Meet Canvas, a Google Docs-like feature from Slack
Slack has introduced an in-app feature, dubbed Canvas. It is similar to Google Docs, where you can add some information, and share it with other members and channels of your organization. A canvas comes attached to every Slack channel. Alternatively, you can create and share an unlimited number of canvases. Individuals can work collaboratively in a canvas, and add text, images, videos, and more.
Why does this story matter?
Canvas was first introduced by Slack a year ago, and today it is officially rolling out to all users. It is perhaps one of the best tools the organization has ever produced. Canvases seem like a great place to store items that you can easily locate whenever required, since it has always been a hassle to find any particular info stored on Slack.
You can keep important Slack objects within canvases
Slack is one of the significant means of online communication for companies. It is a repository for documents, information, and workflows. However, finding what you're looking for takes far too much scrolling on Slack as chats move fast, and individuals end up with a pool of threads. Hence, users can use canvases to keep their important stuff for future reference.
Here are some notable features of canvas
A canvas allows you to type text, upload images and video clips, add links, embed Slack apps, run polls, and everything else that you do in a Slack conversation. It displays links as tokens, plays YouTube videos online, and even shows Slack's media. And while canvases store information in a document form, it is easier to find and organize stuff.
Canvases are limited to people within Slack
Canvases are limited to Slack members. You are allowed to share a canvas with the members or channels within your organization. However, Slack doesn't allow the public sharing of canvases. This is probably good practice for maintaining the integrity of the shared information. The comments on a particular canvas are stored in a dedicated Slack thread, which can be located easily whenever needed.
How does it fare against Google Docs?
Canvas is an extremely capable collaborative tool for document creation. However, it isn't a direct competitor to Google Docs. Although you can create lists and headings, you don't have much control over the text formatting part. A canvas can be used by multiple people at the same time. It also handles permissions and sharing very well. However, Google Docs is far more capable.
