All About Team Sites and Loop: Which One Should You Use?
Are you looking for a more casual way to collaborate with your team? If so, Loop may be the right choice for you. In this article, we will break down the differences between Loop and team sites, as well as provide a concise list of use cases for when you should use one over the other.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Interface and Navigation
- Collaboration
- Integrations
- Content Management
- Security
- Pros and Cons
- Highlights
- FAQ
Interface and Navigation
Let's start by looking at the interface and navigation for these two different tools. In a team site, you'll notice a left-hand navigation that's the common way to organize the structure for your team site. You'll also see an action bar across the top where you'll always find things that you can do on the page. In the middle, you'll see the page content.
On the other hand, Loop is very text-heavy, with a similar left-hand navigation that can be nested many layers deep. In the middle is the meat of the tool, where you can structure out your pages and insert widgets as needed. It's all one column, quite a bit different than the SharePoint side of things.
Collaboration
When it comes to collaboration, team sites are not real-time in the sense that you can see someone else actually working on things. You can go in and edit, make changes, republish, and then people will see that as well. Loop, on the other hand, is heavily based on real-time collaboration. Edits are seen in microseconds, and it's like you're in the page together working on things together.
Integrations
Both of these tools rely heavily on integrating with other tools in the Microsoft 365 suite. Team sites and Microsoft Teams are directly tied to each other, and every Microsoft team has a team site behind it. Loop, on the other hand, is a very simple tool and relies a lot on integrations if you want to get stuff from outside of Loop into Loop.
Content Management
Team sites are great for project management, document-heavy collaboration, and creating a knowledge base that is sort of written in stone. Loop, on the other hand, is great for brainstorming ideation, a more casual way to iterate on something like a knowledge base while you're building it.
Security
SharePoint is structured around your groups that you have set up in active directory, while Loop is using a roster idea that is separate. It's not a group, it's its own thing that can be kind of spun off that you can create a new Loop board and add people to it.
Pros and Cons
Pros of team sites include document-heavy collaboration, a structured knowledge base, and seamless integration with the rest of your internet. Cons include a lack of real-time collaboration and a more formal structure.
Pros of Loop include real-time collaboration, a more casual structure, and the ability to integrate with other tools. Cons include a lack of document-centric tools and external sharing not being supported at this time.
Highlights
- Team sites are great for project management and document-heavy collaboration, while Loop is great for brainstorming ideation.
- SharePoint is structured around your groups, while Loop uses a roster idea that is separate.
- Team sites lack real-time collaboration, while Loop heavily relies on it.
FAQ
Q: Can I collaborate with external users in Loop?
A: External sharing is not supported at this time, but it's something that they're working on.
Q: Which tool should I use for a more formal knowledge base?
A: Team sites are great for a structured knowledge base.
Q: Which tool should I use for brainstorming ideation?
A: Loop is great for brainstorming ideation.
Q: Can I integrate Loop with other tools?
A: Yes, Loop relies heavily on integrations with other tools in the Microsoft 365 suite.
In conclusion, both team sites and Loop have their own benefits and use cases. It really depends on what your use case is as to what way you should use one over the other.
