Chat Subliminals In Yer Face
iMessage but the entire background is the other person’s face pic.twitter.com/hUlBCwJhO1
— Soren Iverson (@soren_iverson) July 4, 2024
After blogging earlier this year referencing one of this person's previous 'new ideas daily' for new technical functionality, I later came by the above.
As with seemingly most of his new features, it's irreverent sure, but there's usually a gem to be had from a further angle.
Message groups such as on Whatsapp or Telegram, set up for specific tasks where such as a Slack channel can't quite involve everyone on the project, have been fairly common for a long while now.
In Sales, think when different companies partner on a bid together, a bid team springs up across separate offices and maybe over different time zones, or even an implementation team combines buyer and seller between sign-up and sign-off.
Having been in just such a group, I can say one thing an administrator must be on top off, is deleting the random likes, banter and memes that inevitably creep in. You can even have a prepared 'guidelines' message. With a handful of parameters set out up-front, and reposted to greet anyone new whenever added.
These work well when postings are tightly defined, and neatly 'managed'.
In fact, a principled message 'delete' when required can work wonders for your long-term ambitions.
Issue resolution, success staging posts, end-of-week status summaries, modifications to procedures, quickfire ideas, requesting checks or balances, and taking the temperature of progress.
Whilst not an absolute essential, it can provide a useful informal touchpoint.
In a fashion that'll likely spring up anyway, so better to ensure any shadow comms are brought into the light, or parallel chats wrought mainstream.
It's sometimes as if members completely forget there's forwarding, screenshotting and export-of-everything channels lurking at the margins. So let's consciously keep thing professional.
Where the proposed feature up-top sparks an idea, is how to visually underpin such initiative.
Whereas for instance every Whatsapp user determines their own chat screen background, at least any group 'owner' can select the group chat icon.
It's worth paying this some attention.
Don't lazily default to a company graphic.
And factor in how whatever you project gets seen in miniature on-screen.
We also get to choose the Group Name.
Again, the shorter and snappier whilst aligned to the shared aims the better.
In both cases, it is all about them.
Think legacy. Problem to vanquish. How their world will become a better place.