Slack Messaging
Business communication platform Slack is expanding it messaging function, enabling users to communicate to anyone who uses the platform, regardless of whether they work at the same company. The Slack is one of the best online team communication office messaging app that consist of Sharepoint, Yammer, Microsoft Teams, HipChat, iApple and Salesforce Chatter. It features direct-messaging capabilities, alerts and notifications, data sharing, group chatting and direct search.
For such a tiny bubble, it sure causes a major headache.
As more and more people find themselves stuck working from home for the foreseeable future, an ever-growing number of Slack users are now faced with the same problem: How to appear as 'active' when they're actually.. not. Amd radeon auto detect tool.
For the unaware, Slack is a messaging tool that many workplaces (and friend groups) use to communicate remotely. Within the service, next to your online handle, rests a little telltale bubble. Depending on whether or not you're currently using the service, Slack will either display a green bubble for active or an empty bubble for away.
As you might imagine, this is a helpful tool for bosses trying to keep tabs on their employees; it's also the enemy of workers who are just trying to live their lives and stop thinking about the coronavirus for even a goddamn second.
Which brings us to the issue at hand: Keeping those bubbles green. Slack says it 'automatically determines your availability based on how consistently you're interacting with the app on your device.'
More specifically, Slack has a host of conditions it uses to determine whether or not that bubble shows you as working. If you're using the mobile Slack app, the bubble is green only when the app is open — it switches off the moment you toggle away. If you use the Slack desktop app or access Slack via a browser, then after 30 minutes of inactivity the jig is up.
Importantly, if you're using the Slack desktop app that's 30 minutes of 'system inactivity.' Whereas, if you're using a browser to access Slack, it's 30 minutes of 'browser inactivity.' Remember that distinction, because it matters.
'Note,' cautions Slack in bold type, 'There is no way to set yourself as permanently active.'
Which, OK, maybe. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to trick the system into thinking you are active. Take, for example, this ingenious individual who, it appears, hooked their wireless mouse up to a toy train.
弊社はリモート勤務の際にPCのスリープとか操作中とかが管理者にバレる環境なので、常にマウス操作をしてるように見える装置を作りました。 pic.twitter.com/cYqoAHb6SB
— 赤祖父 (赤ソファ) (@akasofa) March 12, 2020
'We created a device that seems to always operate the mouse, because the environment in which the sleep or operation of the PC is remote to the administrator when working remotely,' reads the tweet translated (albeit poorly) by Twitter.
If a work-from-home employee had their desktop Slack app open — say, for example, to the Direct Message channel with Slackbot — then the above contraption should keep their Slack bubble green for up to 30 minutes after the train stops moving. That's because there is general system activity of the mouse moving around (even if not specific browser activity).
But not all of us have toy trains sitting around ready to be repurposed. And that's OK because if you have a smartphone and an optical mouse, then you already have all you need to fool Slack and your (micro) manager.
'I think that if you put an optical mouse on the smartphone video, it will move irregularly,' reads the below tweet (again translated by Twitter). '(Lol) (Unverified)'
思い付きですが
光学式マウスならスマフォ動画の上に乗せておけば不規則な動きをすると思います！(笑)
(未実証) pic.twitter.com/dIS7kLke9j
— 池袋スイーツ侍 (@ike_sweets_smr) March 14, 2020
And guess what reader.. in my (admittedly limited) at-home test, the above hack actually worked. As long as your phone doesn't go to sleep (this is important, so keep it plugged in) and the video keeps playing, your optical mouse should move ever so slightly, tricking the desktop app version — not the browser version —of Slack into thinking you're still busy and not asleep in the next room.
For the test, I loaded up a random nature documentary on YouTube, turned my smartphone's brightness up to maximum, plugged the phone in, and placed my optical mouse directly on top of the screen. Then I set a 30-minute timer and walked away. Thirty-two minutes later, my editor confirmed my Slack status bubble was still green. (In a later test with a different video, the trick did not work. In other words, test this out first before you commit to your nap.)
SEE ALSO: 7 Slack privacy settings you should enable now
Vocaloid keygen. What makes this Slack hack even better is that it doesn't require installing a mouse-jiggling app, which could be a security risk.
Now, it's worth noting, that there's probably a much simpler way to do all of this. On an iPhone with the Slack app, you can set the phone's 'Auto-Lock' to never and then (with your phone plugged in) open the Slack app. This will likely work as well — remember, as long as 'Slack is open' on your mobile device, Slack says you'll be shown as active — although I didn't test it.
Importantly, your bosses may still suspect you're napping on the job when you don't respond to their repeated and frantic @yourname messages. But that's a small price to pay for the 45-minute nap you'll be too busy taking to care.
