Loop is definitely Microsoft's answer to Notion, but the interactivity between its proprietary apps and synced updates is very appealing. That being said, I hope they add more features to it soon so that it can be more like Notion, for greater functionality.
As a project manager, I definitely see value in this tool. I have to get other people to do things. It’s hard to keep track all the time what info has been shared, and what version, etc. I have to get reports from others all the time. They need to know what needs to be done too. Great collaborative tool. Super excited to try it and find ways to use it.
Just wanted to say, Kevin, after watching a few of your videos, you are very talented. Your enthusiasm comes across beyond any monetization. It's obvious you love what you do. Keep up the excellent work. Knowledge is power. You have tons of knowledge.
I totally don't get why they just come up with different apps that do a little bit of this and that is slightly different instead of making the same applications they already have like teams or project more capable and add features to them or at least dismantle them and make a transition to a new one. This is very complicated for users and companies and it doesn't make it easy to choose what platform to use since many of the features are very similar and you can do them either here or there.
This is my biggest frustration with Microsoft as well. All this functionality could have just been done through MS Teams. There is nothing tying it all together. How can I integrate whiteboard, planner, SharePoint, and so on, very few apps integrate well in the MS ecosystem outside of Office products.
The problem is, companies like microsoft are huge. They have semi departments, inside of departments and all of those operate individually. So, product manage of X department comes up with an X idea, and try to push it to the people high in the rank, and that's how the whole thing goes.
Sadly it's the Microsoft way. Why fix and improve the products we have when we can dream up something slightly different and justify the licence fees. Another half finished product that will I suspect never be fully finished before it's replaced with the next.
I've been holding off using Notion for the past year or so when I heard about this. I don't like to spend too much time making templates for things but actually getting the work done and this sort of seems like that similar to Notion but at least it will be part of my MS workflow (when IT enables it). Looking forward to trying more of this and hopefully for my own personal stuff as well. Nice video and a good intro to it
What!?? Since when did Notion become all about making templates!? That should be the least thing to do, or when you just don't have real work to use Notion with and just want to waste time. I can't help feeling you are missing out a lot. I built a whole document database on Notion integrated with a task management system to track the flow of every document I've processed. At its current stage, Loop is so far behind to the point that I think it's missing the mark entirely.
@@JK-zn7hl for any kind of workflow, there needs to be some setup like I'm Google keep, you set certain colors and tags for stuff or any email there needs to be folders and I guess I'm using things already that work and don't have the time to port over a lot of that existing work (unless there are good connection tools that does this). Motion could easily replace Google Keep but only missing audio recording and drawing features which are essential for my use cases.
@@e11world For that kind of integration, you’ll have to look into APIs, which I haven’t tried so can’t comment on that. And yes it is indeed an obstacle that it’s an independent system. But, if anything I still end up using Notion despite all that, which is to say it is really doing sth quite extraordinary, at least for me. But each to his own, so I’m not trying to oversell it. It’s good that Google Keep does it for you. I tried Google Keep but didn’t grow on me though.
I appreciate all your efforts with your content, Kevin. I’m having trouble visualizing how this will be helpful for me and my situations, but I hope it’s a very helpful app for many.
@@KevinStratvert I was going to say, about 15 seconds into this, that this is Microsoft does Notion. What I want to know is, what amazing tie ins does Microsoft have (or plan to have) to make this an amazing option for Microsoft environment workplaces. And isn't this possibly a redefined One Note?
Kevin, your videos are great, but I wish you spent more time on showing what Loop even is, its application, comparing it with MS Planner, or told us if it could be linked to the Planner, etc. But, IMO you spent too much time on editing the voting table, sharing, etc. I love learning new Microsoft applications, but I am still not sure about the main idea behind creating the Loop. Thanks
I think that's because Microsoft doesn't even quite know. I love the idea of Loop components, but having yet another dashboard or workspace when they've been pushing everything towards Teams and SharePoint for the last few years just seems awkward. I don't need a place to huddle all my Loop components if the entire point is supposed to be I can put and use them anywhere. I expect this concept to go through a lot of growing pains before its actually interesting.
