Using Ripple - Tools
Chat
Staying Connected
Chat handles the “in-between” moments of collaboration. It’s the place for quick questions, temperature checks, or just saying “good morning” to the team.
We’ve designed it to be fast and fluid, but structured enough that important info doesn’t get washed away in a flood of messages. In Ripple, Chat isn’t just a single endless feed; it operates in two distinct modes to keep your context clear:
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Channel Chat:
This is your open workspace. It lives inside a specific Channel (like ‘Marketing’) and is visible to everyone on that team. It replaces internal email chains. -
Direct Chat (DMs):
This is your private line. It lives in your main navigation and is used for 1:1 syncs or small, private groups.
We’ve separated these so you can easily switch between “working out loud” with the team and having focused, private conversations without losing track of which is which.
Inside Chat:
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Channel Chat | The open feed for a specific team (e.g., ‘Marketing’). Visible to everyone in that channel, ensuring transparency. |
| Direct Chats (DMs) | Private 1:1 or small group messages for sensitive topics or quick sidebars that don’t concern the whole team. |
| Threads | A crucial feature that lets you reply to a specific message in a sub-menu, keeping the main feed clean and readable. |
| Mentions (@) | Use @name to notify a specific person or @channel to alert the whole team (use sparingly!). |
| Reactions | Quick emoji responses to acknowledge a message without adding clutter to the stream. |
| File Sharing | Upload images or docs directly into the chat for instant feedback. |
Using Chat:
Because Chat lives in two places, how you access it depends on who you need to talk to.
Direct Messages (for private conversations):
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Navigate to the left sideboard dashboard and look for the DMs section.
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Click the + icon to start a new private message with one or more colleagues.
Channel Chat:
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Click on a specific Channel in your sidebar.
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The Chat tab is the default view. Type your message here to update the whole team.
Threading: This is key to Ripple etiquette. When replying to someone else’s post in a Channel chat, hover over their message and click the Speech Bubble icon. This opens a Thread on the side. This keeps the main channel view from becoming a messy wall of text.
[!TIP] Tool Tip: 💡 Keep the noise down. Use Threads for side conversations so important announcements in the main Channel feed stay visible to everyone.
Quick Start:
Communicate without adding to the noise. Tick these off to master your Ripple chats:
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Jump into a Channel Chat and introduce yourself to the team.
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Start a Direct Chat with a colleague for a quick 1:1 sync.
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Reply using a Thread in a Channel Chat to keep the main feed clean for everyone else.
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Save typing a message by using an Emoji to acknowledge a post.
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Use an @Mention to nudge the specific person who needs to see your message.