Lounge lizard vst crack. UPDATE: July 1, 2020, 2:24 p.m. PDT: After months of (ahem) rigorous testing, I can confirm that setting your smartphone auto-lock to 'never' is a much simpler — and consistently successful — approach. Also, you can use this method on the go and still have your phone with you.
Here's what you do: In the Slack app, in a direct message to yourself, drop in a random GIF. Then, when you want to keep your Slack status active (after setting auto-lock, under 'Display & Brightness' on an iPhone, to 'never'), go into that DM with yourself and click on the GIF.
You now technically have the app open, and, because you're in a DM with yourself, the chances of your thigh accidentally DMing your boss have plummeted. Turn down the brightness on your screen to conserve battery life, slide that phone in your pocket, and be on your way.
7 Ways to Connect Microsoft Teams and Slack in 2021
This post exists to answer the question: Does Microsoft Teams integrate with Slack?
We know chat must be native, seamless, and simple to administer. But with both Microsoft Teams and Slack dominating the team collaboration market, enterprises using both apps need to connect Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Most notably, we hear from customers that were thinking about moving from Slack to Microsoft Teams or blocking Slack in favor of Microsoft Teams, and vice versa.
Does Microsoft teams integrate with Slack?
Rather than continue working in silos, we’ve highlighted 7 ways to connect Slack and Microsoft Teams then gone out and found a better one for internal use and a better one for external use.
1 – Connect Slack and Microsoft Teams without introducing a new chat client
Native federation
Pros:
There are services in the marketplace that allow you to federate with other enterprises via their own chat client, but this doesn’t resolve the issue of multiple chat platforms in a single organization.
It does, however, bring them together in a slightly improved chat client.
Natively, apps like Skype for Business also provide this functionality. Skype for Business users just
Cons:
Some UC providers have started to introduce cross-platform messaging into their collaboration offerings.
Whilst this does remedy the issue of switching between multiple apps, the solution here is to totally replace the solution you are already invested in.
You can message any number of other businesses using most chat apps. But, this comes with the disadvantage of giving up the native app that everybody uses.
Guest access
Pros:
Take the typical example where your engineering team loves Slack and your IT and Sales teams prefer Teams.
Guest access on both platforms allows external parties to join in the conversation, but access is limited.
Cons:
Removing either (or both) of Slack and Microsoft Teams, in favor of a catch-all UC solution, almost always results in using Slack and Teams for some services.
Obviously, this is the ideal scenario for the UC provider. However, they may not always be the best fit for the business.
Moving your messaging stack to a new product could still leave you heavily invested in Microsoft Office 365 – a waste of a powerful app already paid for in your Office 365 strategy.
2 – Configure webhooks for Slack & Microsoft Teams
Pros:
By using webhooks, you have a low-cost solution to a complex enterprise issue.
Webhooks also take little time to configure per scenario. If the issue exists in a single channel, webhooks are a good solution to a large scale problem.
Cons:
The downside to using webhooks revolves around the amount of manual configuration required.
When you are dealing with multiple channels in an enterprise scenario, webhooks are simply not scalable.
They also don’t tend to display in a native way, and instead, from a bot.
End users have to re-train behavior in order to message cross-platform, and who has time for that? You? Didn’t think so.
In an organization of a few hundred or more, remembering who uses what platform becomes impossible to mentally track.
News also broke in April 2020 when it was discovered some Slack webhooks has been exposed as potential phishing hooks.
Researchers said there are nearly 131,000 Slack webhook URLs available on the Internet.
3 – Use APIs & bots to connect Slack & Microsoft Teams
Pros:
Bots for Slack and Microsoft Teams are on the rise. Bots can be leveraged to create a more native experience.
Microsoft publishes a Slack connector in its connector inventory that enables some Slack and Microsoft Teams crossover.
You will benefit from functionality like joining a Slack channel and can even set triggers for certain events.
However, limited functionality stops experiments pretty quickly. For example, direct messaging goes totally unmentioned.
Cons:
Most users, especially in the enterprise space, are still in the experimental phase in terms of users being comfortable using them.
One Github community working on a tool to connect Slack and Microsoft Teams expressed concerns that various API and migration tools are limited to basic functionality.
Most of these solutions are still configuration based.
This means you will spend incredible time and resource making each channel work for you – and maintain this configuration as you add and modify channels.
4 – Create your own app using an app builder
Slack Messaging Platform
Pros:
Generally, app builders are simple to use.
With a no-code approach, you don’t need to hire a specialist engineer to connect Slack and Microsoft Teams
You can get a free trial to play around with your requirements.
Most app builders support a wide range of apps to integrate like Slack, Google Sheets, and Trello.
Cons:
Functionality is limited by the supported features available on a particular app builder.
