Are you a trucker? Do you own Apple products or are you thinking of switching from the dark side? 😉 Have questions about the Apple world?  If so, we need your help getting a new Slack community started.

According to the Slack website, the service is “Team communication for the 21st century.” Well that sounds kind of technical, doesn’t it? What it is is a great way for any group of people with a common interest to keep in touch and share ideas. At least I think that’s what it is. That’s where you come in.

I recently received an email from a guy who calls himself Trucker Bob. I’ve known Trucker Bob in an online capacity for some time now, mainly because we have many common interests: we’re both truckers, we’re both Apple junkies, and we both love podcasts, which is how we both heard about a free app called Slack, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone (Beta).

I’ve thought that this service sounded super-cool from the beginning and all the podcasters I listen to rave about it. But to be honest, I couldn’t think of a use-case to try the app. Well, that’s where that email from Trucker Bob comes in. He suggested we start a Slack channel (what they call a group) dedicated to truckers who love Apple products. Genius! Finally I had a reason to try the app!

To be perfectly honest, neither Trucker Bob nor I have any idea if (or how) this is going to work. We just wanted to give it a go and see what happens. In Trucker Bob’s own words, “I was thinking that there must be a lot of truckers out there who use OS X and iOS. I was hoping for a tech forum where we could discuss new trucker apps, get help with an OS X or iOS problem, compare cell plans, etc. The problem is in getting news of the channel out to our brother truckers.” 

So here’s the deal. Slack is an invite-only kind of thing. Trucker Bob and I aren’t trying to be all snooty, that’s just the way the app is designed. So that means you’ll need to email Trucker Bob at iTruckers@iCloud.com and he will send you an invite. To be clear, Trucker Bob and I are both administrators of the iTrucker Slack channel, but he will be doing most of the heavy lifting since I already have my hands full with the Trucker Dump podcast/blog and writing for TruckerMagazine.com.

Again, I would like to stress that THIS CHANNEL IS ONLY FOR TRUCKERS INTERESTED IN APPLE STUFF. I hate to exclude everyone else, but I’d really rather jam a barbecue fork up my nose than have to hear about everyone’s blue screen of death or trying to get rid of a virus on your Android phone!

Like I said, neither Trucker Bob nor I have any idea how this is going to work or how people will use it. Heck, we aren’t even that familiar with the Slack app ourselves yet. So hey, if you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, or an iPod, or you really want to get one or all of these, be sure to sign up and let’s all help each other figure this thing out.

Again, contact Trucker Bob at iTruckers@iCloud.com to receive your invite to the iTrucker Slack channel!