Prefer channels that provide high signal to noise. Otherwise, leave, mute, or archive these channels.

Mute channels that are of interest but don’t require constant attention. Move all of these channels into a Daily checkup folder, for example, which you can schedule a reminder via your task manager to catch up on once daily.

When creating channels, ensure there is a topic which is a brief sentence on what the channel is about. Also, ensure the channel’s purpose is defined. This generally appears in the information/details section of the channel and explains why the channel exists. The purpose is meant to support the topic and should be a brief paragraph (or two) which further explains why the channel is important. Supporting links, references, etc. can be included in the topic and purpose descriptions as necessary.

Use channel prefixes to group related channels and to improve search-ability via alphabetic sorting. For example, consider the following specialized engineering channels: eng-ruby, eng-elm, eng-rust, etc.

Use channels instead of direct messages. Lead by example and initiate or respond to direct messages in channels so others are encouraged to do the same. Even if you are composing the message to a single person or part of the team, it’s still useful for others to know what is going on. If receiving a direct message, ask if you can respond to the message in the appropriate public channel instead. Encouraging public discussion allows participation from everyone and reinforces a culture of inclusion, transparency, and trust.

Avoid sending @all, @here, @everyone, etc. messages. A channel is meant for asynchronous communication and these types of messages defeat that purpose entirely. If a channel doesn’t have these messages disabled by default, ensure notifications of this type are disabled by manually editing the channel notification settings.

Avoid heavy use of individual’s handles (i.e. @jane, @joe, etc.) when messaging others. Unless it is truly urgent or they are not in the current channel, avoid using handles so individuals are not spammed with notifications. Remember: Group chat shouldn’t require immediate attention.

Use threads when responding to messages in a channel. This allows for detailed discussions to form around a topic which anyone can follow for further updates if necessary. Doing this also prevents the channel from being interspersed with multiple discussions going on at once which are confusing to read and/or follow.

Avoid posting a message with the 🧵 (thread) emoticon or even creating a message with the intent of starting a thread. Instead, let the thread happen dynamically rather than assume everyone will be interested. If you need to pull people into the conversation later, you can but — even better — it’s more helpful to summarize the discussion after the fact which puts the emphasis back on valuing everyone’s time more.

Avoid forwarding a threaded response back into the main channel. This makes a big presumption that people — who didn’t choose to follow the thread in the first place — want to be alerted about the thread again. Instead, you can respect people’s time and attention by letting them choose to follow or join a thread on their own accord.

Avoid using an individual’s handle within the same threaded conversation. Threads, like any unread message, will display as part of the individual’s unread count by default. There is no need to alert them further as they’ll respond back when they pop up for air. In other words, a threaded conversation should be a civil discourse. Using their handle, to force a notification, is akin to yelling at them when you are standing right next to them.

Avoid creating random channels. Be judicious in what justifies bringing a new channel into existence by identifying information that might be too noisy for one channel but could benefit from having its own channel.

Avoid maintaining channels with low activity or have outlived their existence by archiving/deleting them as necessary.

Avoid leaving messages unanswered because not only is it rude but can discourage others from feeling the channel is a safe place to ask questions or gather feedback. Even if you don’t know the answer to the question, use a reaction to at least show that the individual was heard. A small gesture such as using a thought balloon (💭) reaction can have a huge impact from leaving the original poster from feeling rejected.