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This article discusses the different types of online collaborative tools available to businesses, which could more effectively enhance their various communities of practice. However, she argues that technology should only be a supportive tool to intranet webmasters and knowledge managers, and not the driving force behind them when creating a community of collaborators. She also suggests that a company may have to tap into several forms of online collaboration to be successful. Frichter highlights three main services that online collaborative tools should offer: 1. A way to communicate 2. A mechanism to share documents 3. A means to discover other members of the community [1]. The article also discusses areas of the workflow in which online collaborative tools could help, tasks that can be helped through it, and how it can increase the efficiency and productivity of a workplace. The hierarchy of collaborative tools suggested here are: · e-mail · Mailing lists · Discussion boards · Instant Messaging · Groupware and portals · Weblogs · Wikis In conclusion, Fichter re-iterates the importance of asking key evaluation questions when determining what collaborative tools you need and what will be most effective. However, most importantly, she suggests that it is necessary to assess the culture of the workplace in order to match the needs with the tools, and it usually takes more than one tool to meet those needs. The key to this article is that it identifies several online collaborative tools, which are worth further investigation to understand their true value both individually and collectively. [1] Fichter, Darlene (2005) The many forms of e-collaboration: Blogs, wikis, portals, groupware, discussion boards, and instant messaging. Online Vol. 29 Issue 4, pp 48-50.

"If you haven't put in a suite of collaboration tools, it's probably time to do so... know your workplace culture and environment... define your requirements... communication, sharing, and management" Darlene Fichter, [2]. Fichter is an IT solutions consultant working for Northern Lights Internet Solutions Ltd, which can be found at http://www.lights.ca/ [1]. Fichter provides an excellent discussion on collaborative tools and identifies newcomers to collaboration/social media in the workplace. One of the strongest aspects of the article is how Fichter proposes questions one should ask when determining what collaborative tool will function best for the firm. Fichter states the importance of knowing your environment; "What IT infrastructure is in place already that you can leverage?" [3] This is a valid question to consider; for example a small company without an IT department may need online help added to software package or a key word - 'easy' - the software must be easy to setup and manage. Another similar question to consider is finances; "are there financial and human resources available to purchase, install, and maintain an application?" [3] Fichter suggests that a firm may need to progress step by step and advance to collaboration tool extras, while in the beginning start with something small and sleek. Some web-based collaboration tools offer a free service for small business, and other offer a paid, supported subscription. "How frequently do people need to communicate? What type of communication is preferred-asynchronous-text, voice, or video?" [3] The Fichter article demonstrates the needs associated with software selection and how important it is to consider communication limitations in a collaboration product. The article is a good source as it highlights the fact that collaborative tools are diverse and can be adapted for various user needs. Fichter adapts web2.0 technology such as Wikis and blogs as possible solutions fo

References/Notes [1] Northern Lights Internet Solutions Ltd, http://www.lights.ca/ [accessed April 7, 2010]. [2] Fichter, Darlene (2005). The many forms of e-collaboration: Blogs, wikis, portals, groupware, discussion boards, and instant messaging. Online Vol. 29 Issue 4, pp 48-50. [3] Fichter, Darlene (2005). The paragraphs on know your environment and define your requirements. Online Vol. 29 Issue 4, pp50.

Most internet users have a list of favourite websites they visit regularly and depending on what browser you use they are known as "bookmarks" or "favourites". Bookmarks can end up being a long list of unorganized information and can be frustrating if not kept updated and maintained. Also if you use more than one computer it can be difficult to keep track and ensure bookmarks are current. Delicious is a tool which alleviates these problems. Delicious enables "users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source" [1]. Not only are you able to share your bookmarks with your friends but you also have access to the most current information on the web. You can look at the most popular tags discussing the information you are interested in. There is also a space to leave a comment or description of the site. As Stolley suggests, Delicious allows users to build a network of users who are interested in the same topics and from a workplace perspective everyone in a work environment can access the same valuable information [2]. Delicious is about sharing information and with so much information publicly available on the web today it makes it easier to have other people find the information you require. As with any tool it is important to be organized and tag relevant websites appropriately otherwise it loses its value and it can become useless for other users. To get the most out of Delicious you need to build a network of friends who have similar interests. References [1] Delicious. Retrieved 11 April 2010 from http://delicious.com/help/about [2] Stolley, K. (2009). Integration Social Media Into Existing Work Environments: The case of Delicious. Journal of Business and Technical Communication 2009; 23; 350. Retrieved 11 April 2010 from http://jbt.sagepub.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/cgi/reprint/23/3/350.pdf

