If you’ve ever wanted to use Microsoft Teams for something outside of office coordination, now’s your chance. Microsoft is expanding the platform’s scope with the new Communities feature which lets you bring people together outside the tasks of your daily work life. Chats, calls, and file sharing are all part of Teams’ new community features, but Microsoft says it’s adding more than just a new group categorization. You can also post messages to be seen by everyone in the group, organize events and add them to a shared calendar (and track attendance), and store and share documents. Those documents are also easier to sort with new content filters. Community groups can be set up with “branding elements” like logos or photos, and potential members can be invited via email, phone number, URL, or QR code. Whoever sets up the community will have complete control over its guidelines and moderation, too. Maps can be shared for in-person events, and virtual attendants are also supported—so long as you have a camera and microphone-enabled device you can set up. Community features have already begun rolling out for the free version of Microsoft Teams for iOS and Android. They’re also bound for desktop but are “coming soon,” and no specific date has been provided for their availability yet.
