CLAC Connect

What does this mean for you?

Many of us in the CLAC community have expressed the need for a collaborative space to engage with Affinity groups, create new groups, and discuss shared topics. What can Slack do for us? As we continue to grow as an organization, we're exploring new ways to foster connections among our 78+ liberal arts college IT organizations. While our Email Listservs serve us well for asynchronous discussions, Slack offers different capabilities that may benefit our community:

• Real-time collaboration and conversation

• Dedicated channels for specific topics and interests

• Direct messaging for one-on-one connections

• Mobile accessibility for on-the-go communication

How does the pilot work?

With this CLAC Connect pilot project, we're embracing the concept of “desired path integration” (designing based on how people naturally use a space) — starting with minimal structure and allowing organic usage to guide us toward the most effective setup for our Slack workspace. 

After the two-year pilot period, we'll assess which paths need to be paved with more structure, as well as the overall efficacy of Slack for CLAC. 

While CLAC Connect will serve as a space for more informal, immediate conversations and networking, and as a supporting space for our Affinity Groups, it’s important to note that our Email Listservs will remain a supported communication channel for announcements and discussions.

This is a pilot, so we don’t have all the answers, and we will continue to explore and refine as we hear from you.  Please – explore, play, collaborate, and give us feedback! 

How to Join?

You should have received an email invite directly from Slack.

• Sender is a “no-reply” address from slack.com.  

• Subject line will say “CLAC Connect bot has invited you to work with them in Slack”

• Click on the “Join Slack” link in this email

FAQ

Q: What are some tips on how to get started?

A:  Check out Slack’s Getting Started Guide and our Welcome Canvas (this link will work once you are signed in to CLAC Connect)

Q:  Is CLAC Connect replacing existing email listservs?

A:  No.  CLAC Connect is a pilot program, and we'll gather feedback and monitor usage to evaluate the future relationship between Slack and our email listservs. Mirroring our listservs’ setup, CIOs have been granted access to a private CIO channel on Slack, #cio, and all CLAC members are in the #all-clac channel. 

Q:  How can a colleague be added to this space?

A: All members can invite new members to the workspace. Click on the + sign in the bottom left of the workspace and use their institution email to invite them to join the workspace.

Q: Can a personal email address be used to join?

A:  No. Only institutional email addresses will be approved to join.

Q:  I have a question.  Who should I ask?

A:  If you’re in CLAC Connect Slack, find us in the #support-help channel.  If you’re not in Slack, email the CLAC Programs Coordinator

Questions?

If you have questions, contact the CLAC Programs Coordinator or contact info@liberalarts.org.