I joined Rock in 2020 as a business development working student. A lot has changed since then. I now find myself traveling around the world as a digital nomad while managing a wide variety of marketing activities at Rock.

What does working full-time at Rock look like for you?

There are a lot of things I love about my job at Rock: ownership of awesome projects, a hands-on learning experience, and seeing direct results from my efforts.

My day-to-day looks completely different compared to two years ago. When I joined we were working on officially releasing Rock to the public, with a product hunt launch, listing Rock on different sites, and other business development activities. Now, 2 years and thousands of signups later, I find myself leading content, growth and analytical activities across channels.

A lot of my workday is planned around individual deep work: managing content, changes in our branding across channels, and other less-defined growth activities. With only 4-5 meetings on a weekly basis, I find my schedule to be open and flexible to focus on important tasks instead of being stuck in meetings that could have been emails – or as we like to say, meetings that could have been a task or topic.

Having only a few meetings does not mean I’m not connected to everyone in the team though. With constant updates in different 1:1 and group spaces, I often chat to team members, partners and users from across the world (and occasionally share some GIFs now that they are finally available everywhere!).

Only a few meetings a week and asynchronous-first work means I often don’t work a 9-5 (this doesn’t mean I’m being lazy though!). Splitting my time throughout the day allows me to go surfing in the morning, to the gym at 2pm or leave early on a Friday to go travel for the weekend every now and then.

Because we organize our work with tasks, performance is not connected to when I’m online. Instead, we focus on what is being accomplished in every sprint or week-over-week period.

What does remote work look like for you?

I decided to go fully remote in January 2022, leaving Rotterdam (which had been my home for 5 years) behind. Leaving behind great friends and a city that had given me so much wasn’t easy. But the idea of getting to travel the world while taking my career forward at the same time was an opportunity I did not want to skip.

For my first solo location I found accommodation in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua and decided to spend the next two months remote working there.

What is Nicaragua like?

I was scared of the idea of booking an Airbnb and spending large amounts of time working by myself in a holiday home. Thus, I booked a coliving space, which has an awesome view by the way!

Coliving spaces bring together remote workers and digital nomads from around the world. This makes them a great place to meet like-minded people. Another perk is that they often offer a fast internet connection, a must-have when working remotely. Or as Kenzo likes to call it, the base of the Maslov pyramid for remote workers’ needs.

A definite highlight of my stay was the opportunity to meet amazing people from all over the world with different careers, goals, and dreams. From consultants to freelance copywriters and nutrition & health experts, I shared my ‘office’ (the living room) and free time with people of different trades, backgrounds, and life goals.

Two months in Nicaragua also allowed me to visit places all over the country. I had the chance to visit typical backpacker destinations such as Ometepe, Granada, and León. I also got to surf a handful of times during work days and weekends, do short hikes around town, and check out most of the local bars and restaurants.

Oh, I also got to slide down a volcano which is definitely one of the highlights of my stay here. How does that work you ask? A Breaking Bad jumpsuit, a makeshift wooden board, and some goggles are all one needs.

What’s next?

We have great things coming up for Rock. Now that our help center and blog were recently updated, you can expect to see some rockin’ content across those and some new channels throughout the next few weeks.

My two-month journey in Nicaragua has come to an end by the time you read this article. My next travels are fully confirmed already though. After spending a month visiting friends and family I’m excited to visit Lisbon for 3 months and learn more about Portuguese culture and a new language. Portugal also has plenty of surf and a lot of interesting people to meet for sure.

No more volcanoes though, I think I scratched that itch for the time being by summiting San Cristóbal, the highest volcano in Nicaragua (allow me some bragging rights, it’s a 12-hour hike that starts at 2:30 am).

Will you be in Lisbon or are you interested in e-meeting? You can open a Quick Connect space with me through this link web.rock.so/nicolaas. :)

Help us spread the word and earn extra income by joining the Rock Affiliate Program! Monetize inviting your network and earn a reward when they upgrade to the PRO or TEAMS plans.

Read along to learn more about how the Affiliate Program works, whom the program is for, what benefits are included, and how to get started.

How does the Affiliate Program work?

The Affiliate Program is pretty straightforward. Once you sign up, we will provide you with a dedicated sign up link through which your clients, friends, audience or anyone else can join Rock. These accounts will then be connected to your link, and you will receive a commission if they end up upgrading to one of the paid plans in the future.

You also receive a dedicated discount code to share with your audience. This means that you can provide them with a lower price if they want to upgrade to a paid plan.

Who is the Rock Affiliate Program for?

Anyone is welcome to apply to the Affiliate Program. Joining is best suited for those who want to advocate for more asynchronous ways of working and believe in Rock’s philosophy for enabling anyone to work from anywhere. Common affiliates tend to be:

• Companies or freelancers that often work with clients: The Affiliate Program can be a great opportunity to monetize inviting your clients to Rock. Additionally, if you onboard teams to Rock this could be a great way to increase the ROI of getting new teams started on Rock.
• Social media & content experts: Do you interact with an audience that fits Rock well through podcasts, blogs, video, newsletters or other channels? Joining the Affiliate Program is a great way to teach your audience how Rock can bring value to their work and productivity with dedicated content and internal promotions.

What rewards does the Rock Affiliate Program offer?

The reward received depends on the plan purchased by the user who signed up with your link and the billing cycle. Upgrades are paid out once a month and are associated with new users that signed up with your link.

For every new upgraded user you receive:

• 10% of a monthly plan on both PRO and TEAMS for the first year – That is up to over $100 per individual upgrade!
• 20 % of an annual plan on both PRO and TEAMS for the first year – Up to over $300 per individual upgrade!

Affiliate Program do’s & don’ts

Whether you are new to working in a Affiliate Program or a seasoned pro, here are some basic pointers on what we expect from you.

When joining the Rock Affiliate Program DO:

• Share your link with relevant audiences.
• Use the brand and content resource guides we provide.
• Ask our team any questions to help you supercharge your activities.

When joining the Affiliate Program DO NOT:

• Spam audiences or post your link on web pages with illegal or adult content.
• Use predatory or false advertising for getting people to the website.
• Try to use fraudulent tactics to play the payout system.

