Utilising Slack, Teams or any other messaging software is now common for everyone. It’s not just reserved to startups or technology companies. Today we’ll take Slack as our main example. In order to master communication via Slack, you need to master the use of certain apps or extensions. The one I use everyday is Giphy, a GIF extension for Slack that makes it easy to search and publish GIF in channels. Why ? Because it’s either really funny, or illustrates perfectly what I want to say (better than a small emoji) or even because an image is sometimes worth a thousand words. That’s why we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.
1. Setting Up Giphy in Slack
First let’s see how to set up Giphy in your Slack workspace if you don’t have it yet. It’s a quick process, you need to visit Giphy page on Slack app directory (link here). Then click “Add to Slack”. 2 clicks later, you’re good to go! Giphy is now installed successfully.
Talking about Slack app, if you want to celebrate birthdays in Slack we have something for you and we just wrote an article about it: How to use birthday bot?
2. Using Giphy in Slack
Now that you’ve set up the extension, we’ll see how to use Giphy in Slack.
Note that you can send GIFs in any conversation using Giphy, either in public channels, private channels but also in direct messages.
Now how to search for a GIF ? Enter in the text prompt: /giphy my search message
Then press enter, don’t worry the message won’t be posted like this. You can notice the “Only visible to you” mention.
ou’ll see a proposal of GIF and you’ll be offered 3 options: Send, Shuffle (to find another one), Cancel.
It’s time to play with the shuffle button until you see a GIF that you like.
Click send when you’re ready and that’s it. Your GIF is now posted for everyone to see it.
3. Best Practices for Using Giphy in Slack in a professional environment
Even though Giphy is mostly safe for work, I’d recommend a few best practises to make sure you’re acting in an appropriate manner in a professional environment.
First avoir offensive GIFs or images that can shock other people. Avoid of course the ones that are crude or sexually suggestive.
Make sure you don’t post too many GIFs or it can get overwhelming.
Those rules can seem basic but we’d better read them once in a while to make sure we’re not missing one.
Conclusion
We’ve seen how to use Giphy in Slack, from installation to usage, you’re now a pro!
Mastering the use of GIFs in Slack is important to make a point and to ease everyday communications. Also, it’s just fun, right ?! If this article was helpful, please drop a comment I’d be glad to read your mention.