We’re working on some exciting developments in the Grainchek chat module but until then, there are already some unique functions. The team did a great job making it possible to share a Grainchek feed within a chat thread.

While I’m chatting with a friend I can tap the first button in the message field and select a feed to share with this user. Even if I have already shared the feed with the user, this function will drop a card into the thread that both of us can tap on to access the feed. It’s a great way to quickly share, analyze and discuss feeds. If the feed contains time that should be accumulated with others, it can then be added as a subfeed.

Tapping the second button allows me to share individual events to the Grainchek chat thread. The card that is dropped into the conversation contains details of the event including the photo, time stamp, duration, message and task.

In this video as I use the tree totter to trim, cut and relocate another spruce beam, I can track the time, share a feed and discuss. I have made a few feeds from the base camp public so everyone can follow along on the progress in Grainchek.

Grainchek in the office: When I’m working from home I use Grainchek similar to when I’m in the field. The day starts with pressing the big green “START” button. Then I use task camera icons to take photos of my computer work at different stages in the process. Finally I use feeds to share, collect and quantify the time spent. Now I need to find the radius of the ceiling at a given location, with a given ceiling pitch and given ceiling height. c=1/2e

The Teeter-Totter works great! It’s very challenging to know how a new idea is going to work. I recognized the challenge: Trees will need to be removed. Then an opportunity: Trees can be used as beams. Then another challenge: I need to get the tree up on top of the posts. Then another opportunity: The tree is really close to the height I need it right where is stands. Next challenge: I need an apparatus that can connect the dots… The development of Grainchek as a useful tool has a similar pattern of challenge and opportunity!

The apparatus I’m calling the Teeter-Totter (it’s really fun to say!) will serve a few purposes. The first purpose is to provide staging for delimbing and inspecting the first spruce tree to become a beam. While tackling the task of preparing the spruce tree to become a beam, I share the basic sequences within Grainchek of tracking my time during the day: Pressing the Start button in the proper project. Using the camera icon from the proper task button. Recognizing that the task selected is for the work I have been doing.

As part of the chat module in Grainchek, we’ve built in the ability to share and view feeds from within a chat thread. Send me a friend request in Grainchek: Pete Brosey. I’ll accept and we can chat. From within our chat thread I can share a feed with you that includes all the work going on at what I’m calling the base camp. The base camp is in the background of the video. As a Grainchek user you can tap on the feed in our chat thread and view the current events within the feed. You can come back later and select it again or look up the feed in the chat history of feeds I have shared with you. The team did a great job building in this unique Grainchek chat function!

We recently added the ability to make a feed public. A user’s public feeds are then visible to Grainchek users that view the user’s profile. My name is Peter Brosey: Grainchek users can look me up in the app and view my profile including the public feed I have shared of my work on the base camp. This video is a quick tour of the pod that I have been staying in 4 days per week at the base camp.

Public feeds are a great way to share your accomplishments. It’s super satisfying to know that as I’m thrashing around my time is being tracked clearly and simply and my progress is being shared!

You can now log in to Grainchek using your Google, Facebook or Apple accounts. This streamlines the login process and allows you to use Grainchek without creating a new account. Google, Facebook and Apple have built some amazing tools that make the Grainchek app possible.

When chatting in Grainchek, long pressing on a message offers the option to star the selected messages. All your starred messages can be viewed at your personal profile screen. All the starred messages with a particular friend can be viewed by selecting “Star Messages” from the 3 dot drop down beside the friend’s user name in the chat thread.

The general feed has been added to every new project making it possible to view and share a feed that includes every time tracking event in the project. When new tasks are added, they are automatically included in the General Feed. If a user shares this feed with friends, it will include all events. Custom feeds can still be created with all the control for subfeeds, start and end times, estimated hours and specific tasks.