Changes to the Slack interface
On Jan 3, 2024, the Slack interface for USC received an update. We will be updating this article to reflect the interface changes.
For more information, see ITS's FAQ page on Slack's new user interface.
Overview
This guide covers essential Slack functions within the Dornsife Administration workspace, which is reserved for administration-specific collaborations and which Dornsife staff can request to join via our service catalog. Dornsife faculty and students are not eligible to join the Dornsife Administration workspace: please refer instead to our guide, Getting started with the Dornsife workspace.
If you need to create a channel for administration but one that is also viewable by student workers, please refer to the section below, "Multi-workspace channels."
If you are looking for step-by-step Slack tutorials, you may want to review the following resources by ITS:
Installing Slack
Dornsife-managed devices, including desktops and laptops running Windows PC or macOS, and iOS devices, have Slack automatically installed. If you're trying to access Slack using a personal device, you can download Slack at https://slack.com/download. You can also access Slack online using your browser.
Joining the Dornsife Administration workspace
To request to join the Dornsife Administration workspace, please submit your request via our service catalog. Please note that only Dornsife staff may request to join.
Once approved, we will add you to the Dornsife Administration workspace and you will receive an email from Slack with further instructions. If you were added to the Dornsife Administration workspace but didn't receive the Slack email, you can still follow the steps below to log into the Dornsife Administration workspace.
Using channels in the Dornsife Administration workspace
Public channels
Creating a public channel
Any Dornsife Administration workspace member can create a public channel.
Viewing or joining a public channel
Any Dornsife Administration workspace member can search for, view, and join a public channel. Any channel member can add other Dornsife Administration workspace members to a public channel.
Private channels
Creating a private channel
Any Dornsife Administration workspace member can create a private channel.
Quick guide
- In your sidebar, find your Channels section and click on the [+] icon.
- Click on Create a channel.
- Type in a name and description. If you want the channel to be private (visible only to people you invite to the channel), click on the toggle next to Make private. Click on Create.
- Type in the name of any Dornsife Administration workspace members you want to add to your channel and click on Add. Repeat until you have finished adding your members.
- Alternatively, click on Skip for now if you just want to create the channel and add people later.
- If someone you wish to add is not currently a Dornsife Administration workspace member, Slack will not permit you to add them.
- If they are a Dornsife staff member, please have them place a request to join the Dornsife Administration workspace. Once they join the Dornsife Administration workspace, you will be able to add them.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In your sidebar, find your Channels section and click on the [+] icon.
- Click on Create a channel.
- Type in a name and description. If you want the channel to be private (visible only to people you invite to the channel), click on the toggle next to Make private. Click on Create.
- Type in the name of any Dornsife Administration workspace members you want to add to your channel and click on Add. Repeat until you have finished adding your members.
- Alternatively, click on Skip for now if you just want to create the channel and add people later.
- If someone you wish to add is not currently a Dornsife Administration workspace member, Slack will not permit you to add them.
- If they are a Dornsife staff member, please have them place a request to join the Dornsife Administration workspace. Once they join the Dornsife Administration workspace, you will be able to add them.
Viewing or joining a private channel
Private channels are only visible to their members. If you are a member of the private channel, you can invite others; otherwise, a current member must invite you. Even Dornsife Administration workspace admins cannot see private channels that they have not been invited to.
Inviting members to your private channel
Any current channel member—not just the channel creator—can add other Dornsife Administration workspace members to the channel. To do so:
Quick guide
- In your Slack sidebar, click on the channel name.
- In the upper right corner, click on the square icon indicating the number of current members.
- Click on Add people.
- Click on Continue.
- Type in the name of any Dornsife Administration workspace member you want to add to your private channel and select their name from the dropdown menu. Repeat this step if there are multiple Dornsife Administration workspace members you want to add to your private channel. Once you're done selecting members, click on Add.
- If someone you wish to add is not a Dornsife Administration workspace member, Slack will not permit you to add them.
- If they are a Dornsife staff member, please have them place a request to join the Dornsife Administration workspace. Once they join the Dornsife Administration workspace, you will be able to add them.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In your Slack sidebar, click on the channel name.
- In the upper right corner, click on the square icon indicating the number of current members.
- Click on Add people.
- Click on Continue.
- Type in the name of any Dornsife Administration workspace member you want to add to your private channel and select their name from the dropdown menu. Repeat this step if there are multiple Dornsife Administration workspace members you want to add to your private channel. Once you're done selecting members, click on Add.
- If someone you wish to add is not a Dornsife Administration workspace member, Slack will not permit you to add them.
- If they are a Dornsife staff member, please have them place a request to join the Dornsife Administration workspace. Once they join the Dornsife Administration workspace, you will be able to add them.
Inviting non-USC collaborators as guests to your private channel
Make sure that you are inviting non-USC collaborators (people who do not have an @usc.edu email address) to the Dornsife Administration workspace as Guests rather than as Members. Dornsife Administration workspace admins cannot approve non-USC collaborators as workspace members.
To add non-USC collaborators to your private channel in the Dornsife Administration workspace, invite them as guests:
Quick guide
- In the top left corner of your Slack sidebar, click on the Dornsife Administration workspace name and select Invite people to USC Dornsife Administration from the dropdown menu.
- In the "Request invitations" panel, fill out the form fields:
- Type in the collaborator's email address.
- Under "Invite as," click on "Member" and select Guest from the dropdown menu instead.
- Under "Add to Channels," begin typing your channel name and select it from the dropdown menu.
- To invite the collaborator to multiple channels, select the checkbox for Allow them to be added to more channels or simply begin typing additional channel names and selecting them from the dropdown menu.