@@jmd1980 Exactly, Microsoft should put their focus on consolidating all their project management tools to a centralized tool, rather than creating ton of different products that overlap each other in many areas. I think there is a bit of a chaos in their organization. I use Teams, Tasks by Planner, SharePoint, and Power BI on a daily basis. Planner is great in keeping me organized, but I wish it had more features. So, in my situation, I am wondering if Loop offers everything that Planner offers and beyond? I'd appreciate if @Kevin Stratvert or anyone can answer my question
Seems like an absolutely pointless app. An unnecessary hassle ironically designed to streamline your workflow. Also, I certainly won’t be using a bloody emoji in a business environment. Are these people children. This App should have been trashed and instead more work should be put into Microsoft Lists; a very clearly useful application which links well with automations and such. This is a classic; weird project which someone just wanted to make. When you say “it’s like having Excel right there”…yeah, maybe you could use Excel rather than pissing about with whatever the hell this is supposed to be. This is the application equivalent of when you buy a domain and create a generic template website and nothing really means anything and nothing is useful. It just…is there. This is exactly the kind of crap the out of touch Silicon Valley bunch come up with; meanwhile the rest of us are actually doing some work and not demanding safe spaces to cry in. We can all imagine the types of people who make this crap. The same type that Elon Musk fired or allowed to quit instead of working hard. Too busy voting on things they don’t have a clue about and buying sh*t they don’t need. Sounds perfect for these weirdo’s at corporate offices of tech firms. Embarrassing.
I really appreciate the overview. We're still trying to get everybody on board with using Teams, which really is a tremendously useful app. I'm usually the one who gets excited about new apps, but I only see minor advancements along with overlap and distraction from what Teams does (at least for our needs). Maybe this will change as things develop in the future, but for now, I won't invest much time trying to put this to use.
Yeah exactly my other comment just now. This seems very awkward. It's silly to have a whole separate workplace just for Loop components when entire point is that you should be able to use them anywhere. Just have a tab in Teams and make it part of your O365 group.
@@jmd1980 Couldn't agree more. I think the ability to work dynamically on a component from different apps is neat, but it seems it would just cause more confusion. And having a separate interface for Loop? Do we need that? It looks and feels like Teams. Can't we somehow just integrate with Teams? I also wonder how permissions and security will be managed. We generally advise people to refrain from setting permissions at more granular levels like folders (blech) and documents.. isn't components even more granular? Microsoft would do well to focus on simplifying permissions across M365. This is making it more confusing IMO.
@@cre8ivjay why confusing? If you click out of Teams to the Planner web app people don't freak out. This is like that - going to a project management app. Potentially just for the main organiser though... that's the beauty of it - others can stay in Teams and contribute to just a few components if they want.
@@Metzanine It's less about the different apps, and more about a less than clear and unique value proposition. I see it a bit, but not something that most will go for. I could be wrong. I also worry about content security/permissions. I still don't know many people who really understand this beyond us nerds and component level security is pretty granular. I hope I'm wrong on all of this. We didn't think the recent "Thumbs Up/Raised hand" change in Teams meetings was going to confuse users, and yet every meeting.... by the dozens, "Oh sorry about that. I didn't mean to raise my hand, just give a thumbs up!" ;)
Excellent video, Kevin! I've seen so many apps that look like they do much the same as Loop, and tried a few of them, too. But this is the first one I've seen that looks it might really prove useful for me. So you're a good salesperson for MS, even if you don't actually work for them any more. Suggestion: now you've done the initial promo, perhaps you could produce another 17 videos to guide us through the setup process, which is a typical MS quagmire. 🙃
Add and pin a loop to a one-on-one chat with a co-worker. Use this to create a mini agenda/to-do list of items to discuss (or questions to ask) instead of various emails and chats. Allows other user to see what you are thinking about and will give them time to think about it or even limit the meeting time.
Thanks Kevin. I did a work walk through and then followed up with your video. It helped everything fall into place. I'm hoping to use this with my team to collab on a big project.
