Collaboration Sites

The Best Online Collaboration Tools

Jon — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:48:16 +0000

One of the most exciting advances on the Internet in the last 5 years has been the development of more advanced online tools to enable collaboration on a variety of projects. Although community blogs, forums and wikis have been around for many years, it is only in recent years that people have been able to work together on private documents with such ease.

If you are new to online collaboration then you probably have a few pertinent questions, such as;

How much does it cost?
Is it safe?
What document formats can be worked on?
How many people can work together?

Well, thanks to some excellent tools, the answers really are:

It costs nothing to collaborate online
It is very secure
Most document types can be downloaded
Possibly no limit

Google Docs

https://docs.google.com

Although Google Docs is not the only online collaboration tool, it is certainly one of the best.

Google Docs allows you to create a variety of documents:

Documents
Presentations
Spreadsheets
Forms
Drawings
Tables

Once you have created a document you can chose to share it with others and either allow them to view only or edit. Documents can be downloaded in a variety of formats, including PDF and HTML pages. Google Docs is certainly the best way to collaborate on an eBook project.

Full Revision History

Google Docs provides a full revision history so that you can monitor changes and revert to earlier editions. Collaborators can also discuss the document in a side panel. There is also a quick link to allow you to send an email to all collaborators.

Of course, all users need to have a Google account to get the most out of this, but with the rise of the new Google+ Social Media platform, more and more people do now have Google accounts.

Keep and Share

www.keepandshare.com does not allow users to edit articles at the same time, like Google Docs does, it is instead a file sharing platform. This means that you can drop documents into the shared directory so that others can review and edit. It is secured with passwords. In addition to the file vaults it also provides:

Online Calendars
File Management
To Do Lists
Photo Sharing
Online Databases

Wridea

wridea.com describes itself as “Idea management service and collection of brainstorming tools“. The idea is that it provides a platform for online brainstorming. Users can add ideas, comment on ideas and make notes.

Writeboard

writeboard.com is very much like Google Docs. You can write, share, revise and compare documents very easily on Writeboard. All previous versions are saved so that there is no risk of losing a document after some heavy handed editing! You can also subscribe to document changes so that you are alerted when someone makes an edit.

Twiddla

www.twiddla.com is designed for online meetings. It describes itself as a web-based meeting playground. You can make notes on websites, graphics and photos or start with a blank canvas. It has a variety of drawing tools, selection tools and allows annotation. It also has Ethapads, which are notepads that collaborators can edit at the same time.

There are many more online collaboration tools emerging, this is another growth area on the Internet. As Internet speeds improve and more people and businesses get online, online collaboration is helping people do business faster and more efficiently.

Bluetie Business Collaboration

Jon — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:51:03 +0000

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Bluetie.com is a relatively new business collaboration tool. There is currently a $5 monthly fee to use it, which helps to ensure that the product is maintained to a high standard. Also there is telephone and email customer support, and instant messaging built in. The monthly fee also gives a generous 10Gb storage.

Bluetie lists its main features as:

10GB of storage per user
SecureSend encrypted file transfer
Unlimited number of users
POP3, IMAP, SMTP integration
Instant messaging
Shared contacts, calendars and files
Integrated spam and virus protection
Live phone and email customer support
Private label option
Enhanced workflow features

“With BlueTie, you can take advantage of a Web-based, secure, best-in-class business email application which allows you and your staff to share calendars, contacts and files easily. There’s no need to invest in a costly Exchange server or even hire support or IT staff. BlueTie is a hosted service provider, meaning that all the hardware, service and upgrades are handled on our end. The minute you login to your account, you have the latest, most up-to-date version of the application. BlueTie provides reliable, high-quality business class email for your entire staff at a fraction of the cost of Microsoft Exchange.

