This week's tool focused on looking at different communication tools for group usage. We have more and more new platforms coming out, and some past ones dwindling in popularity. The list can go from more daily and immediate platforms like WhatsApp, GroupMe, iMessage, Instagram DM, and Facebook Messenger to more group-based platforms with lots of resource sharing, such as Slack, MS Teams, Miro, Discord, and Padlet. You can find more tools on this website (even though this talks more about the business side, many things overlap!)
One question that stood out for me this week is whether we need all these different tools. As a graduate student engaging in different research projects and some social groups, I am currently using almost all the tools listed above. Some projects or research teams even combine tools like MS Teams plus GroupMe, Slack plus WhatsApp, etc, to boost efficiency. I agree with the part about how different people prefer different platforms, and each platform has its pros and cons, but sometimes it gets overwhelming. It can mean you have to check on each different platform every day so as not to miss any important news!
Another issue to look at when discussing group messaging tools is whether we want all notifications turned on. What if we want to turn off and miss out on the very important news that you had to receive? Is there to blame someone if you miss a chat, or is it the responsibility of individuals to catch up on it?
Here are some things we can consider when it comes to group messaging tools. Everybody seeks efficient and meaningful communication tools. What are your thoughts?
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It really is difficult to juggle all of the tools. I struggle with it all the time (and I'm on some of those teams, I know!). I think at this point I'd be happy to just use Teams if everyone else would, but not everyone checks there regularly. Slack would be fabulous if we all had paid accounts, but it's a lot to have everyone pay. The considerations are complex: security of data, immediacy of communication, etc.
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