- You can disregard the note warning you about billing: your department will not be billed.
- Under "Set a time limit," you can leave it set at Unlimited or select a time period. This is optional but we recommend filling out this field just so you don't have to worry about removing access later down the line.
- Filling out "Reason for request" is helpful in providing context to Dornsife Administration workspace admins so we can approve your request.
- Click on Send Request.
- Click on Done. The Dornsife Administration workspace admins will review and approve your invitation request. Once approved, your guest will receive an email from Slack with instructions for joining.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In the top left corner of your Slack sidebar, click on the Dornsife Administration workspace name and select Invite people to USC Dornsife Administration from the dropdown menu.
- In the "Request invitations" panel, fill out the form fields:
- Type in the collaborator's email address.
- Under "Invite as," click on "Member" and select Guest from the dropdown menu instead.
- Under "Add to Channels," begin typing your channel name and select it from the dropdown menu.
- To invite the collaborator to multiple channels, select the checkbox for Allow them to be added to more channels or simply begin typing additional channel names and selecting them from the dropdown menu.
- You can disregard the note warning you about billing: your department will not be billed.
- Under "Set a time limit," you can leave it set at Unlimited or select a time period. This is optional but we recommend filling out this field just so you don't have to worry about removing access later down the line.
- Filling out "Reason for request" is helpful in providing context to Dornsife workspace admins so we can approve your request.
- Click on Send Request.
- Click on Done. The Dornsife Administration workspace admins will review and approve your invitation request. Once approved, your guest will receive an email from Slack with instructions for joining.
Changing your channel names and descriptions
You can rename channels or edit their descriptions at any point—although Slack recommends not doing this too often, to avoid confusing channel members.
Leaving a channel
You can leave a channel at any point. If you leave a private channel, you will need to be re-added by a current channel member, as the channel will not show up when you search for it.
You can also remove members from a channel.
Archiving or deleting your channels
Archiving or deleting a channel changes its visibility to others. You cannot recover a deleted channel, but you can unarchive an archived channel.
Deleting a channel
Deleting a channel permanently removes it from Slack with no opportunity for recovery. Since channel deletion can potentially conflict with record retention policies, deletion is not available to Dornsife Administration workspace members.
Archiving a channel
Archiving a channel means channel members can no longer post to the channel and the channel no longer shows up in members' channel lists. If the channel is public, all members are removed; if the channel is private, members are retained. However, channel content is still accessible (for instance, you can do a regular search in Slack and see its conversation history), and you will not be able to give new channels the same name as any archived channels.
Only Dornsife Administration workspace admins can archive a channel. If you would like to archive a channel, please email us at ts@dornsife.usc.edu.
Multi-workspace channels
If you want to invite USC collaborators who are not Dornsife staff to your channel (for instance, if you want a channel for administrative announcements but want it to include student workers, who as students typically do not qualify for Dornsife Administration workspace membership), please email us at ts@dornsife.usc.edu to request a multi-workspace channel, and we will submit your request to ITS. Please be specific about your reason for needing a multi-workspace channel.
Tips for customizing your Dornsife Administration workspace
Changes that you make to your Dornsife Administration workspace preferences are private: only you will see them and not any other members of those workspaces.
Changes that you make to your profile—e.g. adding a profile picture, adding pronouns—are visible to everyone within USC Slack.
Changing your notification settings, theme colors, and other preferences
Quick guide
- In the top left corner of your Slack sidebar, click on the Dornsife Administration workspace name.
- Click on Preferences.
- The Preferences window opens to the Notifications tab.
- Customize your notification settings here. For instance, if you are doing a lot of videoconferencing where you share your full screen and are concerned about privacy, you may want to deselect the checkbox Include a preview of the message in each notification.
- Continue to customize your settings by clicking on the different tabs in the left side of the Preferences window.
- You can click on the Themes tab to change the Dornsife Administration workspace colors. If you are a member of multiple workspaces in USC Slack, you may want to have different theme colors for each workspace in order to differentiate them at a glance. You can even create a custom theme. For instance, try copy and pasting the following line to create a custom cardinal-and-gold USC theme: #FFCC00,#FFC2C0,#990000,#FFCC00,#FFEB99,#0F0F0F,#990000,#990000,#990000,#FFEB99
- To close the Preferences window, click on the [x] in the upper right corner.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In the top left corner of your Slack sidebar, click on the Dornsife Administration workspace name.
- Click on Preferences.
- The Preferences window opens to the Notifications tab.
- Customize your notification settings here. For instance, if you are doing a lot of videoconferencing where you share your full screen and are concerned about privacy, you may want to deselect the checkbox Include a preview of the message in each notification.
- Continue to customize your settings by clicking on the different tabs in the left side of the Preferences window.
- You can click on the Themes tab to change the Dornsife Administration workspace colors. If you are a member of multiple workspaces in USC Slack, you may want to have different theme colors for each workspace in order to differentiate them at a glance.
- The example below uses the "Sweet Treat" theme (a personal favorite).
- You can even create a custom theme. For instance, try copying and pasting the following line to create a custom cardinal-and-gold USC theme:
#FFCC00,#FFC2C0,#990000,#FFCC00,#FFEB99,#0F0F0F,#990000,#990000,#990000,#FFEB99
- To close the Preferences window, click on the [x] in the upper right corner.
App integrations in USC Slack
App integrations make it easy to sync Slack with other applications used at USC, such as Microsoft and Google applications. To set up an app integration in Slack, view our guide, "Using app integrations in USC Slack."
Contributor(s): Chris Huntley.