How to use Streams

Streams sit at the core of Ledger's features. They were designed to replace long email threads and unproductive channels with an open, engaging design even the least technical person of your team can succeed with. 

Starting a stream is simple. Here's how it's just like sending an email:

1. Name the stream. 'What's the email's subject?'
2. Select your participants. 'Who are you sending the email to?'
3. Add a comment. 'What do you want to say?'
4. Click Save. 'Send the email'

Everyone you added to the stream will receive an email notification, just like sending a regular email. And, just like regular email, they can hit reply or go to Ledger and reply there.

But here's where streams and email are very, very different.

Even if there are hundreds—or thousands—of comments and replies in a single stream (yes, streams tend to stay open a long time!), you will never feel lost. 

Because the next time you go to Ledger, all the comments, replies, links and files will be nice and organized inside the stream, waiting for you. The benefits of using a centralized teamwork tool! 

Streams is a great place to have all of your ongoing group discussions with a couple people, a lot of people, or as a solo page to post files, links and ideas. 

You can access all the details of a stream, like files, links and participants, by clicking the little side tab on the right side:

As you have more and more streams with your team, and other teams, here are few ways to avoid stream clutter and keep things simple, which is kind of what we're all about:

• Short names: 'New logo design for Brand X' can become 'Logo-Brand-X. Short and sweet. Most people will have many different streams open at once, so the shorter the name the quicker it will be to reference. 
• Use as a chat alternative: instead of having a group chat with ten people, consider starting a stream. It's easier to track replies, add files, and share ideas.
• Pin important messages: these will stay on top of each stream for better visibility to all participants (click the three dots next to each comment to turn on/off).
• Star your favorites: all starred streams will appear at the top of your list, so you can find your faves quickly.
• Close old streams: If you haven't used a stream for a while, consider closing it. You can always find it again by using filters to show closed streams.
• Add reactions, replies, and mentions: everyone appreciates a thumbs up or rocket emoji. Use these reactions liberally, and reply to specific comments if you want to chat about something one-on-one without notifying the entire team. Mentions (@username) are great anytime you want to mention another user.
• Don't forget the #hashtags: to quickly reference another item in Ledger with a quick link, like an event for a Zoom meeting or a buzz post, simply type # and select a recent item you participate in from the pop-up or keep typing to refine your search. Give it a try!