Michigan IT Slack Workspace

Find and easily connect with IT colleagues across U-M in the Michigan IT workspace in Slack. You can use the Michigan IT workspace to:

  • Create public or private channels to connect with peers on Michigan IT-related topics 
  • Network with IT colleagues across campuses
  • Participate in a community of practice
  • Learn about and participate in Michigan IT events
  • Find new opportunities to learn skills and grow your career

The Michigan IT Slack workspace is intended for informal networking and information-sharing regarding the above activities. For formal service or support-related questions, please utilize existing channels or contact your respective helpdesk.

How to Join

  1. Create a U-M Slack account, if you haven’t already.
  2. Join the Michigan IT Workspace in Slack:
    1. From the desktop app or a web browser, go to the University of Michigan workspace.
    2. Navigate to Home.
    3. From the workspaces dropdown at the top of the main column, select “Edit and reorder workspaces”.
    4. In the dialog that appears, click in the search box. A list of workspaces should appear, and if Michigan IT is there, select it. (If Michigan IT does not appear, see the note below.) Then click “Save & Reload”.
    5. Now you can select Michigan IT from the workspaces dropdown to enter that workspace.

Note: If you do not see the Michigan IT Workspace as an option in Slack, you will need to join the michigan-it-slack MCommunity group using your @umich.edu credentials. The group is synchronized with Slack at approximately 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET each day.

Important: New members must be added through the michigan-it-slack MCommunity group. The “Invite” function from within Slack will not work. 

Add a Channel

When you join the Michigan IT workspace, you may see only one or a couple of channels.

To discover and add other channels:

  1. At the bottom of the list of channels in the left column, click on "+ Add channels" and then in the popup menu that appears, select "Browse Channels".
  2. On the All Channels page, select "In Michigan IT" from the All Workspaces dropdown below the search bar. A list of channels will appear.
  3. Hover over the channel you are interested in joining, and click the "Join" button at the right side.
  4. Continue this process for as many channels as you like.

Create a New Channel

Members of the Michigan IT workspace can create public or private channels to connect with peers on Michigan IT related topics.

Tips for Creating a New Channel

  • Browse channels to determine if your channel topic already exists (and to pick up common naming conventions)
  • When naming your channel, use a short and clear label that describes the purpose of the channel. Examples include: 
    • #cop-”topic” 
    • #social-”topic” 
    • #symposium-“topic” 
    • #hwf-“topic” 
  • Decide on a public or private channel  
    • It’s recommended that you start with an open or public channel. You can always change the channel to private, but you cannot change a private channel to open. 
    • Note: Public channels will be searchable and findable by anyone in the workspace.

To request that channels are archived or to remove members from channels, contact [email protected].

How to Leave

To leave the Michigan IT workspace, go to the michigan-it-slack MCommunity group and click “Resign.” It can then take up to twelve hours for MCommunity to update Slack.

Learn More

For questions about the Michigan IT Slack workspace administration, contact [email protected].