area just
> one click away at any given moment.  People pop in all the time.
>
> *No worries: Slack will not replace OSLIST.*
> Our community will always have a hunger for the long-form, thoughtful
> responses that happen on a listserv like OSLIST.  Slack provides
> back-and-forth conversation and exploration.  Once you start chatting on
> there with someone you'll see it's a completely different feel and
> absolutely complementary to the depth of OSLIST, just like the weekly video
> chats that Tricia Chirumbole started.
>
> *You are invited!*
> I've set up a space on Slack for the OS community.  Click here
> <https://open-space-slack.herokuapp.com/> to enter your email address
> receive an email invitation.
> If you're an early adopter, please give it a test drive.  Let's figure out
> how to make the most of what it offers and then come back to everyone with
> a better invitation.
>
> *How to Use Slack:*
>
>    - Here is a screenshot
>    <https://qiqochat.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/screen-shot-2016-01-10-at-9-05-58-pm.png> of
>    what Slack looks like.  A few weeks ago I was testing it out with Michael
>    Herman and Suzanne Daigle so you'll see some example messages there.
>    - It's easy to get started; once you create an account, you land on a
>    page that looks like that screenshot.  Go to the bottom white box and type
>    something in.  Someone else will likely respond very quickly.  These are
>    public chat messages.
>    - You can create a new chatroom (called a channel) at the top left
>    where there is a plus sign next to "CHANNELS".
>    - To send a 1-1 private message (or to invite a few people to a
>    private chat), look for the plus sign next to "DIRECT MESSAGES" on the left.
>    - Have questions?  Please reply to this email, because you're probably
>    not the only one with that question.
>
> *What if I'm tired of all these online tools and I don't enjoy all this
> typing and emailing?*
> You can use the Live Café on Qiqo <https://openspace.qiqochat.com/live> to
> indicate that you are available to receive a phone call (or video chat)
> about any topic that you specify.  It's a way to "escalate" from typing to
> phone or video.  A message goes out to the Slack channel and people see you
> are available.  Your phone number stays private and people connect with you
> by dialing a central number.
>
> This Slack community should be co-owned by all of us (as much as a
> Facebook group or LinkedIn group).  If you'd like to be an administrator,
> please let me know.  Feedback is welcome!
>
> Lucas Cioffi
> Founder, QiqoChat
> Charlottesville, VA
> Mobile: 917-528-1831
>
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