Article of Sara Hoeg

The ability to share single items – single projects, designs, meetings, etc. – has been a popular feature since it was launched with a silly video back in December 2012.

Transparency is our default – never before have we needed to search for a stock photo of a padlock – but we do understand there are times when sharing an entire workspace with all the history of your team’s work is not necessary or appropriate.

A growing request from our customers that frequently use Podio share has been to offer read-only access. To give, for example, members of other teams or a client the ability to review work and provide feedback but not make changes.

Today we’ve added this feature to both Podio Plus and Premium. It’s available now and it works by simply checking the read-only option when sharing an item. You’ll find more details about how to share items in our Help Centre.

Image of read-only item share

Sharing in this way limits the recipient to viewing the item and any attached files, and adding comments or liking the item. Perfect for quickly sharing content or simply receiving feedback – rather than deeper ongoing collaboration.

Podio customer Educational Services of America have been testing the new sharing capabilities. Senior business analyst Anthony Stefani explains their current and potential use-cases:

“The new read-only feature gives our users the ability to share purchase orders with our external clients. Instead of emailing or faxing out purchase orders, we can now easily input their email address and they’ll have access immediately to view and comment on them.

“The new feature has also opened the door for us to allow parents and student access to view grades, attendance, and easily communicate with teachers and administrators within our schools. It’s a small change but it’s got big potential for us at ESA.”

If you’d like to learn more about how ESA found a better way of working with Podio, check out their case study video.

And incase you wondered, Podio share minus the read-only option is also available on Podio Free and Basic. As is the ability to create entirely read-only apps.