BlueTie offers 10GB of storage, and allows for quick and seamless collaboration between you and your co-workers with easy-to-use file, contacts and calendar sharing. Anti-spam and anti-virus protection offers the security you need to feel certain that your communications will remain confidential. The BlueTie interface is similar in nature to that of the more expensive solutions, minimizing any learning curve needed to get used to a new application. BlueTie also offers POP3/IMAP/SMTP support which means that BlueTie can access your emails from another account – and place them in your BlueTie inbox! You’ll never need to toggle between email boxes again.“

E-tailers shun the Crunch

matbennett — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:53:14 +0000

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With the global credit crisis seeming to worsen day by day the retail sector is unsurprisingly apprehensive as the Christmas season approaches. So, why is it then that some online retailers seem to be sporting wry smiles as we enter the key final quarter of the year?

Whilst consumers are all too aware that hard times are on the horizon, the numbers that have been directly affected are still relatively low. Many of those who have not been directly affected are aware that they need to start watching what they spend, but not to the point yet where it is going to stop them spending completely – a situation that positively benefits many online retailers as the public go in search of bargains.

The popularity of online shopping in recent years has been largely associated with the consumer expectation that buying online is cheaper. With more shoppers than ever now hunting for a bargain this is leading to an increased potential market for online stores.

Of course, savvy buyers know that online is not always cheaper. Shopping online does though offer a convenient way to quickly compare prices between retailers. Specialist price comparison sites such as Kelkoo (www.kelkoo.co.uk) and Pricerunner (www.pricerunner.co.uk) are, as a result, seeing a significant increase in traffic.

According to Search Intelligence specialists Hitwise (www.hitwise.co.uk) UK Internet visits to retail price comparison sites increased by 20% between July 2007 and 2008 after being in decline for 2 years. (Source: http://www.hitwise.co.uk/press-center/hitw…editcrunch.php).

Whether these trends will continue if the economic situation continues to worsen is doubtful. They do though provide some cause for at least short term optimism for retailers, allowing them to utilise Christmas revenues to help shore themselves up against whatever 2009 will bring.

Credit Crunch Affecting Whole Food Market

Jon — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:18:31 +0000

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The credit crunch is starting to affect all parts of the health and fitness sector. We reported earlier in the year that Sports Direct, the UK fitness retail store, has seen a large reduction in profits. We have also seen evidence that people are cancelling their gym memberships to exercise at home – or worse, give up exercise altogether. And now there are reports that the whole foods (organic food) market is in decline. This year London’s largest organic supermarket has lost over £10 million, as shoppers are opting for cheaper products. Whole Foods Market is a US owned company. Analysts fear that it cannot survive the credit crunch, as people turn their backs on food which is really perceived as a luxury by most, rather than a healthier option.

Analysts have said that the financial results are both disappointing and very worrying, not just for this store, but for the entire health food sector. It has been argued that whole food is really nothing more than a clever marketing trick. The food itself may not actually be any better than standard mass produced food. It is just stylishly packaged and marketed to appeal to wealthy individuals that have larger disposable incomes to spend on their weekly groceries than the average person. There is an even element of snobbery regarding the purchasing of such food, as those that shop in whole food stores feel that they are experiencing a piece of luxury that most cannot afford. Well, now they have obviously decided that they too cannot afford it!

There is no doubt that the food sold by specialist whole food companies is very healthy, and good for you, but it is questionable if it is really healthier that the same food types purchased in superstores like Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. There is a real risk that the whole organic movement will suffer over forthcoming years as the global economic downturn continues.

And which other companies will follow suit? Sports retail, organic foods – will the expensive commercial gyms and exclusive golf clubs start to suffer? With the job losses in the financial sector, it is hard to believe that some health clubs and golf clubs will not be affected. Many clubs based in the business districts of cities rely on corporate memberships, subsidised by banks and other financial institutions, to make their profits. As the credit crunch causes more City jobs to be lost, gyms will see a decline in revenues.

Welcome to the Collaboration Centre

Jon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:49:31 +0000

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Well, this is it. A place to share articles to educate one and other and enrich the quality of information available on the internet.