How to sign up to the program

Applying to the program is easy. First, give us as much useful information as possible when filling out the form in this dedicated signup link. This way we can see whether you are a good match and whether collaborating can be beneficial to both sides.

After that we will reach out to you to discuss the program and your activities more in depth. This way we can discuss different ways to support you throughout your time with us in the Affiliate Program.

Do you have any questions about the Affiliate Program that are not listed in the Q&A? You are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to partners@rock.so.

Questions and Answers

Is joining the Rock Affiliate Program FREE?

‍Yes, anyone can join the Rock Affiliate Program for free. There is no application or monthly membership cost.

‍Do you accept anyone to join the program?

‍We assess whether both parties can benefit from the affiliateship before accepting anyone. If we reject your application now you can always try applying again further down the road.

Do I receive rewards for free signups?

‍We are planning on introducing rewards for free signups sometime soon. Please apply to the program to further discuss free signup rewards with the team.

‍Can I leave the Affiliate Program at any time?

‍Yes, you can decide to leave the Affiliate Program at any point in time.

‍What resources does Rock provide to support me in the Affiliate Program?

‍We provide brand and content guidelines alongside a variety of marketing materials that you can use to promote Rock to your audience. You can also discuss dedicated or shared content with the team.

With Rock, we're building the front-end for any team and a big part of this is to integrate with as many other apps out there so you don't need to switch between different apps to get work done.

In the latest release we have a handful of super useful integrations now available on Rock:

• Notion - you can now add Notion to the Files mini-app in a space. This makes it easy to find all your Notion docs together with all your other cloud files and makes it easy to attach Notion docs to specific tasks.
• Loom - you can now easily send asynchronous videos/screen recording using Rock. This works in addition to the synchronous video meetings through Zoom, Google Meet, and Jitsi we already supported.
• Slack import - stop slacking, and start rocking is now even easier. You can import all your Slack messages into Rock so you don't need to be worried about losing any messages. Best of all, you can know get rid of those irritating Slack limitations.

We also have a bunch of other features that will make your more productive and grab back control of your day-to-day work:

• Activity panel - activities are now organized by space so you can more easily triage and follow up on messages, task updates, and more.
• Improved team management (TEAMS) - easily add, remove, and suspend users across your entire domain on the TEAMS plan.

More details on all of these shiny new features below.

Notion integration with Files and Tasks mini-apps

You can now add Notion to the Files mini-app in a space and attach Notion docs to tasks in Rock.To get started, check out the following steps:

1. Go to the Files mini-app in any space
2. Select the (+) button and then select Notion
3. Go through the linking process to connect Notion to Rock
4. Select specific folders or documents to be added to a space
5. All your Notion docs will now be displayed in the Files mini-app and will show up as an attachment option on any task in this space.

Loom integration for async video sharing

You can now easily send asynchronous videos/screen recording using Rock with Loom. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Make sure to have the Loom extension for your browser installed (download)
2. Select the video camera icon at the bottom of any space
3. Select Loom and go through the steps to use Loom with your browser
4. Once the Loom video is recorded, you can easily share this in the space by adding the URL to a message, task, note, or topic.

Activity Panel - group by space and filter by unread or by mentions

Keeping up with updates on Rock is now a lot easier with the improved activity panel. Updates are now organized by space so you can quickly triage, and follow up on specific activities.

Spaces in the activity panel are sorted by recent updates with the most current one being displayed on top of the list. Expand the space dropdown to go through the latest updates in that particular space.You can now also filter the activities in two important ways:

• Only mentions: Only see activities where you have been directly mentioned in the panel.
• Only unread: When selected, notifications are cleared out of the panel after reading them. If you still need to find them back you can always turn off the toggle for all past notifications to appear.

Tasks that are due on that day will also appear in the Activity Panel so you are quickly reminded of work that has an upcoming deadline. Available on web, desktop, and mobile apps.

Note: updates in the activity panel are not connected to system notifications. Read more about notification management in this dedicated help guide.

Import from Slack

You can now import messages from Slack into Rock spaces. This makes it easier to stop slacking as you don't have to go back and forth to find past conversations hidden away in Slack.

The import from Slack feature also allows you to quickly invite new people to Rock and have spaces set up with all your past communications. This is only available on web & desktop.

Better member management on TEAMS - Add, remove, and suspend users from different spaces in one go

If you want to add add, remove, and suspend users across your domain up till now it's been a lot of manual work as you've needed to do this for each space and each user.

With improved member management (available only on the TEAMS plan), you can now do all these things in bulk so adding, removing, and suspending users becomes a breeze:

1. Go to Settings
2. Select Domain Admin and then Members
3. Use the checkboxes in front of each user to create a group of users you want to perform an action on.
4. Once at least one user is selected you will see options to Add to spaces, Remove, or Suspend.

Improvements to the mobile app (iOS/Android)

The features above are also available on the mobile apps. For a full list of mobile features, see below:

• Notion integration in the Files mini-app
• Send multiple attachments in one chat message
• Move chat messages into comments for tasks, notes or topics with Tap to Organize
• Filter by assignee on calendar view
• PRO plan: iCal integration for the Tasks mini-app
• Various bug fixes and improvements

Download the mobile app

If you have any questions or suggestions you are always welcome to ping us in the Rock Support and Updates space.

From the team that brought you @mention anything, you can now @mention everywhere! In addition to doing this in messages and comments, you can now @mention tasks, notes, topics, and attachments in task and note descriptions and a bunch of other places.

This release also includes new features and improvements such as importing tasks from Trello, Asana, ClickUp andJira, Quick Settings, major notifications improvements, bulk adding/removing users on the TEAMS plan (mobile only), and lots and lots more.

@Mention Everywhere

Collaboration on Rock has become even more connected with @mention in the description of tasks, notes, and topics. Seamlessly reference tasks, notes, topics, across different spaces with this powerful mentioning feature.

Include important information, add relevant context and truly connect the work you are doing across projects. Curious to try it out? The only thing you have to do is write an @ in the description of any task, note or topic to get started.

