Ask HN: What messaging tool should I use for a local affinity group?

[subpixel]

I’ve been invited to join a couple dozen non-technical people who live in the same area who have started a group for events and meetups and want a better messaging solution than email. Facebook not an option, I’ve been told.

I’m tempted to suggest free Slack, we don’t need a searchable archive that goes back long.

But honesty I haven’t tried half of the currently popular messaging tools, and don’t have time to try them all to form an opinion.

What do or would you use for this type of thing?

[lhoff]

If most of these people dont't use Slack yet i wouldn't push it. Non-technical people tend to have some resistance towards these new technologies especially in their free time.

I would start with assessing which messaging tools they are already using and see if one of that feeds your needs.

While Slack (or other similar tools like Discord, Teams, Matrix) would be theoretically suitable, it doesn't help when no one uses it. A set of WhatsApp/Signa/Telegram Groups for different kind of topics might be the better solution.

If you are deciding towards a new Tool that most of the people aren't familiar, I'd suggest to organise a little install party to get everyone ready to use the new tool and to overcome the potential initial scepticism and to gain momentum. Also make sure to define a concrete cut-over date to avoid creating just an additional channel.

[gen3]

It’s definitely best to meet people where they are. Discord is more user friendly for a lot of people, but something like a signal/instagram group could work depending on your group size.

If you are interested in Matrix, I am currently running one for a local security conference, and can answer some questions. I have it configured to automatically add you to rooms when you make an account. You can signup here: https://matrix.carolinacon.org/ . Or read my matrix info blurb here: https://carolinacon.org/coms.html

[andrewshadura]

Matrix + Element. Open, free, federated, self-hostable, but you can start with matrix.org or you can find another instance.

[guptaneil]

I work on Guilded (https://www.guilded.gg), a tool for gamers to organize their teams, kind of like Slack + Google Docs + Calendar + Zoom. While you’re not gamers, it would directly address your use case (chat, RSVP to events, share photos, find common availability, host shared docs, have video calls, etc) for free in a single tool. It admittedly has a higher learning curve than a simpler basic chat app like Discord or Slack due to having more features (unused features can be disabled).

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about different messaging tools and talking to people about their needs. I agree with other commenters that the _easiest_ (not necessarily best) and recommended solution will be whatever most people are already using, whether that’s an iMessage group, GroupMe, Telegram, or whatever. Getting people to use a new platform is a difficult problem because it only takes 1 person to refuse to force the whole group back to the status quo. If you will be adopting a new platform, then and only then would I worry about which one is “best.” Everyone (including me) will have strong opinions about the one they’re using being the best, so I can only share my experiences here…

While Slack is a solid option and I do use it for a couple groups, a big downside of the free plan is that that messages in lesser used channels or DM’s will disappear as discussion progresses in another channel, which can be very frustrating if you need to reference the last thing sent later. If you only need chat, Discord is a decent option as some people may already be using it, but you’ll want to train the group how to identify and avoid falling victim to the various scams plaguing Discord now. The ideals behind Matrix and similar distributed messaging apps are excellent, but in practice, they are not approachable for non-technical audiences, don’t provide any particular benefit for your use case to make the learning curve worth it, and are more likely to create a splintered group.

Let me know if you have more questions or what you decide, whichever way you go! Always curious to hear about the decision making process… neil@guilded.gg

[otachack]

Zulip? Matrix is good, too, albeit not the best looking.

[throwaway81523]

Does this require a high level of privacy or security? If not, why not a simple self-hosted forum?

[toomuchtodo]

https://discourse.org?

[tapvt]

Would a listserv be appropriate?

Depends on your use case: synchronicity, volume of messages, etc.