Based on the results of the study conducted by Ede and Lunsford
[39], seven organizational patterns for collaborative authoring were
identified. These patterns are:
- the team plans
and outlines the task, then each writer prepares his/her part and the group
compiles the individual parts, and revises the whole document as needed;
- the team plans and outlines the writing task, then one member prepares
a draft, the team edits and revises the draft; - one member of the team
plans and writes a draft, the group revises the draft; - one person
plans and writes the draft, then one or more members revises the draft
without consulting the original authors; - the group plans and writes
the draft, one or more members revise the draft without consulting the
original authors; - one person assigns the tasks, each member completes
the individual task, one person compiles and revises the document; -
one dictates, another transcribes and edits. Results from the study
indicated that the percentage of writing groups that use these methods often
or very often range from 3% (method 5) to 31% (method 3).




Screencast-o-matic seems eager to add features and improve its service, so it's definitely something to watch. Thanks to Jeff Utecht and Chris Craft for the tip.