At Timeline Genius, our mission is to empower planners with smart, streamlined tools that make event planning easier and more efficient. One of the ways we do this is through our robust collaboration features, which let you invite clients, vendors, and other key players into your timelines.
However, there’s an important distinction in our system that can occasionally cause confusion: account members cannot also be collaborators on a timeline. Let’s unpack what that means and why it matters for your workflow.
Understanding the Roles
To fully grasp this functionality, it helps to understand the difference between an account member and a collaborator.
🔑 Account Member:
Someone who is part of your Timeline Genius account team.
Has full or partial access to your account (depending on their permission level).
Typically includes fellow planners, assistants, or team members within your business.
Can log in with their own credentials and view all client timelines assigned to them.
🧑🤝🧑 Collaborator:
Someone external to your business—usually a client or vendor.
Invited to access a specific timeline (or multiple timelines).
Can view and comment only on the items you allow them to see.
Their access is limited and event-specific for data security and clarity.
Why They Can’t Be Both
This separation exists by design to protect data integrity and ensure a seamless user experience.
If someone is an account member:
They are presumed to have broader access to all events in your system.
Their activity is tracked differently than that of external collaborators.
They can already interact with timelines directly, without needing collaborator privileges.
If someone is added as both:
It creates conflicts in permissions and visibility (e.g., duplicate comment threads, missing notifications, or visibility bugs).
Comments made by the same person in two different roles (collaborator and account member) are not visible across those roles, which leads to confusion.
This limitation ensures that data is kept accurate, consistent, and secure.
Common Scenarios That Cause Confusion
A vendor is added as an account member (perhaps by mistake), but they’re expecting to access a specific event as a collaborator. In this case, they won't be able to view or leave comments in the same way collaborators do.
A planner adds a teammate as a collaborator on an event but also gives them account access. Now, the comments they make under one role aren't visible in the other.
Best Practices
To avoid hiccups in communication and visibility:
Choose the correct role based on the person’s involvement:
Use account member for teammates who need access to multiple events.
Use collaborator for clients or vendors who need to view or comment on a specific timeline.
Don't mix roles. Avoid inviting the same person in both capacities.
Clarify access needs upfront. If a vendor or client is unsure how to access their timeline, verify whether they’re set up as a collaborator or account member.
A Fix Is in the Works
We know that many planners would love for account members to see each other’s comments across timelines. Currently, this visibility is limited, but we’ve heard your feedback, and it’s on our radar! Our development team is actively exploring solutions to improve how teams interact within shared accounts—so stay tuned!
In the meantime, if you're ever unsure about how to set someone up—or if someone says they can't see comments or timelines—they might be logged in under the wrong role. When in doubt, reach out to our customer success team, and we’ll be happy to help!