# Your first message (https://docs.treema.ai/en/docs/chats/quick-start)

Open a channel, write in it, answer somebody, and start a conversation with one person.

Five minutes, and by the end of them your team has somewhere to talk that doesn't disappear at the
end of the shift.

## 1. Open a channel [#1-open-a-channel]

**Chats** in the sidebar. The list on the left holds every conversation you can see; pick one and it
opens on the right. If your workspace is new, the channel your property was created with is waiting
there.

## 2. Write something [#2-write-something]

Click into the box at the bottom and type. **Enter** sends it, **Shift + Enter** starts a new line —
the reminder is printed under the box, because getting those two the wrong way round in front of
colleagues is a rite of passage nobody enjoys.

Three things live in that box beside the text:

* **@** — type it and start a name to mention somebody. They are told directly, even if the channel
  is otherwise quiet for them.
* **The paperclip** — up to five files on one message. Images show in the thread; anything else
  arrives as a file to download.
* **The microphone** — hold a conversation you'd rather say than type. The recording is sent as a
  voice message and written out underneath, so nobody has to listen to it to find out what it said.

If you switch to another conversation mid-sentence, what you typed is still there when you come
back.

## 3. Answer somebody [#3-answer-somebody]

Hover any message and a small toolbar appears above it:

* **The smiling face** adds a reaction — the cheapest possible "seen it, thanks".
* **The speech bubble** starts a **thread**: replies that hang off that one message instead of
  scrolling the channel.
* **The arrow** quotes the message in your reply, so a one-off answer reads clearly in the flow.

A rule of thumb: react when nothing needs saying, quote when the answer is one message, open a
thread when it is going to be a conversation.

## 4. Message one person [#4-message-one-person]

Beside the **All chats** heading in the list there's a **+** (beside **Direct messages**, if your
list is split into channels and direct messages). It opens the workspace's member list — search for
a name, press **Message**, and you have a conversation with just that person.

You don't need permission from anyone to do this, and you can do it with anyone in the workspace.

<Callout title="Say it where it will be found again">
  The first instinct is to write to the person you know will act. The better habit is to write in the
  channel that owns the subject — the person on shift tomorrow can read it, and nobody has to
  remember to pass it on.
</Callout>

## What's next [#whats-next]

* [Finding a conversation](https://docs.treema.ai/en/docs/chats/finding/) — filters, sorting, search and the badges on each row.
* [Messages](https://docs.treema.ai/en/docs/chats/messages/) — pins, threads, files and turning a message into a task.
* [Channels](https://docs.treema.ai/en/docs/chats/channels/) — if you can create them, how to set one up properly.