Slack
Communication principles and etiquette to keep Slack clear and effective.
Alephic is built on clear communication. These principles ensure Slack serves as a powerful tool for collective intelligence rather than a source of noise.
Foundational Requirements
Full Name > Nickname
Your full name creates clarity and accountability. Enable quick identification and build trust through consistent identity.
Real Photo > Avatar
Professional photos speed up visual recognition and strengthen remote relationships. Use a clear, recent headshot.
Operating Principles
Public > Private
Default to public communication to create institutional memory and enable collective intelligence.
Public channels create institutional memory and enable collective intelligence. Default to public communication, even when sitting next to colleagues. Reserve DMs for sensitive or wildly off-topic discussions.
Async > Sync
Design messages for future discovery and assume asynchronous responses.
Slack excels at both immediate and delayed communication. Design messages for future discovery. Assume colleagues will read your message hours or days later.
Specific > General
Focused channels increase signal and reduce noise.
Focused channels increase signal and reduce noise. Start broad, then split channels when topics develop their own gravity. Clear boundaries encourage participation.
Archive > Keep
Archive inactive channels aggressively to reduce cognitive overhead.
Dead channels create cognitive overhead. Archive aggressively - channels can always be revived. Use Dash for temporary project channels.
Calls > Chat
When complexity exceeds messaging, escalate to calls for better communication.
When complexity exceeds what messages can carry, escalate to calls. Make them public when possible - visibility compounds knowledge.
Order > Chaos
Use consistent prefixes and naming conventions for clarity.
Channel prefixes establish clear boundaries:
- bot- → System automations and integrations
- client- → Client-specific discussions and updates
- proj- → Project-specific discussions
- ext- → External-facing channels
All other channels follow standard naming conventions: lowercase, hyphenated, descriptive (e.g., product-roadmap, team-updates).
Cross-Post > Multi-Post
Maintain a single source of truth by cross-posting instead of duplicating.
When sharing information across multiple channels, use cross-posting:
- Write the message once in the primary channel
- Copy the link to that message (or use the forward message button)
- Paste it to other channels you want to post to
- Let Slack previews display the content for you
This approach maintains a single source of truth—reactions and replies stay with the original post, and you don't have to write the content multiple times.
Ask > Greet
Lead with your question or purpose to enable efficient async responses.
Start with your question or purpose. Slack is asynchronous by design—opening with a simple “Hello” delays responses and creates unnecessary wait times. Instead:
❌ "Hi there, you around?"
✅ "Hi there! When is the project meeting?"
This approach respects everyone's time and enables efficient collaboration. It also ensures the recipient has all the information they need to respond, even if they're delayed. Pleasantries are welcome but pair them with purpose.
@team > @here
Use precise mentions to reduce notification noise and respect focus time.
Precise mentions reduce notification noise. Use @team for team-wide announcements and @user for individual attention. @here and @channel create unnecessary urgency - reserve them for critical, time-sensitive matters only.
Threads > Channel
Reply in threads to keep channels scannable and conversations organized.
Threads keep main channels scannable and group related discussion together. Always reply in a thread when responding to someone else's message.
Write for the person who shows up three days late. They should understand the conversation without asking. That person could be a colleague, an AI tool, or your future self.
- Reply in the thread, not in the channel
- Reply in context, not in a new message — when flagging something, reply in the thread about the thing you're referencing rather than starting a new top-level message. “Heads up on this one” makes sense in the moment but won't help someone searching later.
- Add context when posting from a call — people on the call know what's happening, but someone reading the channel history tomorrow doesn't. Start a thread with enough context that it stands on its own.
- Threads can be muted — if you need someone's attention inside a thread, @mention them directly.
- Use “Also send to #channel” when you want to surface important information to the wider channel, but reserve it for genuinely important updates.
Unthreaded replies fragment conversations and force readers to mentally reconstruct who was responding to what. Threads preserve context and make channels useful as a searchable record.