It seems like a nice application, for people whom aren't already used to different work methods. If people are attached to their current work methods and not crazy about trying new things, I think Loop will just come off as 'another thing we have to keep track of'
Great introduction to an app that looks like a promising replacement for Notion. One of the shortcomings of Notion is its inabilitly to interface with the whole MS Office suite. I am interested in exploring Loop as the basis for a PKM system and interfacing it with OneNote. Please make some additional videos on Loop that specifically address linkng, for example, does it allow for easy creation of backlinks?
OneNote has the ability to create links, and although it may not have all the functionality of Notion, it does indeed interface well with the rest of the MS Office suite
@@IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII258 While I agree that Loop is a Notion knockoff, the Loop components give it an edge in M365 centric workspaces, especially as the rest of the app integration come online. Not saying it's better than Notion, just that for people that aren't already invested in Notion and don't need everything it has to off may find Loop appealing if they are in the M365 space already, which is a lot of companies.
Thank you for the very timely video! Good intro. I'll have to look into this as it looks like a solution for a collaborative project I'm building out a DB for. My questions in particular (not asking you to answer are 1) Can we lock components of the projects so invitees cannot modify them? 2) Can we allow additional comments or new voting elements but not change what was there? I'm sure I'll have a million more.
I guess when you invite someone to collaborate that person can change everything, however you have the version history, so anytime you will eb able to see who change what and recover the previous version. So in the bottom line you are protected
Loop was available in Teams before, I’ve used it and I think it was available in Outlook as well, it just wasn’t an app. Wasn’t sure it was really necessary but I guess the app keeps the voting easy to find later. Seems like there a few Notion components going on…🤔
Seems to be nice but I'm not sure how it's integrated in MS 365 ecosystem. When you create a workspace does it create something in sharepoint? a distribution group? a Teams? If I add people from my organisation in a workspace but they don't belong to the same team in TEAMS couldn't it create issues? I struggle to help people using TEAMS correctly, I fear this tool will bring more confusion 🤔
I agree with some of the comments here - the video was really well put together, and Kevin's enthusiasm is definitely a plus. But that's where it ends. Personally, I can't think of anything worse than having to jump through masses of pages to find out what needs to be done for each project. Collaboration is one thing, but I feel like we're going to be spending more time collaborating than we will working. To much!
Thank you very much Kevin. I just can't understand how this is different from Notion. I am a fan of Microsoft products but don't think it's worth the migration if there are no major differences.
Good this is finally rolling out. I detest platforms like onenote with a passion, so anything that's a doc system (i.e. coda, notion, craft, capacities, etc) like this that's an ecosystem w/ an open API hopefully as well, is exponentially better than simple one-off repository software like onenote, evernote, etc.
Preview looks like the interface of Confluence with basic (at the moment) functions of Notion. Exactly what I want in the future. This might be a great solution in 2-3 years and the competition will have a hard time selling their product to companies that have already M365. Who thinks also that MS is starting to dominate the market a bit too much?
Ok. I love what Loop can do, but... the first question my clients are going to ask is this: "You just taught us how to use Teams to do everything that this seems to do. Why should I use this and not Teams? When do I use Teams and not Loop? Is this going to replace Teams? I can chat in Loop and in Teams. My head is hurting. Give me less choices!" So I am very unlikely to roll this out until I get some clarity. I've been showing them how to start project tracking in Teams, they already do it in Outlook, I've shown them how to track projects using Lists. And Planner. And Tasks. So now another highly promoted Microsoft tool that seems to duplicate a lot of existing tools. I get the Notion killer idea. But no company I know is using Notion. So there you are. A real world situation.
As always, very high level content Kevin! Love this, thank you! In all honesty though, I'm not really sure what use or benefit can this tool give me or my team (?)
The more juicy title would be “Microsoft is Coming for Notion’s $10B Business!” As a person who appreciate the Notion workflow, there is no doubt Microsoft directed this model at going after some of that market share. Navigating this program would be super easy for folks who are already use to a Notion workflow. However, Microsoft is known for incorporating security features that lend themselves to the corporate environment. Plus, so many people have to use the Microsoft Suite at work. Notion would need to work on their encryption policies outside of data at rest in order to have the leverage that Microsoft has. With this new app, there’s also no incentive for Microsoft to enable any kind of integrations with Notion. May the Best emoji and cover art designs win!
