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Group chat

Intro

Group chat tools (e.g., Slack, Discord, Mattermost) can be highly effective for team communication
Among the available tools, Mattermost is an open source option that can be self-hosted. This is attractive in terms of information security/privacy and cost.

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 setup
- Security: click on the profile (top-right), “Profile”, “Security”, enable “Multi-factor Authentication”
- Channels - General
  - Town Square (system default; may be renamed as “General”): all members are added automatically, can be used for general discussion
  - Off-Topic (system default; may be renamed as “Chat”): for non-work-related conversations
  - Announcement: for important announcements
  - Lab meeting: for regular meetings; use threads to keep meeting minutes
- Channels - Others
  - Project-based channels, one per project. May be Public or Private, depending on the nature of the project or the team culture
- Direct messages
  - For one-to-one communication
- Additional functionalities
  - Poll plugin
Mattermost usage
- Messages
  - Can be deleted/edited (pros/cons)
  - Can tag people
  - Can be marked as “unread”
  - Can add a reminder set at a specific time