As an example – if you use the Notes mini-app to share a meeting agenda, you can now not just add the agenda but also specific tasks that you want to discuss during the meeting. Another thing you can now do is create a task that @ mentions another task in the description.

Just a couple of examples of what Rock does to bring order to chaos.

Import from Asana, Jira and ClickUp

Switching tools? You can now take your tasks with you. Import tasks from other tools to any new or already existing space on Rock.

In addition to importing task boards from Trello, it is now also possible to bring over tasks from Asana, Jira, and ClickUp. This way you don't have to lose past documentation and work, while seamlessly continuing with what you were working on.

Quick Settings ⚙️

Switch in seconds between accounts, light or dark mode, the mute notifications panel and your contacts with quick settings! You can access the panel by pressing your user image in the top left corner of your screen.

Looking for the expanded settings panel? You can still access it by selecting 'Settings'.

Authenticate with your phone number on web and desktop

We have added phone numbers as a way to authenticate your login on web and desktop. This way you enter your account with just your phone in addition to the already existing email codes or third party authentication through Google, Apple, and others.

If you currently only have an email validated account, you can add a phone number to your account by going to user settings, my profile, adding a phone number and saving it.

When logging in, select 'you can also continue with phone number' under login to toggle between phone number and email authentication. By doing this you will always have a backup in case you don't have access to email or your phone but still want to log in.

Notification improvements

We have further improved the notification experience since our last product release with improvements to how blue dots highlight updates in a space, notifications on mobile, and some changes to the notification panel in your user settings.

Improved blue dot behavior: We have improved blue dot behavior across spaces and the different mini-apps so you can more easily catch up with changes or updates relevant to your work.

✅ Notification settings improvementsThe notification settings are more structured and we have added a few new options that you can toggle regarding your notifications. You can now more easily manage:

• System notifications: Device alerts for new activities on mobile, web or desktop.
• Email notifications: Dedicated emails that notify you about activities or due dates on Rock.
• Updates: Product releases and marketing updates from the Rock Team.

You can access the notification panel by going to your user settings and then selecting 'Notifications'.

Search improvements

We have improved search to find more relevant results across messages, notes, topics and tasks.

Mobile improvements

We have also made some changes to the mobile app that should make it easier to work across mini-apps and have people join you on Rock. If you're on the TEAMS plan – you can now easily add, suspend, and remove multiple users in one go saving you a lot of time.

@mention

• Use @ mentions in task and note descriptions so you can easily reference and link to other items on Rock

Inviting people

• Invite users to a space with a phone number
• Import users with phone numbers to make it easier to invite others

TEAMS plan

• Bulk add, remove, and suspend users with the TEAMS plan

Other

• Improved notifications settings for tasks, notes, and topics
• Various bug fixes and improvements
• Reply to comments in tasks and notes

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the 'Rock Support and Updates’ space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Ready to rock the new year? We're kicking off the new year with a ton of updates that are on top of everybody's wishlist: 1) dark mode 2) Calendar view 3) better notifications! Find out more below:

Improved notifications

Major improvements and changes have been made to the notification experience on web, desktop and mobile. The new notification system should make it easier to keep up with new tasks, notes, and topics as well as comments.

Some of the biggest changes are blue dots on the mini-apps, an easy way to see all updated objects, and activities grouped by space on mobile.

Blue dots

The Chat, Tasks, Topics, and Notes mini-apps now display blue dots when there are updates. This way you can more easily check where changes have been made, or when new tasks, notes, or topics have been created.

"Updated" filter

You can now filter Tasks, Notes and Topics to just show updated objects so you don't need to guess what has been updated. This way you can quickly catch up on the latest changes or discussions.

Activity notifications grouped by space (Mobile)

Notifications on the mobile ? Activity Panel are now organized by space. When clicking on a space you can see each individual update for more detailed information.

The Activity panel also has two new filters which can be accessed from the three dots in the top right corner: Only Mentions, and Only Unread activities.

Dark mode

Switch between light and dark mode on web and desktop! This highly requested feature soothes the eyes and makes it easier to focus.

Manage your Dark Mode settings through your user settings. Press your user image (top left corner) to access the panel and toggle between Dark and Light Mode. By default, Rock follows whatever you have set up on your computer.

Easter egg: Try pressing 'Rock' in the bottom left corner of your web or desktop interface 5 times quickly and see what happens!

Calendar view

You can now also access Calendar View on web and desktop (note: this was already available on mobile). Keep track of important deadlines and milestones within your space by visualizing start and due dates on the calendar view.

You can also Create new tasks or Edit existing tasks. The task filtering experience in Calendar View works in a similar way as the Board and List views. Filter by label, Assignees, and more to manage your workflow and keep projects running.

My Tasks Calendar view

We have also added a Calendar View to the 'My Tasks' panel. This allows you to view all tasks you are assigned to, have created and/or are following by start and due date.

Tasks can be created, edited and filtered from the Calendar View. Filter tasks by space(s) they were created in, due date, last time updated, priority or assignee status and manage or follow up on tasks across spaces.

The same emojis everywhere

Emojis are different on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS which can be confusing and leads to a different emoji experience for every user. To fix this, we have updated the emoji library on web and desktop to Twemojis, so everyone sees exactly the emoji you shared and nothing gets lost in translation.

Cleaner & more organized space view on web ✨

Each space now looks a lot cleaner, organized, and has a ton of improvements that make it easier to read messages. The new space view allows you to more quickly switch between mini-apps and makes it easier to access Search, Activities and Settings.

You can now also unmute spaces by pressing the Mute bell that appears when muting a space.

Improvements to mobile

In addition to some of the updates mentioned above this product release is mainly focused on improving the notification experience alongside some other small improvements. In addition to just your email, you can now also sign up and log in with your phone number.

Notifications

• Added more ways to customize your Notification preferences through ⚙️ Settings.
• Blue dots on different mini-apps so you can quickly see updates, comments, and other changes.
• ✨ Highlighting of updated tasks and notes so you can easily see what has changed.
• Activities are now grouped by spaces in the Activity panel, so you it's easier to go through all your updates.

