Information Technology Services

• Available for free for faculty, staff and students.
• Have a one-on-one conversation with an individuals or groups of people.
• You can chat with anyone else with a Google account.
• Available on mobile (iOS, Android) and the web.
• Sync your chats from device to device and keep the conversation going wherever you are.

On your computer

1. Log in to your Brandeis Gmail account.
2. Click on the "Hangouts" icon, which is represented by a quotation mark at the bottom left of the screen. You'll be signed into Google Hangouts.
3. To begin a new conversation, click on the "+" sign. To begin a chat, type in the person's name or email address. You can also start a new hangout group by clicking on "New Group" and then typing in multiple email addresses.
4. A chat window will open up, where you can begin typing your message. From here, you can also begin a video chat by clicking on the video icon or a phone call by clicking on the phone icon. You can also start a group chat from here, by clicking on the plus sign.

On your mobile device

Download the Hangouts app for your mobile device and log in with your Brandeis credentials (username and password).

• iOS (App Store)
• Android (Google Play)

Start a 1:1 conversation

1. Click on the "+" sign.
2. Enter and select a name or email address.
3. A chat window will open up, where you can begin typing your message.
4. Select Enter on your keyboard to send the message.

Start a group conversation

1. Click on the "+" sign.
2. Enter and select the names or email addresses for the individuals that you would like to include in the group.
3. A chat window will open up, where you can begin typing your message.
4. Select Enter on your keyboard to send the message.

• Hangouts Community Help Forum

• Create a Slack workspace for a group of people.
• Send direct messages to other Slack users.
• Create and participate in conversation "channels" for different topics.
• Create public or private channels depending on topic or audience.
• Have voice or video conversations with other Slack users.
• Share files (restricted data only) with other Slack users.

• Go to the Slack website to create a workspace.
• Invite others to join your newly created workspace.
• Create public or private channels for targeted audiences or based on topics or project.
• Select your platform to download and install the Slack app:
  Windows | Mac | iOS | Android

Start a direct message

1. Click the Plus (+) icon next to Direct Messages in the left sidebar.
2. Search for the person(s) you would like to message.
3. Type your message and hit enter on your keyboard.

Create a new channel

Channels are a place for teams and groups to share messages, tools, and files. Public channels are available to anyone within the workspace and marked with a hashtag (e.g., #general). Private channels are invitation-only, invisible to non-members, and marked with a lock icon.

1. Click the Plus (+) icon next to Channels in the left sidebar.
2. Set a name, provide a clear description, and select public or private.
3. Click the Create button.
4. Invite people to your new channel.

• Slack Help Center
• Using Slack
• Slack Glossary

As part of a comprehensive solution within the G Suite, Google Hangouts gives you the freedom to converse and communicate with your colleagues in real-time via direct messaging. You can start a conversation with an individual or create a group conversation. You can even launch meetings directly from your Gmail.

Slack is an alternative chat platform that offers both free or paid tiers. It enables you to create dedicated channels for certain topics, teams, or projects so that everyone is in the loop on what's going on. You can direct message a colleague or set up a group chat. To chat with larger groups, you can a create private channels around a specific project or topic or send messages broadly in a department-wide channel. Files and links can be shared, too.

At the end of the day, we can't say that one collaboration tool is a definite winner. We each have our own needs, so the ball is in your court. That said, if you are a G Suite user, Hangouts will do everything you need without the need for additional integrations or costs.

Hangouts

Hangouts is available for free for the Brandeis community (faculty, staff and students) as part of the suite of Google Apps such as Gmail, Calendar and Drive.

Slack

Slack is free by default and ITS recommends the base plan for the community. For extra features, you can upgrade to a Slack pricing plan.

Currently, the university does not subscribe to an enterprise license so each group will need to determine if a paid tier is necessary. For paid tiers, there is approximately 85% discount for Brandeis as a higher education institution. To get the higher education discount, refer to the following steps:

Refer to the following information to apply for the higher ed discount:

• Complete the Slack for education application.
• Separately request tax exemption by adding the following information to your tax-exempt certificate: Slack Technologies, Inc., 500 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 US.
• Send the current and signed sales tax exempt certificate to tax@slack.com, and include your Slack URL (e.g., url.slack.com) in your message.

Google Hangouts and Slack is approved for the sharing and exchange of Regulated Data only in private channels or direct messages. Regulated Data as outlined in the Written Information Security Policy (WISP) includes: personal information (PI), non-public financial information (NPI) or personal health information (PHI). If you have any questions about what can or can not be shared in Slack, please contact security@brandeis.edu.