Reaction: Microsoft Loop Updates

[@andrewcrompton3444]

Good discussion - thanks! Just one correction: it says (about 02:30) that Loop components are available only in Teams chat and not in channels. That is true at present, but MS have already announced that they will bring Loop components to Teams channels too. That will be a significant improvement.

[@BulbDigital]

Thanks for the clarification. We're excited that it's coming. This part of the discussion was about why we didn't jump on "Loop" when it was only Loop Components.

[@andrewcrompton3444]

​@@BulbDigital I just saw - Loop components are now available in Teams channels!

[@kingiam87]

I need them to add a option to send emails to loop like with one note

[@mikeymouse2]

I like this discussion and insights

[@patrickmaur3r]

I have some questions regarding the use of Loop. Normally, when creating a document, email, or a message in Teams, it is static. With Microsoft Loop, it becomes dynamic, and any changes made in Loop are also "updated" in the document, mail or chat. However, while it's clear to me where I save my document, such as on SharePoint, I'm unsure where my Loop data resides. If I create a workspace/project and leave the company or delete this workspace/project (to cleanup, closed topics), does all the data in the document get lost as well? I want my data to be centralized in the designated SharePoint, which is why I have reservations about this new tool.

[@BulbDigital]

Yeah, we've seen a bit of concern around the data storage in the community. They have done a pretty good job documenting about it in their docs, like here: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/loop/loop-compliance-summary

[@altruologist]

Excellent conversation that provided some clarity on Loop. Our business is starting to use it but it has been difficult to find information (even from Microsoft and Partners) that really explained how Loop works in different workflow scenarios.

[@BulbDigital]

Thank you! More content about Loop to come in the future 😊

[@taaee]

This is a smart and good discussion. The first time I've seen a realistic and neutral opinion these challenge MS raised for themselves: how MS will threat Loop x Teams as they continue afirming one won't replace the other, in terms of doc repository and members interactivity. Moreover, as PM (in my case) concerned to help companies and users to have better achievements we need to be realistic I'm what's good, what's not and what needs improvement. Definitely Loop will replace couple of MS tools (e.g. OneNote), bit it's not there yet.

[@BulbDigital]

Thanks for the kind words! We love these tools a lot, but try to stay "real" whenever we share thoughts about them.

[@dillonkondrick4545]

Would be interesting. OneNote has an insane number of features that will take Loop forever to catch up with, and inegrating loop components is already one the OneNote roadmap (although I'd be shocked if it's integrated anywhere else but the web version of OneNote)

[@BulbDigital]

Yep, nothing that we've seen indicates it will replace OneNote any time soon, it's more of a feeling we get when we use the tool that it should :)

[@zacharysholar1981]

Good conversation, looking forward to listening to more. Didn’t know Loop went GA, going to try it again now. Do you talk more in other videos/podcasts about why you don’t use chat in Teams? Would love to hear more about the reasons behind this.

[@BulbDigital]

Great call out! Our position is rooted in our philosophy that collaboration and communication can be improved by adhering to a topic-based approach. This is to say organizing your communication and collaboration based on topic instead of the people who are involved. When you use email, chat, or personal file shares you are naturally taking a person-based approach. You have to choose the person that will be interested in the content. When you use Teams Channels you are choosing the topic the content is relevant to. Is this helpful to your wondering?

[@zacharysholar1981]

@@BulbDigital this makes perfect sense, thank you so much!

[@tomhughes8472]

Loops now work in Channels, which has been a very helpful change for me.

[@iangrant3615]

I think there's a misunderstanding. How is Loop going to replace Teams? Why would it? That isn't what Loop is. Teams are teams. It's the places where groups of people are contained and can communicate on meetings/calls/chats. Loop is just a method for certain data to be shared and collaborated on in a more real time way. Loop couldn't and wouldn't replace Teams, but Teams may begin to use more of Loop's functionality to enable more real time sharing and collaboration on data. That's all.

[@BulbDigital]

It's a nuanced thing, hopefully what we said didn't suggest one will replace the other. I think the primary thing that may change is that Loop becomes more of a core "I spend a large amount of my workday here" tool in the same way MS has tried to make Teams that kind of tool over the years. We're hopeful the communication portion of Teams gets tightly integrated with Loop.

[@iangrant3615]

@@BulbDigital agreed. I could see Loop becoming just a delivery mechanism, so that Looping would just mean those elements of whatever file or item anywhere in the MS suite of apps become a real time collaborative element or data set that becomes easier to share and control access to. A bit like simply saving a file to one drive then makes it a file that is easier to share and collaborate on.

[@BulbDigital]

For components, definitely. But we love the Loop app itself, which ends up being much more than just a delivery mechanism (it is that still too, just adds much more context alongside those things).