Tasks ✅

• Filter tasks by Assignees in the Tasks mini-app

Other ➕

• Add your phone number to Rock instead or in addition to an email address so you have another way of getting into your account.
• Other small improvements and bug fixes

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the 'Rock Customer Support’ space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Instead of having multiple discussions and threads in chat use the brand new Topics mini-app to organize your conversations. Topics are more asynchronous, more organized, and allow you to bring order to the chaos of chat.

This release also includes new features and improvements such as attaching cloud files to tasks and notes, importingtask boards from Trello and signing in with more identity providers.

Topics mini app

Organize your conversations with the brand new Topics mini-app. Topics were added to solve three issues that are often associated with heavy messaging:

- More structured discussions: Having multiple long messaging threads in spaces can quickly get confusing. Topics allow you to organize your discussions in one place so you can catch up with relevant conversations more quickly.

- Documenting information: When discussing things it can get tricky to find important information especially if it’s lost in a pile of other chat messages. Topics solve this issue by providing a single place where team members can go to find relevant information & background on specific topics.

- Notification overload: Receiving notifications for messages that are not directly relevant to you can be distracting. By organizing specific conversations into topics, notifications will only come to those who are following and taking part in the discussion.

You can create new topics or move existing messages into a topic with Tap to Organize. Check out the dedicated product guide for more information!

Attach cloud files to tasks and notes ☁️

If you have files on Figma, Adobe, Dropbox, or other cloud services, you can now easily attach these to specific tasks and notes instead of having to copy paste URLs.

Attach a design file on Figma to a product design task in a space and make a creative review easier, or add a spreadsheet on Google Drive to a data analysis task to make sure everyone has access to the latest. Just one more way to bring everything together in one space!

You can access the feature by selecting Add attachment under every task or note.

In addition to third party cloud files that you had previously linked to a space, you can also attach any file that has been previously shared in the space.

Import from Trello

Move entire projects from Trello to Rock with a task import feature, available in every space.You can access import from Trello in the main view of the Tasks mini-app, or in the Import section in your My Account panel.

For more information on how to import your tasks from Trello you can check out this dedicated product guide.

New identity providers ‍‍

Create an account and access Rock from more third party applications. We have added Apple, Github and Gitlab in addition to the already existing Sign in with Google option. This should make it easier to make an account on Rock and log in faster when re-entering or logging in from a new device.Fear not if your current provider is not in the list, we are planning on adding Facebook and Microsoft very soon.

Updates to mobile

We also made some changes to the mobile app. Check out the list below for a brief summary on the latest mobile changes.

Files mini-app

• Attach cloud files to tasks & notes: Documents from linked cloud storage providers in the Files Mini-app can now be added as an attachment. This way you can more easily connect your different cloud files to your task and note workflow.
• Figma integration: share and access relevant design files with this new integration for mobile in the Files mini-app.

Tasks mini-app

• Better filtering for board view in the Tasks mini-app.

Messaging

• Parse web links without https:// or www. for a better link-sharing experience.
• Convert conversations into Topics.
• Changed the message threads to overlapping avatars.
• [PRO space] Allow mentioning specific space bot to pull information.

Other

• Sign up to Rock with new identity providers: Apple, Github, and Gitlab.
• Blocking contacts in 1:1 space is made easier.
• Many bug fixes and improvements.
• If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback about Rock or this release you are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to hello@rock.so

Download the mobile app for free

If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback about Rock or this release you are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to hello@rock.so

In the spring of 2020, it seemed like workplaces (and everything else) changed overnight. Offices were empty and workers logged into work from spare bedrooms and kitchen tables. Even though it seemed sudden, the shift to remote work and distributed work opened the path to the future of work.

Remote work has been on the rise even before the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that shift. Now, more workers are enjoying elements of the “future of work” like more flexibility, independence, and productivity. It’s also clear that remote work is here to stay.

As a result of the move to remote work, we can expect to see more changes in the future of work trends that will make workers’ lives better.

Here are ten things that highlight what the future of work actually looks like:

1. A workplace that works for you

Instead of commuting to an office every day, remote work lets workers and teams choose what fits them best. Workers can leave exhausting commutes and high rent behind. When you’re not tied to a desk, you can complete your work from anywhere. Your office could be poolside, in a coffee shop, or at your kitchen table.

If you and your team need an in-person brainstorming session, you can schedule time for working from a shared workplace while still keeping the rest of the week for remote work.

Regardless of where you do your work, you’ll be better able to build a way of working that is best for you.

2. Working hours that fit you & your life

Remote work can give you more say over your work schedule. Instead of working a 9-to-5 workday, you can choose the hours that are the best fit for you. For example, if you are a morning person, you can start work earlier in the day since you’ll spend less time commuting. If you do your best work later in the day or at night, you can have a later start and stay logged on after your team members are done for the day.

Both early birds and night owls will (finally) have the chance to work the hours they enjoy the most. By adjusting your hours to be a better fit for your life, you can make more time for your family, friends, and hobbies.

3. More flexibility in communication

A key benefit of remote work is getting work done without being constantly connected to people. You can work independently and still have a team to reach out to for questions and discussions.While many of today’s tools are focused on synchronous (real-time) work, we know that remote and distributed teams need more flexibility.

‍Rock built a productivity platform for distributed teams and any changes in the future of work. It’s also one of the first tools to feature both synchronous and asynchronous communication styles in one place.

Synchronous communication, like meetings, calls, or messaging, is real-time. Asynchronous communication, like task boards, lets someone respond when it’s convenient for them. With a tool that gives you both communication styles, you can focus on work without worrying that you’re out of the loop.

4. Fewer meetings

The future of work reserves meetings to when strictly necessary. People can move towards relying on asynchronous work that is heavy on documentation to get work done. This allows remote workers to stay connected and informed without having to sit through too many meetings.

Instead of having a meeting to decide who gets which assignment, tasks and projects can be assigned through a task board. Task management is a great alternative to continuous meetings, as everyone can give updates that can be retrieved later on.

5. Focusing on tasks, not punching a timecard

Because remote work is asynchronous by default, the focus of work shifts to achieving results instead of clocking in for a certain amount of time. The future of work is more results-oriented.

