Working as a team: adding collaborators to projects

Polimake is designed for collaboration. You can invite members of your team to your projects, assign them appropriate permissions, and work together in the same image library without duplicating work or losing organization.

This guide will show you how to invite collaborators, manage permissions, and take advantage of collaboration features to work efficiently as a team.

What is collaboration in Polimake?

Collaboration lets you:

• Share projects with other users
• Assign permissions (read, write) according to needs
• Work simultaneously in the same library
• Keep organization centralized without duplicating files

It's ideal for design teams, agencies that work with clients, or any situation where multiple people need access to the same images.

Inviting collaborators

Accessing collaborator management

To invite collaborators to a project:

1. Open the project you want to add collaborators to "
2. Look for "Collaborators" or "Team" in the project header or menu
3. Click to open collaborator management

Location: Access to collaborators is typically in the project header, near the list of visible collaborators.

Inviting by email

To invite someone:

1. Click "Add collaborator" or "Invite"
2. Enter the email of the person you want to invite
3. Select the permission level (read or write)
4. Send the invitation

Process:

• The person receives an email with the invitation
• If they already have an account, they can accept directly
• If they don't have an account, they can create one and then accept
• Once accepted, they have access to the project

Inviting existing users

If the person already has a Polimake account:

• You can search for them by email or name
• Send a direct invitation without needing an email
• Immediate access once they accept

Permission levels

Read permission

Collaborators with read permission can:

• View all images in the project
• Search and browse the content
• Download images (depending on configuration)
• View analysis and metadata

They cannot:

• Upload new images
• Delete images
• Move or reorganize images
• Edit project information

When to use: For clients who only need to review content, or team members who only need view access.

Write permission

Collaborators with write permission can:

• Everything from read, plus:
• Upload new images
• Delete images (their own or the project's, depending on configuration)
• Move and reorganize images
• Edit tags and metadata
• Create and manage folders

They cannot:

• Delete the project
• Change project configuration
• Manage other collaborators (typically)

When to use: For active team members who need to contribute content and organize the project.

Owner permission

The project creator (owner) can:

• Everything from write, plus:
• Manage collaborators (add, remove, change permissions)
• Edit configuration of the project
• Delete the project

Note: There's only one owner per project, typically whoever created it.

Managing collaborators

Viewing the collaborator list

To see who has access:

1. Open collaborator management
2. Review the list of team members
3. See the permissions assigned to each one

Information shown:

• Name and email of each collaborator
• Permission level (read/write)
• Join date
• Status (active, pending invitation acceptance)

Changing permissions

To modify a collaborator's permissions:

1. Find the collaborator in the list
2. Click their name or options menu
3. Select "Change permissions"
4. Choose the new permission level
5. Confirm the change

Immediate effect: Permission changes are applied immediately.

Removing collaborators

To remove access:

1. Find the collaborator in the list
2. Click "Delete" or "Remove"
3. Confirm the removal

Effect: The collaborator loses access immediately and can no longer see the project.

Best practices

Assign appropriate permissions

For security and efficiency:

• Read for reviewers: Clients or stakeholders who only need to view
• Write for contributors: Team members who add content
• Minimum necessary: Grant only the permissions that are truly needed

Communicate expectations

To avoid confusion:

• Explain the purpose of the project when inviting
• Indicate what's expected of each collaborator
• Establish organization conventions if necessary

Review collaborators regularly

To maintain security:

• Review the list periodically to ensure everyone should still have access
• Remove collaborators who no longer need access
• Update permissions if responsibilities change

Common use cases

Internal design team

For design teams:

• Everyone with write: So everyone can upload and organize
• Shared structure: Everyone works in the same organization
• Real-time collaboration: Changes visible immediately

Example: A team of 5 designers working on a client project. Everyone has write access and organizes images by content type.

Client and agency

For working with clients:

• Agency with write: To upload and organize content
• Client with read: To review and approve without modifying
• Clear communication: About what each party can do

Example: An agency manages the project with write access; the client has read access to review images before approval.

Multiple departments

For interdepartmental projects:

• Permissions as needed: Each department according to its role
• Organization by folders: Different areas in different folders
• Controlled access: Only what's necessary for each team

Limitations and considerations

Collaborator limits

There may be limits:

• Maximum number of collaborators per project depending on your plan
• Check the limits of your plan before inviting many collaborators
• Contact support if you need to increase limits

Synchronization

Changes are synced:

• In real time typically
• There may be slight latency in some cases
• Refresh the page if you don't see recent changes

Granular permissions

Currently permissions are:

• Read or Write primarily
• There may be additional options depending on the version
• Check the options available in your version

FAQ about collaboration

Can I invite someone who doesn't have an account?
Yes, they can create an account when they receive the invitation and then accept it.

Can collaborators see other projects?
No, they can only see the projects they were specifically invited to.

Can I change who owns the project?
Typically ownership can't be transferred, but you can grant full write permissions to another collaborator.

What happens if I remove a collaborator by mistake?
You can invite them again. They don't lose the images they uploaded, only access to the project.

Can collaborators invite others?
It depends on permissions. Typically only the owner can manage collaborators, but check your version.

Are there notifications when someone uploads images?
It depends on the configuration and version. Some versions may have activity notifications.

Conclusion

Collaboration in Polimake makes teamwork efficient and organized. With appropriate permissions and clear communication, you can maintain shared projects without losing control or organization.

Combine collaboration with organization with folders and smart search for a complete and efficient team workflow.

Next steps

1. Invite your first collaborator to a test project
2. Experiment with different permission levels
3. Establish organization conventions for your team
4. Review the collaborator list regularly
5. Take advantage of collaboration for shared projects

Work efficiently as a team with Polimake!