Private chat or workspace conversation

Choose between a private chat and a workspace conversation: who sees it and when to use each.

Last updated About 6 hours ago

allmates.ai has two places to talk with Mates: private chats and workspace conversations. Both work the same way: you pick a Mate, you write, you mention other Mates with @. The difference is who can see the conversation. This article helps every member choose the right place.

The title of this article changed: it was "Personal Chat vs. Collab". Collabs are now workspace conversations.

Private chats

A private chat is visible to you only.

  • Start one: click New chat in the sidebar, pick a Mate, write your message.
  • Participants: you and the Mates you mention. You cannot add a colleague to a private chat.
  • Find it again: in the Private chats list of the sidebar.

Use a private chat to:

  • ask a Mate a quick question;
  • draft or test something before you share it;
  • work on a personal or confidential topic.

Workspace conversations

A workspace conversation belongs to a workspace. The members of the workspace can read it and write in it.

  • Start one: open a workspace in the sidebar, pick a Mate above the composer, write your message.
  • Participants: every person and Mate who writes in it or is mentioned. When someone writes for the first time, the chip "{name}" joined the conversation shows above their message.
  • Who can see it:
    • in a private workspace, the members of the workspace;
    • in a public workspace, all the members of the organization.
  • Find it again: in the workspace, in the sidebar tree or on the workspace page, in a folder if you put it in one.

Use a workspace conversation to:

  • work on a topic with colleagues and Mates together;
  • keep the work of a team, a project or a client in one place;
  • share the answer of a Mate with the team.

Key differences

Private chat

Workspace conversation

Who can see it

You only

The workspace members (private workspace) or the whole organization (public workspace)

Colleagues

No

Yes, mention them with @

Mates

The Mates you mention

The Mates that anyone mentions

Organized in

The Private chats list

The workspace and its folders

Shared pin

No, only you see it

Yes, a pin shows for every member

Plan

Every plan

A plan that includes workspaces

Mate access is personal

In both places, a Mate answers you only if you can use that Mate. In a workspace conversation, two members can have access to different Mates. If you mention a Mate that you cannot use, the Mate replies "I can't reply to you: you don't have access to this Mate."

Move a private chat to a workspace

You can start in private and share later: Copy / Move in the chat menu moves the chat to a workspace, or duplicates it there. See "Managing Your Workspace Conversations" for the steps and what a move changes.

Make the right choice

Ask yourself two questions:

  1. Does anyone else need to see this conversation? If no, use a private chat.
  2. Which group needs to see it? Use a private workspace for a team or a confidential project. Use a public workspace for a topic that concerns the whole organization.

Good to know

  • Workspaces depend on your plan. Without a plan that includes workspaces, the sidebar shows your private chats only. See "Managing Roles, Plans, and Permissions".
  • There is no access setting per conversation. Access comes from the workspace.