For free you can add up to 25 members, but you are allowed only 1 committee, 3 files and 12 calendar events, making the free option useful mainly for the messaging.
GroupLoop features include:
Message Board - this works like a blog - the intial information is posted and responses are added as comments. I actually like this better than forums, which can get confusing.
Calendar - Both a text-style list of events and a small calendar are used. When an event is added to the calendar, an email notification can be sent to all or just select members of the team.
Documents - Documents are uploaded files and GroupLoop has the option of using categories for organization.
People - Basically a contact list, with the option to add people to committees. Information can then be addressed to certain committees. It doesn't appear, however, that messages or files can be permission-based by committee.
What needs improvement: Add recurring events scheduling to the calendar and some basic permissions by committee. Even for a family this would be nice - you could have an "adult" committee that could discuss birthday presents without the kids being able to see.
Comparison:
30Boxes - I like GroupLoop somewhat more - even though limited, the interface is pretty. But like I said about GroupLoop, for free you can set up a Yahoo account and do a lot of the same things, albeit not in one bundled app.
Thanks for the comments, Diane. Just to clarify a couple of points:
Lyle Mullican
Grouploop.com
Posted by: Lyle Mullican | August 1, 2006 2:44 PM | Permalink to Comment