Slack is testing 'Video Stories' and many more features
After almost every mainstream social media service on the block, even work-focused companies are jumping on the bandwagon of 'Stories'. Just recently, LinkedIn launched the feature in India, and now, popular work chat and collaboration platform Slack is testing a similar 'Video Stories' concept, among other things. Here is all you need to know about it.
How video stories would work?
On the first day (yesterday) of its annual customer conference, Slack announced the testing of experimental 'Video Stories'. It said this content will not disappear after 24 hours, unlike the stories we see on Instagram and Facebook, and could be posted on any channel or DM to give all other members of the team a quick message without hosting a full-fledged video-conference session.
Here's what Slack's CEO, Stewart Butterfield, said on the feature
"There was a joke going around that soon all software will have it, and I thought that was funny. But especially during the pandemic, and the difference in how we as a company are approaching work, means it's an idea that's time has come."
No filters for 'Video Stories'
The Video Stories shared on Slack will not have any filters or stickers, which makes sense for a professional service. The company is still exploring how it would appear in channels but it should be launched soon, giving the users a way to quickly check on their colleagues or give status updates.
'Anytime Audio' also in the works
Along with Video Stories, Slack is also experimenting with a feature called 'Anytime Audio,' a push-to-talk like feature to have spontaneous conversations with colleagues in channels. "When we were all in the office leaning over or shouting out to someone a couple of desks away with a question feels very lightweight, so we're trying to recreate that," Butterfield told The Verge.
Other stable features announced
In addition to these features, Slack is also bringing Slack Connect Direct Messages to let people from one company message those in another by sharing a private link. Also, to make sure that the company sharing the link to connect is trustworthy, Slack is introducing verified badges. All these features are slated to debut in 2020 or early-2021.
