How News Organizations And Journalists Can Benefit From Slack
News organizations utilize Slack as a simple and convenient communication resource. The messaging platform provides companies with tools that make it easier to keep track of organized discussions. Users can operate the platform through a desktop or mobile app which is completely free.
One main feature of Slack is the ability to create various channels for different topics. This is beneficial for companies that wish to organize and keep track of the individual responsibilities throughout several departments.
Video and audio calling is also an option for easy online communication. During unprecedented times due to COVID-19, companies can hold conference calls and virtual meetings as an alternative to in-person business gatherings.
Many news outlets use Slack as their main source of communication. Troy Thibodeaux, a data journalism team editor at The Associated Press, shared how the company leaned towards the platform to have easily accessible conversations. He also mentions how Slack has helped avoid the issue of email clutter.
Lauren Rabaino, a product director for Vox Media, explained how Slack has kept their team united. She mentions how Vox uses built-in integrations on Slack that allow the use of bots that set reminders.
As beneficial as it is to news organizations, the application can also play a key role in how a journalist handles their social media presence.
I’ve gathered five important tips on how a journalist can utilize Slack to maximize their presence on social media.
The first tip is to add a social media account to Slack’s dashboard using integration. This is beneficial in liking, replying, and commenting on posts. All of the social media features will be in one place which is Slack.
The second tip for a journalist is to communicate with their social media audience using Slack. They can ask their audience to join a personal channel that will provide them with a fast and convenient way to reach out to the journalist. Through this process, a journalist can communicate with audience members through mass communication or a private conversation.
The third tip is to use that created channel to share published content with followers. This would allow a journalist to gain more views and feedback from their audience.
The fourth tip is for journalists to add or join a group of other journalists that they come across on social media. This would help a journalist become contact organized while gaining valuable tips and information from others in the journalism industry.
The fifth tip is to organize social events through a slack channel while also sharing to social media. This would gain exposure for the event while also increasing engagement on social platforms.
Slack is a helpful tool for communication within a news organization while it is also useful for journalists to maintain their social media presence.
