Chat is a very powerful and useful communication tool, but it can also be stressful, chaotic and hard to navigate. In contrast, P2 provides tools to make sure you never get lost.

• Real-time chat is very attention demanding, as any fluid conversation requires both interlocutors being online at the same time. P2 leans towards asynchronous collaboration, where a response is not expected immediately. This allows for a more calmed and thoughtful conversation.
• Chat can be noisy and disorganized, as it’s an endless stream of messages where different conversations usually intertwine and get mixed. P2 on the other hand is structured, and conversations are organized around posts and threads. Different discussions are kept separated so you never struggle following a conversation.
• The immediacy of chat forces you to write things as they come to your mind, which is good in situations where quick action is needed, but penalizes thoughtfulness. P2 is more paused, and allows you to take some time to consider the subject before responding.
• Chat is ephemeral, as it’s usually hard to find conversations that took place weeks or months ago. P2 preserves information, making it easy to find what you’re looking for, regardless of when it was shared.

We find chat ideal for quick day to day operations, as it’s equivalent to making a phone call. However, we recommend using P2 for anything that needs to be seen by many people, or persist in time: company-wide announcements, decision making, requesting feedback, sharing photos or documents, etc.