Google Drive Shareable Folders Structure

[benjiboy180]

I am working on a collaborative project with a large number of people (30+) mostly dealing with text documents, but I am trying to figure out a way to share links to folders and have them be accessible by different tiers of people involved, we'll call them admins and members. I know I can set specific people's permissions by using emails, but in dealing with this many people, I don't really want to collect all of their emails. Plus, I don't think everyone would be comfortable with that. This is just a fun project and I don't want to make too many hoops for people to jump through.

I have a main Google Drive folder that I have enabled link sharing. If I create a subfolder in that main folder and also enable link sharing members will be able to navigate up from that subfolder and into the main folder, correct?

Essentially, I am trying to figure out a way to create a bunch of subfolders that I can share with individual members, but also allow admins to have access to all subfolders, and members can only access their own subfolder.

It's my understanding that if I make them all shareable by link, everyone will just be able to navigate to every folder so long as it is shareable by link.

Does what I am trying to do make any sense? I've only just started using Google Drive and honestly just googling my question hasn't been helpful at all.

 

[pantodawn06]

Everything that you have done is exactly correct. Once you have a link, you can share by social media, email, to businesses, all of your contacts, as well as anyone you are sharing your Google photos / links with by inviting them. Took me awhile as well, but once you share the link anybody who has your invite or is in your group is able to view your link and I did not have to copy and paste unless I was going to do that on social media for example. I hope that helps...

 

[benjiboy180]

Ok, I gathered that much. But if I share a link to one of those subfolders, will members be able to navigate out of that folder into places that I only want admins should be able to access?

 

[pantodawn06]

Ok, I gathered that much. But if I share a link to one of those subfolders, will members be able to navigate out of that folder into places that I only want admins should be able to access?

I had tried that out with my alternate email, since I use my primary email for every single solitary thing oh, and I was not able to see any other subfolders because I hadn't shared any links they had been set as private. I would suggest you try it if you have an alternate email and if not, just make one up or if somebody trust, it's up to you, but I know personally that I wouldn't ask somebody just to check it out and see if the link that I shared would be them to any other folders. Hence, having my alternate email. I was not able to see anything else.

 

[pantodawn06]

Oh, and I don't know how I skipped over the one part of your question comment but yes they will be able to go and look through the sub folder as long as the link is shared also. Navigation is very easy once you have that shared link so just make sure if you are sharing others, you should only have whatever other folders you want viewed sent to any specific people, if not all. Does that make sense? Basically, they can navigate out of what you already shared with everybody to what you're still sharing but you have to have that link to whatever other folder you want to share and they can go from one to the other to the other and so on.

 

[benjiboy180]

Ok, that's basically what I thought. I'll try to come up with some work around. If I do link share for the main folder for admins and then just do an email link to the subfolder for the members, can I restrict access for the email link?

 

[pantodawn06]

Ok, that's basically what I thought. I'll try to come up with some work around. If I do link share for the main folder for admins and then just do an email link to the subfolder for the members, can I restrict access for the email link?

 

[pantodawn06]

Honestly, I THINK once you restrict access to the email link, it also denies access to the folders, as well. If I'm not mistaken, I sent emails with the link, however, I didn't want my email address out publicly and it disabled my shared link. On this, I have not had success on hiding my email (my name, I didn't mind, just not email)...Sorry I don't know if this was remotely understandable the way I've worded it, but hopefully you can understand what I mean.

 

[pantodawn06]

Ok, that's basically what I thought. I'll try to come up with some work around. If I do link share for the main folder for admins and then just do an email link to the subfolder for the members, can I restrict access for the email link?

 

[pantodawn06]

I've sent 2 responses...have you received them? On my end, says they didn't get through...

 

[benjiboy180]

Yeah, that made sense. I'll see if I can figure out some other kind of workaround. Thanks for the help!

 

[pantodawn06]

Yeah, that made sense. I'll see if I can figure out some other kind of workaround. Thanks for the help!

 

[pantodawn06]

Ok, so you got both messages? Says they never went through. Odd...