Microsoft Teams aims for a less than stellar disagreement

Although it’s not clear how many people prefer Microsoft Teams outside of work to use, Microsoft has made every effort to make it more accessible: The free and consumer version Microsoft Teams now includes a “Communities” feature for online communication.

Microsoft will only add the feature to the Android or iOS versions of the free Teams App Launched last year. Desktop version coming soon Microsoft says. Communities offer the opportunity to connect with friends in a group through shared messaging and calendaring.

Microsoft couldn’t seem solve the problem. Microsoft seems to want its customers to sign in to Teams organically and plan their next night, but it cannot avoid drawing from its legacy of business apps. American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), will use teams to connect with its community of 500,000 members, create training schedules, etc. USA Hockey plans to do the same to build communities among its many hockey teams.

The fact is that the USA Hockey and AYSO communities are not built from scratch. Organizations will simply tell members that their teams will be the way they communicate. This is not unlike a business owner choosing which web service will be used for communication and collaboration.

The new Teams communities look similar to Teams: although you’ll be able manage and moderate groups and share messages and other documents, as well as organize events, the user interface remains very similar. Personalization seems to be limited only to “branding elements” in Microsoft Words, such as a group picture. The Communities can be accessed via the Home tab of the mobile app. However, you may need to log out of your work account in order to do so.

It is very different to the organic communities formed on Discord or Snapchat. Teams Communities groups are for those who have done all their vacation shopping. Teams Communities isn’t for you if cooler is your preference.