Online collaboration space with shared file storage is available to campus departments and groups using Microsoft Teams, part of the Microsoft 365 platform. Microsoft Teams is a product that combines tools and resources such as group chat, calendars and file sharing into one location. Enjoy seamless real-time collaboration, schedule small group or team meetings, post an email in a thread to keep everyone in the loop, search for public teams to collaborate on shared projects, and see past content and chat history anytime. One of the primary features of Microsoft Teams is the ability to chat in real time with others in your department or across campus. This can be done in several different ways.
Channel posts can be seen by everyone on a team if they are general channels, or by channel members if they are private channels. They are similar to Facebook or other social media posts.
In private and group chats, only the people who are part of the chat can see your messages. They are similar to text messages or instant messaging.
New to workplace chat? Here are some links to resources to help you use it effectively and professionally.
Chat Rules for the Workplace
Chat Etiquette
1. Within the Team Site: Channel Posts
Each channel on your team site has a tab called Posts. This tab is used for a continuing stream of discussion between all the members of a team. This is a permanent and searchable record of the Team’s discussions.
Click Posts to get to the chat area for a given channel.
Want to alert the entire team or an individual of a particular message or a document you’ve posted? Type @, followed by your teammate's name or email address (or the team name ), and select them. They'll get a notification in their inbox and/or activity feed letting them know about the new message. Team members can adjust their notifications by going to the Settings under their profile.
For more information on having useful discussions in your Team site, watch the video below:
Additional information on Channel communications