People can focus on achieving results rather than worrying about if you’ve been logged on for the right amount of time. This allows everyone to get more work done while being less stuck to time slots.

6. A shift to a more collaborative culture

While working remotely, email can be an ineffective communication method that makes it hard to connect with enough people.

‍Remote work tools are often better suited for teams that work across timezones and geographical regions. They make it easier to work with team members and external partners. With a variety of communication options, you can choose what works best for the task at hand.

7. More job opportunities & fewer geographic limits

The nature of remote work means opportunities are not limited to expensive cities. Anyone can apply for jobs, no matter where they live.

You’ll have more options that don’t require you to relocate or spend a lot of time away from family. With more accessible work opportunities, you’ll be better able to pursue your passions and career.

8. The future of work has reliable documentation

With remote workers and distributed teams, the future of work will rely heavily on documentation. Documentation makes it easier to see the work that you’ve completed. You’ll be able to get a high-level view of everything you’ve accomplished with tools like task boards and notes.

Task boards, notes, and shared Google Drive folders will help you make sure that none of your work gets missed. Documentation features also make sure that important details don’t fall through the cracks. With a better overview of what you’re working on, you can get the satisfaction of crossing things off your to-do list with tasks completed in a monthly sprint.

9. More opportunities for continued education & development

Online courses, seminars, and development opportunities have only gotten more popular during the pandemic. As these growth and development options have become more widespread, they’ve also gained more respect in corporate environments.

With a flexible schedule, you can pick up new skills and develop your existing talents to grow more and reach your future goals.

10. Less stress

Asynchronous working styles make it easier for you to disconnect from work. You can spend a lot more time of the future of work from home. This means that you can turn off your devices and grab a coffee, work out, or chat with family and friends during work breaks.

Because asynchronous working styles don’t rely on real-time interactions, work tasks are often better defined. With clear direction and communication, you’re less likely to get burnt out.

The future of work looks bright

Remote work has enabled a huge number of people to enjoy a more flexible and productive workday. Changes like this offer a positive outlook for the future of work. As workplaces continue to evolve, it’s critical to have tools that you can rely on.

With Rock, remote workers have a productivity platform they can rely on to keep their work organized and streamlined.

The TEAMS plan is now officially available to everyone! With the TEAMS plan you can more easily work with people across your domain, manage different members across spaces, and up- or downgrade PRO spaces.

We’re also making inviting people and collaborating on Rock a lot easier with Invite by Link, Figma integration in the Files mini-app and Calendar View for tasks, (mobile only, web & desktop coming soon)!

TEAMS plan

Work more closely with your team and centrally manage team members across spaces. The TEAMS plan gives you everything in PRO and more. It is now possible to claim a corporate domain and assign manager status to users within your domain allowing them to create their own PRO spaces.

This allows you to better control who has access to your corporate spaces and makes it easier to allow managers to upgrade spaces. The TEAMS plan continues to offer seamless collaboration and communication with users outside of your team, as you can invite them to join any space.

The TEAMS plan starts at just $24.99 per month for 5 managers and unlimited free users!

Note: the TEAMS plan is currently only accessible for accounts registered under a private domain. Gmail and other accounts can not yet upgrade to teams, but we plan on adding this in the near future.

‍You can follow the steps in this product guide if you are interested in upgrading your plan to TEAMS or learn more about the plan.

Invite by link

Skip sending emails and invite anyone to join a space on Rock through invite links. Invite by link makes it easier to get larger teams and/or communities to move to Rock as you can easily share these links through email, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps.

When you create a new space you will automatically get the invite link after you’ve created a space. For existing spaces, you can access the invite by link feature by going to space settings and selecting Invitation Links.

‍This option is only visible for users with member or admin status, not guests.

Note: the invite by link panel will also not be accessible for members if an admin disables the feature in the space.Members and admins can share their own links to invite new users to join them in a space.

It is not possible to invite people to join as admin directly, but you can always upgrade their status once they join the space if you are an admin yourself. There are a few options in the panel:

• Copying the link: You can copy a link either by pressing the “Copy link” button or selecting the URL and saving it.
• Reset my link: You can reset your own link, so any existing link you have shared in the past will stop working
• Reset all invite links (admin only): Reset all the links from people in the space, so any already shared link stops working.

Figma integration

It is now possible to integrate Figma with the Files mini-app. Access designs, discuss your workflow, and keep your different projects better organized with relevant files in every space.

The integration works for both free and premium Figma accounts, and you can decide to add a whole project, or just a page depending on what is relevant to the space. Note that users still have to be given access in Figma before being able to edit the different files.

Google Meet integration‍‍

Start an audio or video call through Google Meets to discuss anything with your team. Available in every space so your team can easily jump on a meeting if needed.

When you start a meeting in a space an event is automatically added to your Google Calendar. This way you can more easily manage your different activities throughout the day.

Calendar view on mobile

You ask, we deliver! If you are using the mobile version of Rock you can now visualize your tasks with a shiny new calendar view on mobile. This makes it easier to know when tasks need to be completed and what your day, week, or month looks like.

You can access the calendar view in both the Tasks mini-app within a space and the My Tasks panel by pressing change view in the top right corner and selecting Calendar. You can also decide whether you want to show completed (in a list with a checkmark) and archived tasks.

Using Rock on web or desktop? Stay tuned to the upcoming releases, the team is working hard on adding the calendar view to all devices. ⏰ In the meantime you can already get familiar with the view on mobile.

More detailed tasks and notes objects in chat

When you create or @ mention a task or note, we’re now showing more details about each object so you don’t always need to open the task or note.For tasks, you are now able to see the following fields:

• Space: useful when cross-space mentioning tasks, the first visible field is the icon of the space where the task is present.
• Number and title: defining the main title of the task and its number.
• Assignee(s): shares who is working on the task.
• List: defines what list of your tasks mini-app the task is.

Notes now also give a lot more relevant information. When creating or @mentioning a note, you get the following details:

• Space: useful when cross-space mentioning note, the first visible field is the space where the note is present.
• Note Title and number: First line of information in a note
• Date of creation: the day and time the note was created.
• User: the user who created the note.
• Overview: summary of information in the note.