Notion has a head start currently and has far more components, but I'm sure Microsoft is envisioning all those types of scenarios. One unique aspect of Loop vs. Notion is the ability to insert components across Microsoft 365 apps.
1:50 I like how when you mention the IT Admin may need to turn on the experience, you show footage of a 10yo boy soldering wires. As an IT admin at my company for Microsoft 365 services, I can verify that this is exactly our demographic and how we enable service. Edit: I can also attest to the fact that boxes of cookies escalate requests.
I am interested and I am going to try this out with some projects I do around my home, I think my first project will be to organize the wiring I have in my garage that is part of the POE cameras I have for the front of my house and the cat 6 cables are going to a Unfii switch in the garage and I need to put all the cables in electrical conduit and make sure it is out of the way and the wires are protected from getting tangled up with other things in the garage. I think this might work. I think to learn something like Loop or anything else you need to work a small project through with something you really need and maybe it will spark other ideas that you can use with bigger projects and such. thanks Kevin for the video, it ihas sparked lots of ideas.
Great video Kevin. 😊 I do feel however that the creation of a separate Loop app detracts from the messaging around MicrosoftTeams being "the one ring to rule them all". Curious how others are navigating this with their customers.
I really like how this appears to work. I noticed though that some features that you demonstrated are not yet in Loop. For example the version history. I think that would be needed if other people have access to change the table or whatever has been shared. The other option is within Sharing. The demo references three different options, but there is only two available in the app. Are there only admin functions or are these options still under development?
Tables looks like in latest confluence 😊 i hope ms will follow this idea and rollout such tables into onenote, sharepoint and other products except excel 😏
I have a feeling Loop will be replacing OneNote... and possibly Tasks and Planner (or maybe an integration). Can't see a purpose for OneNote if this exists.
I like it so far but can you dive in on how this works with teams. So far it seems redundant. If you have a team setup in teams would a loop for that teams be created similar to planner.
Great video! Do you have a video that goes thru all of the different apps and how they integrate with each other? I am coming from Onenote but feel that Loop would better suite me going forward with its team member updating. We have a small construction company and need to get better organized and share info with other members. Thanks!
So Loop isn't spun up as part of O365 Group connected apps so can you add groups rather then individuals to a space? I can see issues with, when people leave and the Loops go with the users.
Great Video. But that app is not offering enough at the moment in my opinion. The integration to MS's environment is great, but it doesn't offer enough tools. Can't do much with the tables, for example. Especially compared to something like Notion. So I'll wait for a few updates before I use it.
Another great video Kevin. Easy to concise and easy to follow overview. In case you read your comments, do you know if it lets you collaborate with people outside your company?
That was my immediate thought as well. We have contractors in the organization who need to be in the loop as well. If they cannot use it with their own M365 account, then Loop is not going to take off. There are a lot of IT professionals out there who have multiple clients and they tend to use their own M365 account to communicate with their clients .
Interesting. I hadn't heard of Notion or Loop until today, surprisingly. I can see some use for this sort of application, but at present either I'm not getting the full picture or something, but it seems mostly like just another pretty way of collaborating with others. Yes, it looks like it interfaces and fits seamlessly with other MS apps as you'd expect, but yeah just kind of searching for a use-case. It might be a better platform for something some things I currently use other products for, so I'll try to keep an open mind.
Hi Kevin, once again thank you for your content...I realy think Microsoft blew it out of the water and this is possibly going to overtake all other similar apps...would it be possible to have a video on how to enable Loop in our personal machines, please? I fired my IT Dpt🤣
Any advice for handling follow-up calls on the same project using previous call notes and tasks in Loop? I'm assuming the only way is to copy the prior meeting notes to the new call agenda/Loop to follow-up on tasks, right?
the first thought that popup in my mind is that 'oh, this is an improved Teams'. we already communicate in Teams for quite sometimes now, so if there is a way that we can migrate all the Teams into Loop, I think I will reconsider.
