What is the best channel structure for a Slack community?
Especially when starting a Slack community, I'm wondering what structure has the right balance between channel separation to keep discussions focused and channel consolidation to keep engagement high.
I often see Slack communities run wild with tons of channels, some of which have little to no engagement.
What's a good structure at the beginning? How many channels seem to be a manageable amount?
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I agree with the other comments that it would be best to start with as few channels as possible.
I think, in the beginning, introductions can be a good way of generating new discussions, so I'd keep introductions in the main channel until they feel too much.
It's also a good idea to have one restricted channel that only you can post to. You can only put that restriction on the
#generalchannel, but you can rename it to something that makes more sense, like#announcements. Then, create a new channel, which you can call#general,#watercooler, or#chatter.So, begin with these two:
Only add new channels when they become necessary.
Taking another look at this post since I think it's time to add some more channels 🤭
I have a good idea of what's been discussed over the last three months but I'm curious if you have any thoughts on a channel framework. Here are my thoughts but would love it if you have anything to add:
Actions: #share-, #learn-
Topics: #web-app-tools, #mobile-app-tools, #website-tools
Tangibles: #troubleshooting, #inspiration, #resources, #news.
Shoot, maybe it should be a combo of all three. Clearly need help lol
I think it's best to not introduce new channels all at once. Look at the most common and recurring topics, and break them into their own channels.
For example, if members are frequently asking for troubleshooting help, maybe it's time to introduce a #troubleshoot or #help channel.
If there are only a few posts each week for inspiration, maybe it's okay to keep them in your generic, catch-all channel. You're not trying to eliminate that channel.
As for the tools-related channels, is there enough discussion about tools in each of the 3 categories (web, mobile, website) to warrant a dedicated channel for each? If not, how about a generic #tools channel instead?
I hope this helps!
If you ever want to chat and bounce off ideas, feel free to email me and we'll find a time to jump on Zoom :)
Thanks for chiming in on this - been a wild last few weeks so just now taking a look. Very helpful to hear your thoughts.
I'm glad I'm being patient since Slack just announced the big update which could change things! https://slackhq.com/simpler-more-organized-slack
That makes a lot of sense. Start with as few as possible and only break out if it starts to feel overwhelming. Thanks for the tips, Merott.
It depends 😬
Nothing wrong with just starting with a #general and #introduction channel, then adding new channels as you start to see trends of what people talk about and discuss. Like you say, empty channels are not encouraging.
Yeah, I figure I'll just let the discussion flow and try to get real good at identifying those trends. Appreciate the input.
Hi, new to indie hackers, so hi!
We built a game and we had a brilliant Slack community that gave us feedback/encouragement from the very beginning. The channels to start with were:
#general
#report-a-bug
#this-would-be-cool
We felt that this a limited enough amount of channels and focused enough for people to express their opinions of features we should add and separated out bug reporting
The community and ourselves were very active, we basically had around 150 people actively testing each incremental release. Fun!
Welcome to IH!! Love this place and think you will, too.
Sweet yeah I love the simplicity. A catch-all, bug, and feature request channel. Did you lock down channel creation, then?
Only we could create channels.
We ended up separating the bug channel for iOS and Android bugs. And later we added a #news channel to broadcast updates etc
This comment was deleted 3 years ago.