Upgrades to Desktop

We have added a bunch of changes specific to the desktop app. You can access the added features by going to your desktop settings, selecting preferences and adding one of them:

• Automatically launch at login: You can now launch the desktop app as soon as you restart your computer. This way you don’t have to search across apps and can directly start communicating and collaborating with your team members.
• Notification count in badge: Stay updated on the number of new notifications received in the app. A number will now display in the desktop app icon in the bottom right corner.
• Tray mode: Add Rock to your menu bar so you can more easily find the app if you are working with a lot of different applications at the same time.

Upgrades to mobile

Besides the Calendar view in the Tasks mini-app there have also been some other changes and improvements to the mobile version of Rock. Check out the summary for what’s new and download the mobile app:

General

• Tap to Organize on mobile – tap and select any number of messages and turn these into tasks, notes, or comments allowing you to organize and clean up your chat log.
• Contact list import - easily import all your contacts into Rock and make it easier to invite people to a space.
• Bug fixes and speed improvements.
• Deleting a space has been improved.

Messaging improvements

• Richer event messages for new tasks and notes
• Improved readability of messages
• Web links are created automatically without http://

Tasks mini-app ✅

• Calendar view in tasks mini-app
• Calendar view in ‘My Tasks’

Teams plan

• Upgrade your account to teams, add managers, manage users across spaces.

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

To keep everything working smoothly, you need to manage a constant flow of information, projects, and feedback—that’s easier said than done! Without proper documentation it can be overwhelming to ​​sort through your inbox for information, maintain your team’s workflows, and stay on top of all the little things that matter.

With so much to keep track of, it is crucial to organize and store your information so you can centralize information and streamline your processes. The broader discipline is knowledge management.

To break it down: documentation is the storage of your information. It can be simple–like meeting notes uploaded to a shared folder. Documentation can also be complex–like developing a step-by-step process for tackling new projects or advanced explanations in code.

What is project documentation?

By documenting information, you establish a shared understanding of the details. For example, when you create a process for addressing client feedback, you can document that process to make sure nothing gets missed. Documentation is always available. It will be there for your team to reference–no matter where they are or when they log on.

Project documentation helps establish processes, reduces the amount of communication needed, and keeps everyone up-to-date. Especially for remote work teams. For example—with a step-by-step process for your team, it will be easier for your team to be consistent when completing tasks and projects.

Anyone can reference procedure documentation when they have questions, which will reduce the number of emails and calls needed. You also reduce the chance of confusion or miscommunication when information is well-documented. With established and clear expectations, you and your team can spend more time focusing on your work.

Why is documenting work information important?

Documentation makes your life easier! With thorough documentation, it’s easier to stay organized and get clear insights into your work. Anyone can use documentation to standardize and simplify their workflows and streamline their communications.

Documentation is essential for asynchronous work (which relies on interactions that are not real-time). Examples of asynchronous communication are task boards, notes, and shared files. After you document something, anyone can reference it whenever they need to.

You can look at a task board to check a project’s status report or brush up on the most recent details. Catch up on a meeting you missed by referencing a shared file where your team keeps meeting notes.

When you document information, do it right

Documentation can save time and make work easier. It can reduce stress and make collaboration smoother.

However, when documentation is bad, your team could be headed for trouble. Confusing or outdated documentation can be worse than no documentation. Communication can fall apart and your work can get derailed quickly if files or notes are not regularly updated.

For the best results, communication and documentation should go hand in hand. You can email or chat with a team member about things not covered by the documentation. Not many platforms do a good job storing documentation and offering smooth communication, like messaging or chats. You end up switching between different apps and platforms.

Eventually, you might get overloaded with tools, waste valuable time, and you’ll have a harder time finding important information. You need a platform for documentation that also incorporates key parts of work like messaging or virtual meetings.

You can pack a lot more action into one platform when you use multimodal tools. Since these tools centralize different functions, your team won’t have to switch between apps to do their work. Multimodal tools make it easier to collaborate because communication is smoother and better organized.

Rock makes documenting information easy

Rock keeps messaging, task management, notes, files, and meetings in one place for you. With Rock, you can combine communication strategies to get smooth discussions and helpful documentation.

You can easily document the different work that your team is doing with the tasks feature. With the notes and files features, you can create onboarding processes or folders with everything a new team member needs.

There is a comments section in every task so you can refresh yourself on the history of that task when you need to.

With the notes feature in Rock, you can store anything and keep the most important information at your fingertips. The notes feature makes it easy to keep details where everyone can find them. Rock also has built-in messaging! That way, you can talk about your tasks and notes without switching to a different platform or app.

You can also add remote work tools such as Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, Smartsheet, and other services to a space in Rock. All your docs, sheets, and presentations will be just a click away. A client or team member can review project deliverables when it’s convenient or leave feedback where everyone can access them.

With your documents in the right space, you won’t need to dig through files or folders to find what you’re looking for. Get started with Rock today, all for free!

This product update makes it easier to organize your conversations through tasks and notes, adds support for Dropbox, One Drive, Smartsheets, and Adobe Creative Cloud, and makes the mobile app even more useful and beautiful.

Read along to find out more!

Duplicate spaces [PRO]

If you are on the PRO plan, you are now able to duplicate spaces in Rock! When you have multiple projects that use the same workflow (e.g. website development, marketing campaigns, employee onboarding) you can now easily make a copy of a space.

You can access the duplicate space feature in space settings by pressing "Details" in the top right corner of every space. Duplicate spaces can be accessed by pressing the three dots on the right.

‍Note: You must be an admin in a group space for the duplicate space option to appear in your space settings. Only group spaces can be duplicated, both PRO and free spaces can be duplicated.

When duplicating a space, you can decide whether you want to move all tasks and/or notes to the new space.

Members, chat messages, task comments and assignees, attachments, and integrations in a space are not copied. This allows you to start with a clean slate. You can always add the information again when the space has been created.

