Group Chat
- Introduction
- Mattermost Usage

Group Chat

Introduction

Group chat tools (e.g., Google Chat, Mattermost, Slack, Discord) can be highly effective for team communication
- Concept: a platform for work-related communication; no notification outside of working hours.
- Email: for external and formal communication
- Real-time message (e.g., LINE, phone): reserved for emergency and messages that require real-time response. Limit the usage.
Mattermost is an open source option that can be self-hosted. This is attractive in terms of information security/privacy and cost.
- App (Android/iOS/Linux/macOS/Windows): https://mattermost.com/apps/
- Documentation: https://docs.mattermost.com/index.html
For IPMB Users:
- The email module is not enabled, so “Forgot your password?” is not functional. Ask your lab PI or the IPMB IT office to reset your password if needed.
- The storage space is limited. While it is possible to upload files to facilitate communication, please be careful with large files; sharing via external links or delete the files after discussion is recommended. Remember, this system is designed as a messaging platform, not a file-sharing service.

Mattermost Usage

Security: click on the profile (top-right), “Profile”, “Security”, enable “Multi-factor Authentication”
Channels
- System Default
  - Town Square (can be renamed as “General”): all members are added automatically, can be used for general discussion
  - Off-Topic (can be renamed as “Chat”): for non-work-related conversations
- Public (to be created; useful for research labs)
  - Announcement: for important announcements
  - Lab meeting: for regular meetings; use threads to keep meeting minutes
  - Journal club: for sharing papers/comments
- Project-based channels, one per project. May be Public or Private, depending on the nature of the project or the team culture
- Managers: Add appropriate users after creating channels
- Users: click on “Add channels”, select “Browse channels”, then join those public ones that you find relevant
Direct messages
- For direct communication between two individuals or among a small group
Messages
- Can be deleted/edited (pros/cons)
- Can tag people (use @)
- Use the “Message Priority” function (“!” icon) to set as Important or Urgent as needed.
- Can be marked as “unread”
- A reminder can be set at a specific time
- Reply to a message to start a thread
  - Useful to keep messages organized
  - For example, in the “Lab meeting” channel, start a message with the date of the meeting, then everyone reply to that first message as a way of keeping minutes
Additional functionalities
- Poll plugin: for creating poll; type /poll to use
Playbooks
- Predefined templates for to-do lists
- Useful for tracking recurring tasks
  - Batches of the same experiment
  - To-do for new lab members
  - To-do for lab members who are leaving

Table of Contents

Group Chat

Introduction

Mattermost Usage