Does anyone have any
[2023-10-30 05:01:48 AM] : Does anyone have any tips on safaring a slack community? I’m a member of a community filled exclusively with my audience that is significantly more active than for example the related subreddits. I’ve safari’d the subreddits for now as I find them quite easy to safari, at least in comparison. But I’d like to try with the slack community.
Few things I am thinking on the topic:
• I need to capture much more details in the painstorming notes because I can’t link to it. (I mean I can, but like all free communities it is on a free slack plan so after 90 days the conversation is gone).
• I need to put in a bit of an effort to untangle the conversations. Usually they’re contained in threads but not always. I expect the notes to be clearer if I untangle while safariing.
• I can’t do the usual keywords analysis as there are no topic titles to scan like on a forum. So I’m thinking to approach it like this:
◦ First just do regular safariing of threads and after 2-3 sessions look for keywords in my notes under hidden pain and jargon.
◦ Use keywords from a different watering hole, plugging them into the slack search. There I’m assuming that since the audience is heavily overlapping I should be able to just use keywords from a more easily safariable water hole.
Any other advice? Has someone tried safaring slack, how did it go? What did you learn? I’ll be grateful for any advice!
1 Reply
[2023-10-30 08:29:03 AM] : it sounds like you're very much on the right track here!
[2023-10-30 08:30:12 AM] : this year we've been working on some new resources for doing Safari on other platforms, including chat rooms. the work has just gone slower than intended since Amy's been very sick, but things have been improving recently and so I'm hopeful we have something to ship soon!
[2023-10-30 08:34:41 AM] : the main approach you've got here is right on the money though! cycling pain/jargon from each session into search to help you find messages you might have missed before.
[2023-10-30 08:37:23 AM] : a couple of things I'd add to your outline:
• note channel names and descriptions as part of your initial keyword review
• screenshots can be a helpful way to gather history before Slack eats it at 90 days.
• threads, and their inconsistent use, definitely makes it slower.
• while not the same as titles/topics, you can still note/screenshot the "initiating post(s)" that sparks a discussion
• given how chats are less self contained than forums/etc, we'd recommend making heavy use of time-boxing safari sessions rather than feeling like you're on a never-ending quest. e.g. gather as much as you can in a 20-30 minute block, synthesize it, and then plug the keywords back into search to grab some new "initiating posts"
[2023-10-30 08:39:51 AM] : overall, the big difference is that chat is a lot less linear. i'm not exactly sure how you're untangling, but if you're trying to untangle multiple threads as you go, that can become extra difficult.
instead, I've found that it's a lot easier to try and follow a single discussion as far as you reasonably can, making notes (using bookmarks or the remind me feature) of other posts that branch off, so you can easily find them again
[2023-10-30 08:41:04 AM] : think about it this way: instead of trying to map every path of the maze, try and take notes on a single path first, and leave yourself an easy way to get back to other potential side-quests. :smile:
let me know if this (and the other notes above) are helpful. getting a Slack/Discord version of Safari into the material are a top priority!
[2023-10-30 08:57:29 AM] : Thanks! :raised_hands: great points, I’ll try that this week and see how it goes. :crossed_fingers:
[2023-10-30 08:59:30 AM] : def do :smile:
[2023-10-30 08:35:17 PM] : Thanks, alex and Radan Skorić. This is something I’ve pondered a lot as more tech communities move into the ‘cozy web’ on Discords and Slack workspaces. I’m looking forward to that updated Safari content :slightly_smiling_face:
[2023-10-30 08:36:28 PM] : And to answer Radan Skorić’s question, I’ve mostly just participated in Slack workspaces and absorbed data by just being there, rather than doing formal Safari. As Alex says though, your approach sounds reasonable.
[2023-11-02 06:36:23 AM] : Some notes from first attempt:
• It’s very hard to judge the value of a conversation. On a Forum I can see comments and likes at a glance. In slack if the conversation is in a main room I can easily start safariing a conversation that just dies 2 comments down. In the next session I’ll try to first scan the start of the conversation a bit to see there’s meat in it, before going back to start to do proper safari notes.
• With the conversations disappearing on free slacks I feel like capturing names of commenters is extra valuable since I can at least search for their later comments and Slack search is excellent.
[2023-11-02 02:28:06 PM] : Re: value, I think a skimmable version is looking for clusters of reactions and bigger paragraphs. There’s an individual dimension to it to, more than on reddit/post comments, because chatrooms tend to anchor more strongly around a “personal brand” of the folks posting. learning who gives throughtful feedback and who pontificates is helpful but can be intensive and doesn’t transfer super well (except if you can spot someone in multiple servers)
[2023-11-02 04:26:43 PM] : I can see that working in some cases, good thinking vcarl!