You can also directly invite people to your duplicated space in the panel. It is possible to invite up to 100 people to join you by sharing their emails separated by comma, semicolon, space or newlines.

‍Rock Team tip: If you know you want to reuse a specific space, create this space but don’t use it for the actual project. Instead set up your space and name it as a template (e.g. “Website [TEMPLATE]”). This way you can easily copy the space for future projects.

Tap to Organize

Even though Rock is asynchronous by default, most of us still send messages to discuss certain things. The problem with these messages is that they can easily get lost in a space and if they are related to a specific task or note it’s difficult to refer to them.

With the new Tap to Organize feature, you can double click any number of messages to create tasks and notes from these conversations. By doing this you clean up the chat stream by adding & moving messages to the dedicated tasks and notes making everything more organized.Double click one message or a handful of messages into:

• New tasks or notes
• Comments in tasks or notes

You can also group several messages together so they don't take up too much space.

The feature is activated by double-clicking a message and then individually selecting other messages you want to include in the item you are creating.Check out this short video to see the feature in action!

More storage solutions for everyone

It is now possible to connect more of your favorite tools to Rock. Besides the already existing Google Drive integration, you can now also add the following storage providers to your files mini-app:

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Dropbox
• OneDrive
• Smartsheet

Other improvements web and desktop improvements

Based on user feedback, we’ve made a handful of small but important improvements:

• Sticky task board views - the Tasks mini-app now remembers the last view you had open, so if you last had the board view open the next time you open tasks again this view will automatically open again.
• Hidden event messages - We have hidden event messages from the messaging stream on both web and mobile. Reactions are still visible under the original message, but will no longer be displayed as actions in the messaging interface. This helps clean up the conversation panel and allows for more focused conversations.
• Now available on the Windows Store - In addition to being able to download Rock directly from our website, we also passed certification from Microsoft to be available in the Windows Store. This makes it a bit easier to find and install Rock and get going on your Windows computer.

Upgrades to mobile

We have made some substantial changes to the theme and messaging readability of the mobile apps. Check out the list below for a brief summary of the changes that the latest release has brought to the mobile apps.

General

• More beautiful mobile app with improved readability, colors, and theming.
• Bug fixes and speed improvements.

Messaging improvements

• Richer event messages for new tasks and notes
• Improved readability of messages
• Auto scroll to messages when opening notifications
• Add reactions, replies, copy, set aside, and more to message replies
• Hide event messages

Tasks mini-app ✅

• Add task lists as a filter
• Scroll to bottom in Board View when user creates a new task
• Files mini-app: Support OneDrive, Dropbox, Smartsheet, and Adobe Creative Cloud

PRO plan

• Duplicate spaces. Copy any space and reuse the same space tasks lists, tasks, and notes for multiple projects.

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the 'Rock Team’ space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

PRO is now available for anyone who wants to supercharge Rock! Sign up for advanced features like custom fields, recurring tasks, webhooks, and a shiny Zapier integration. And for a limited time -- get 20 instead of 10 PRO spaces which can be used to upgrade existing spaces or create brand new spaces to supercharge your projects. PRO starts at just $4.99 per month!

We have also made some improvements to the Files mini-app and made a bunch of improvements to the mobile app. See below!👇

Upgrade your spaces to PRO 🚀

The PRO plan allows you to upgrade up to 20 spaces and add functionality, integrations and more that make Rock even more useful. Anyone in a space will be able to use PRO features even if they haven’t purchased PRO themselves.

‍Each PRO space includes:

• Custom fields in tasks
• Recurring tasks
• Sprints in the Tasks mini-app
• Share files up to 50MB in size instead of 10MB
• Automations through integrations with apps such as Zapier or Github
• Export tasks to CSV and Excel
• Unlimited free members in your PRO spaces

You will know a space has successfully been upgraded to PRO by checking the Pro badge in the top of your space or by going to “Space Details”. You can also find all your PRO spaces through your Settings.

Managing your PRO spaces

PRO spaces can be managed from the Settings panel. You can downgrade spaces once you don’t require the added PRO functionality.

Pick and choose which spaces you want to upgrade or downgrade depending on new projects, teams, partnerships or clients.

Files mini-app upgrade 📂

We have made some tweaks and improvements to the Files mini-app. This will make it easier to share, collaborate, and discuss your workflow on Rock.

Google Drive upgrade

You are now able to get more done with the Google Drive integration. You can create a wide variety of documents from Rock:

• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Google Slides
• Google Forms
• Google Drawings
• ☁️ Upload your own files to Google Drive

Set Aside for the files mini-app

In addition to setting aside messages, tasks and notes you can now also set aside different folders and documents in the files mini-app:

• Set Aside folders: If you need quick access to a folder in your Google Drive that is connected to a Rock space you can set aside the complete folder. This way you can seamlessly access the folder without having to go looking. You can set aside folders by pressing “Set Aside” on the top right corner of the folder view in the files mini-app.
• Set Aside individual files: Set aside any document saved in a folder connected to a Rock space. This makes it easier to directly access that file without having to search a folder. You can set aside documents by hovering over them and selecting the “Set Aside” icon.

Coming soon! Figma, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Adobe Creative Cloud in the Files mini-app!

In the coming weeks, you will be able to link your Figma, OneDrive, DropBox, and Adobe Creative Cloud documents to a space and the Files mini-app. This way you can more easily access all your cloud files and have them available to team members, partners and clients all from the same space.Stay tuned to our blog and different social media channels for the latest information on product releases!

Updates to Mobile

In addition to the changes to the web and desktop version, we have also added some improvements to the mobile version of Rock. The following has been added in this release.

• Improvements to URL previews
• Share content from outside Rock as a task
• Reply to a message directly in a thread
• Twemojis in the app.
• Domain member management (Teams plan)
• Minor bug fixes and improvements

Don’t forget to update your app if you’re not seeing any of these changes yet.

If you have any questions about this release you can reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Get the most out of your tasks mini-app! We've created a handy overview with some of the best features in the Tasks mini-app so you can master tasks quickly. Stay productive and easily collaborate with any team members, partner or client.

