About 6 months ago, I came across an invite to a Slack group for Pivx.  I had no idea what the heck Slack even was.  I was new to trading crypto.  So I downloaded the application, went to the website, and got plugged in.

Source

Slack has been mentioned in many articles and websites as an innovative and effective way to get people to work together, especially if the members are from different parts of the world.  It's a no-brainer with the global community of cryptocurrency.  The Digital Humanities Initiative called it the "app of the week" in a post from June of last year.  MIT called it one of their "10 breakthrough technologies"    

The New York Times even featured it in their Technology section a couple of years ago as "The messaging App that could finally sink e-mail"

It's quite easy to see why once you start using it.  E-mail practically becomes a thing of the past.  Messages can be saved, accessed, and archived in a systematic and orderly fashion.  Screenshots can be shared with ease.  Files can be shared between everyone in your group with the push of a button.   

Slack, if used correctly, is a wealth of information.  I bought into Pivx early on.  And I ran into some people that I recognize on Steemit today.  So what is Slack?  Well, it's a community message board that updates in real time.  Think of it like a chat room.  Different rooms can be created for certain purposes.  Most coins, especially if they are active in development, have their own Slack.  You may be asking yourself, "I have enough trouble keeping up with everything else, why would I want to add another community to my growing list?"  I'm not saying that you have to join Slack, but I'll go over my own experience below and you can make your own informed decision.

I'm currently in the PIVX, Particl, Coinigy, XtraBytes, and AntShares Slack groups

Slack Advantages

1.  Ask questions about a coin BEFORE you invest in it

Not sure about the roadmap of a coin?  Want to really make sure of some things before investing?  Would you like to get answers directly from the team?  You can ask them.  If the developers themselves are not active everyday, most groups have people delegated to certain positions, such as Social Media Manager, Moderator, etc.  FAQ's are generally posted as well.  Gihub updates are posted.  Do you have a question about something you read on the Bitcointalk ANN page?  Go to the Slack and ask.  

2. Access to News Before it Hits Other Media Outlets

 News about pending releases, roadmap updates, development updates, community updates, etc . . are almost always shared with the Slack community before they go out to Twitter, etc.  If they are not, you will at least have a general idea of when those updates will go into effect.  If you wish, you can capitalize on these opportunities. Being in the Slack gives you an advantage over people who are not.  

3. The Trading Rooms

Some of the best information I received was through other Slack members in the trading rooms.  Of course, you will have to do your own research to verify the facts, but a lot of these guys are super knowledgeable.  The first group I joined was the Pivx group.  I was originally told about another newer project called XtraBytes (XBY).  I did my own investigating, liked what I saw, and invested quite heavily in the coin.  My ROI has been insane and I hold two STaTiC nodes.  I might never have come across that information if I wasn't in the Slack.  

A screenshot from the XtraBytes Trading Room

It should go without saying that this is crypto, so there are trolls and pump and dumpers involved here.  Again, make sure to do your own due diligence on things that are discussed.  But XBY isn't the only tip I received.  

4. Getting to Know the Community

The crypto community is pretty great.  I've met other Steemians in various rooms.  We've got running jokes now.  It's almost like we're old friends.  If I'm not around for a couple days, one of them will ping me and ask me what's up.  Or if I sold my coins lol . . But the atmosphere is generally positive.  There are idiots in every group, and Slack is no exception.  In my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad.

Adding this app to my already extensive library of cryptocurrency research tools has had overwhelmingly positive results. And . . . it's pretty damn fun in those rooms.  If you happen to join any of the groups I'm a member of, give me a shout out at fishfishfish313

Thanks for reading.  If you enjoyed this and feel like you benefited from the information, I'm always down to receive some upvotes, follows, or resteems.  

Do any of you use Slack?  Let me what you think in the comments below?

For further reading:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600771/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-slack/

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/technology/slack-the-office-messaging-app-that-may-finally-sink-email.html

http://blogs.newschool.edu/digitalhumanities/2016/02/12/app-of-the-week-slack/