App of the Week – Slack

Published on August 17, 2016

It’s the app that’s singlehandedly “killing email,” trending endlessly on Twitter, and helping NASA put rovers on Mars

It’s Slack, and it’s here to permanently change the way that we collaborate as teams online.

Slack bills itself as a way for professionals to “be less busy.” Media critics have called it a “workplace revolution.” But just what does it do?

Slack is essentially an all-in-one portal for digital co-working. It’s a communication app, allowing for instant messaging on public channels with your entire team, private group channels with just a few relevant team members, or with one colleague at a time via direct messaging.

It’s also a powerful file-sharing app, allowing you to quickly and seamlessly share images, documents, and spreadsheets via drag-and-drop upload or by syncing with third-parties, like Google Drive or Dropbox.

What’s more, it’s also a sophisticated task-management tool, allowing you to receive – and index and search – all of your notifications, projects, and messages, from across multiple apps, all in one convenient hub. Looking for a specific PDF from months and months ago? Slack archives all of your content, so that you can search within Google docs, PDFs, or word files to locate the all-important needle in your virtual haystack.

Ready to break out of your inbox and truly sync up with your team? Slack is available as a free download for desktops, iOS, and Android devices. Looking for even more power? Teams can upgrade to Slack’s paid plans, which offer additional features and controls, for just a few dollars a month.