One user got in touch with Mio for a replacement solution to using an app builder stating:
“I tried an app builder but it was too limited. Threads didn’t work, and users name matching was absent. “
The functionality will also be limited by your own building skills and requirements gathering.
While support is available with most app builders, it is considered a DIY approach to connecting Slack and Microsoft Teams.
5 – Slack and Microsoft Teams calling integration
The integration between Slack and Microsoft Teams VoIP functionality arrived as part of a comprehensive update at Enterprise Connect, April 2020.
Pros:
The update allows for Microsoft Teams calls to start through Slack. You can access the integration through the shortcuts button on Slack. This lightning-bolt shaped icon near your message input field allows you to start a Teams call instantly.
If you prefer the Slash command option on Slack, then you can opt for the /Teams-Calls to launch your Teams call from Slack instead.
Cons:
Unfortunately, the Slack and Teams calling integration is limited. It only connects one aspect of Slack and Microsoft Teams.
You can start a call through Microsoft Teams in Slack this way, but you can’t send instant messages or send files from someone on Slack to someone on Teams.
Tom Arbuthnot, Principal Solutions Architect at Modality Systems and Microsoft MVP, agrees the Slack and Teams calling integration is not a complete solution for connecting Slack and Microsoft Teams.
“The Slack “integration” to Microsoft Teams, while clever, is really just Microsoft Teams meeting join link in Slack that fires up Microsoft Teams to join the Teams meeting.”
Users often ask for further integration like being able to directly call or chat from one platform to another.
Team collaboration tools should allow access to a wide range of communication options. That makes the latest integration restrictive. After all, there’s a lot more to Slack and Microsoft Teams than just calling.
In an interview for UC Today, our CEO Tom Hadfield commented on news of the integration:
“The future of intercompany collaboration relies on full interoperability between Slack and Microsoft Teams. Cross-platform calling is a good start, but our customers tell us what they really need is cross-platform shared channels and direct messaging.”
6 – Use the Microsoft Graph API to migrate Slack to Teams
Microsoft is working on a migration API to help IT managers and Microsoft admins migrate chats from Slack to Teams.
As of September 2020, Microsoft has made documentation available and certain tenants can sign up to the beta program.
In theory, Microsoft wants to allow Slack messages to be migrated over to Teams without a delay or break in service and/or conversation.
The in-scope and out-of-scope items are included below:
Pros:
Previous attempts to migrate Slack to Teams have resulted in a loss of historical data and messages. The new migration API changes that.
As Tom Morgan, Product Innovation Architect at Modality Systems, pointed out his blog, an organization might be moving from Slack to Teams but have 5+ years worth of message history in Slack.
Previously, in this scenario, there have been workarounds that result in a disjointed and almost unworkable experience. With the migration API, theoretically, all messages and message information should be transferred over.
For businesses who decide they must migrate from Slack to Teams, instead of choosing interoperability between the two apps, this is the most likely option of keeping your Slack users happy.
Cons:
A game changer for most businesses is that messages can only be imported into public channels. If you plan to use private channels, Microsoft doesn’t offer support for this.
One further restriction is the lack of support for backups.
As documented by Tony Redmond, Principal at Redmond & Associates and Author of the Office 365 for IT Pros Book, this process doesn’t include a backup.
“The lack of a backup and restore API for Teams that covers team structure and content is regrettable. Because Teams is interconnected with the rest of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, it is a difficult application to backup. But that’s no reason for Microsoft to ignore the need.”
Tom Morgan also pointed out that the whole process made his head hurt.
“It’s a ‘behind the curtain’ operation that changes how I think about Teams messages. These aren’t operations for the every day, but if you need to migrate over messages from third-party systems into Microsoft Teams, these API calls will give you the power you need to achieve it. Just, make sure you don’t break any other parts of the delicate balance of time and space whilst you’re at it.”
7 – Federation to connect to external guests across Slack and Teams
Do you communicate with people outside your organization as well?
According to research, they’ll likely be using Slack or Microsoft Teams, but not necessarily the same as you.
It’s hard to chat with freelancers, contractors, and suppliers when you’re not on the same platform.
When this is the case, it becomes extremely unproductive moving out of your app to accommodate your guest.
Or even worse, end up resorting to email like it’s the 90s. (Okay, email has a purpose but you get the point).
That’s why Mio has created universal channels for Microsoft Teams with Slack.
You can stay in Teams and send messages to your contractors, suppliers, or clients that use Slack.
They stay in their platform too and Mio translates the messages across platform.
And it’s not just messages that are supported! GIFs, emojis, channels, DMs, and message edits/deletes are all supported.
Slack Collaboration Tool
If this sounds like something you need, try your first universal channel for free here. Your first three are completely free.
You must be logged in to post a comment.