Watercooler channels are a great way to keep your team connected whether you're working remotely, hybrid, or in person. Donut will post regular conversation topics in a Slack channel (e.g. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?), so that they can continue to get to know one another asynchronously.
Ready to create your team's first Watercooler channel? If you're installing Donut for the first time, you can create your first Watercooler channel in Donut's setup wizard (as seen here in our Watercooler demo).
If your team's Slack workspace has already been using Donut and you just want to set up a new Watercooler channel for the first time, follow these steps:
Log into your Donut Dashboard with your Slack credentials
Locate Watercooler on the landing page and click Preview > Use Template
Name the channel you'd like to create and click Create Donut Channel. Donut will suggest the next business day to send a Watercooler topic. However, you can click "Send Now" to also send it immediately
On the next page, you can set your frequency, date, and time preferences.
Navigate the tabs at the top of the page to visit things pages like Topics Queue or Access, where you can edit who has permission to make changes to your channel
Hit Save when you've finished adjusting settings
Note: Donut's Free Plan includes 12 free Watercooler Topics by default. If you'd like to use Donut's additional Topic Packs or create your own custom topics, you'll need to upgrade to our Standard or Premium plan. Get started with a free trial here.
Browse and Add Watercooler Packs
If you’re on a paid plan, you'll have access to our library of hundreds of topics curated by the Donut team and our partners, organized as topic packs. To browse and add Watercooler packs:
In the left sidebar menu, click All Channels
Click the settings gear icon ⚙️ next to the channel you’d like to add topics to
Click the Topics Queue header, then the “Browse Topic Library” button
Browse the available packs and add your favorites!
As Donut and our partners add new topics to packs, those topics will automatically be added to the library so that you can browse and select the ones that are right for your team. You can rearrange and deactivate specific topics once a pack has been added.
Don't see the content you need? You can create your own! Create custom Watercooler packs, individual custom topics or even use our AI Watercooler topic generator.
Announce Donut to your team!
Your team participates in Donut intros by joining the channel you created, so now you just need to invite others to participate and let them know what channel to join if they're interested! You can announce Donut to your team via email and/or within Slack (most teams post the announcement in the #general channel).
Be sure to let them know what to expect, like the purpose, how it works, and how they can participate.
Have questions? Contact us
Questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to click the purple Intercom button at the bottom right to chat with us and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.