1. Master tasks by using the different views in every space

Tasks should be flexible to fit how you work. When task boards have different views, they provide more functionality and make it easier to manage your tasks. It’s an intuitive visualization of your processes and workflows so you can see what needs to get done next. Rock offers three different view options in the Tasks mini-app so you can pick what works for you.

• Compact view gives you quick access to a task so you can go in and update it without having to navigate away from what you’re doing.
• Expanded List view is for quick edits and managing several tasks. It lets you create a bunch of tasks quickly and assign them to your team. With this view, you can spend less time on creating and managing your task boards.
• Board view is popular because it’s intuitive and helps visualize workflows. With a visualized process, it’s easier for you to track progress and see bottlenecks. Because of its effectiveness, it’s been widely used across different industries.
• Calendar view allows you to visualize deadlines and manage your project timeline from a single view.

2. Make the most of the Board view

Master tasks by becoming a board view pro. It's easy to learn and lets you instantly see what everyone is working on. The task board offers a thorough overview of projects and processes. Knowing how to make the most of the board view will help your team be more effective and organized.

You can use board view to do the following:

• Spot obstacles early. Since task boards give you a birds-eye view of a project, it’s easier to identify roadblocks and resolve them. You can follow a task to easily track its status and look out for roadblocks. Tasks can be assigned to one or multiple team members so everyone knows who is accountable for each deliverable.
• Break up your work into different stages. You can mark tasks as backlogged, to-do, or in-progress to track statuses and stay on top of your work. You can also create custom labels and rename your lists. That way, your task status aligns perfectly with your workflows.
• Create lists to fit your workflow and processes. Add lists for each stage in your workflow or process to make it fit how you work. You can also highlight actions across different verticals, like sales, HR, or operations, to get a better overall view of what needs to be done.
• Evaluate your team's workload. Check how many tasks your team members are working on to make sure that work is assigned fairly. With the board view, you can help an overburdened team member and reassign tasks to address workload problems before they happen.

3. Master tasks by using the comments section in every task

Leverage asynchronous work by using the comments section on a task. Your team can discuss task-related information in one easy-to-reference place. Instead of getting lost in an inbox or message thread, the discussion will be saved if you need to revisit it.

By commenting on tasks, you can document the details and keep them accessible for everyone in that space. You won’t have to dig through an inbox or forward a messy email string to find and reference information.

Involve other people by tagging them when you need their input or feedback. This approach to collaboration makes it easier to work with your team members, wherever they (and you) are.

4. Use the 'Set Aside' function when you're busy

Rock offers this unique feature so you can store messages, tasks, and notes for follow-up. Because Set Aside works across all of your workspaces, you can bookmark all your priority items to work on later. Putting important tasks in your Set Aside will keep them easily accessible during your busiest days.

As you’re working, you can update those tasks or quickly reference the deadlines and information when you need to.

When you start your day, you might need to focus on a few high-priority tasks that need to get done ASAP. When smaller tasks get assigned to you during the day, you can set them aside for later. That way, you're free to work on time-sensitive tasks. Everything you set aside will be kept in one place to go through when you have time.

5. Duplicate your tasks to automate your workflows

You can use similar task boards for different projects and clients. For example, your onboarding process might be the same for all new hires so you can duplicate tasks and make sure that nothing gets missed.

When you duplicate tasks, you can move task descriptions and titles to different workspaces.

The task duplication feature allows you to set up new projects quickly, without having to copy and paste everything. It’s an easier way to make sure your tasks are consistent across your workflows.

6. Keep an eye on all your tasks

In Rock, you can put all your tasks in one view with the My Tasks view. This gives you a convenient overview of every task assigned to you. You’ll never miss anything again. In the overview, you can filter by space, priority, deadline, or task status.

To get an overview of your workload, you can use the filters to find tasks that haven’t been started yet. In My Tasks, you can also find all the tasks you’ve created or that were assigned to you. Once tasks are completed, they’re archived and no longer visible in a space.

This keeps your space less cluttered but if you need to find a completed or discarded task, they’re easy to access.

7. Mention a task to discuss it

Rock’s chat messaging feature is integrated with Tasks so you can mention a task in the space to discuss it. This feature is unique to Rock. Cross-space task mentioning lets you mention a task from another space as long as everyone has access to that space.

If you and a team member are having a discussion in one space, you can mention a task from another space that you both have access to.

By mentioning a task, your team can make sure that they’re on the same page and easily pull up the details of a task in Quick View. You can avoid having long conversations in a Task’s comment section but still have critical discussions with your team and external partners.

Your life is easier when your work integrates seamlessly with your conversations which is why we included this feature in Rock. You and your team might be discussing a task in Rock and you can mention it.

By doing so, anyone can pull that task up quickly and see the information on the task card. From there, a team member can update the task card with new details or discuss it in more detail. With the ability to mention tasks, you and your team won’t have to share endless URL links or messy email threads.

Get started & create your first tasks in Rock!

Now you’re ready to start building tasks. In Rock, you can organize what needs to get done with the following functionalities

• Task title: Let everyone know what the task action is.
• Task assignees: Select one or more team members to be accountable for the task.
• Task due date: Set a due date to keep your work on track.
• Task labels: Master tasks by using labels for different projects and workflows
• Task urgency: Set the urgency level for a task to communicate how it should be prioritized.
• Task description: Describe the task and include any helpful details.
• Task checklist: Use checklists to divide the tasks into more manageable actions that contribute to the master task.
• Task attachments: Add attachments and never lose important documents that need to be directly connected to the task.
• Task follower: have a team member stay up to date with changes and progress in a task without being assigned the task.

Tasks help you identify problems and bottlenecks, making it easy for you to stay on top of your work. They also make it easy for your team to prioritize the right things and stay on the same page.

Everyone will know what they’re accountable for and you can check a task’s progress in real-time. In addition to an integrated task-board feature in all of your workspaces, Rock offers built-in messaging, notes, files, and meetings. The days of juggling too many remote work tools are over.Now you’re ready to start creating tasks!

The Tasks mini-app in Rock can make your workload less stressful and easier to prioritize. Harness the effectiveness of task management and use the Tasks mini-app to help your team be more organized and productive.