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking manger website, which allows individuals to save, tag, manage and share their collection of bookmarks with others. (About , n.d.) The website is a database of bookmarks, creating a collaboration of users bookmarked websites. Its "a growing source of human generated content." (Kolay & Dasdan, 2009) Previously to save a website URL, users would bookmark them in their web browser located on one computer. With no order, URL's would be hard to find. Now Del.icio.us allows users to bookmark their URL's in an organised online space, on any computer with an Internet connection. Introduced in 2003, (Millien, Feinberg & Kerr, 2005) this free website, allows anyone to register and create an account. Once registered, Del.icio.us buttons are installed and appear on the web browser. (LeFever, 2009) These buttons assist in making bookmarking quick and easy. When bookmarking a site, a users clicks on the Del.icio.us tag button, which allows the users to add tags and keywords. (LeFever, 2009) These are words that are related to the website and help searching for the webpage at a later date. By using tags, it allows users to search by tag or keyword, narrowing search results and saving time. Del.icio.us creates a network, with constant updates of new and interesting bookmarks being added to the website. (LeFever, 2009) Bookmarks are made public so anyone can search the Del.icio.us website by tag or keyword and a list of websites collaborated from registered users are displayed. This creates greater search results.

Reference: About. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://delicious.com/help/about Kolay, S. & Dasdan, A. (2009). The Value of Socially Tagged URLs for a Search Engine. International World Wide Web Conference. April, 1203-1204. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from ACM Database. LeFever, L. (2009). Social Bookmarking in Plain English, for the rest of us. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeBmvDpVbWc Millen, D., Feinberg, J. & Kerr, B. (2005). Social Bookmarking in the Enterprise. Queue, 3, 28-35. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from ACM Database.

Scribblar is a fun, free, multi-user online collaboration tool that is especially effective for online training and brainstorming in an e-learning environment, with the sharing and exchanging of image and text files. Scribblar, developed in 2007, is the brainchild of UK-based muchosmedia.com, providing the online collaboration market with a social interaction tool that acts as a whiteboard with live audio, text-chat etc. Muchosmedia has been recognised by Adobe as global experts in developing Flash applications, serving on Adobe' industry advisory board [5]. Scribblar PRO is also available to users for a fee, allowing the integration of your own logo and customised features onto your website without the hosting and bandwith costs. With instant access to audio, video, live chat and powerful drawing and editing tools, Scribblar PRO can easily be incorporated within any website design with varied access and privilege levels [1]. Mainly, Scribblar is a great, flash-based education tool and has been designed to allow multiple users to interact simultaneously, without interruption. A major feature of Scribblar is the facility to upload an image for enhancing, editing, commenting or collaborating by multiple users, by utilising its drawing, text and sound tools [2]. A review done by a media library specialist, Kathy Pierce [3], highlights the interaction and educational value of integrating Scribblar in schools. For a comprehensive tutorial, visit YouTube [4] for a step-by-step explanation of each tool available on the Scribblar whiteboard for online collaboration. References posted below.

References: [1] Walsh, K. (2009). Online Interactive Whiteboards. EmergingEdTech Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://www.emergingedtech.com/2009/04/online-interactive-whiteboards/ [2] theDAILYAPP. (2008). Scribblar - Online Collaboration Design Room. Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://thedailyapp.com/media/photos/scribblar-online-collaboration-design-room [3] Ferris, B. (2009). Collaborate simply, graphically, with Scribblar. Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://blogs.learnnc.org/instructify/2009/10/20/scribblar-collaborate-mindmap-brainstorming/

References: [1] Muchosmedia (2010). Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.scribblar.com [2] Free Technology for Teachers (2008). 'Creative Collaboration with Scribblar'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2008/09/creative-collaboration-with-scribblar.html [3] Library Media Musings (2009). Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://librarymm.blogspot.com/2009/11/collaborate-online-with-scribblar.html [4] YouTube (2009). 'Scribblar Demo'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByZenKhLVRg [5] Haschke Ink (n.d.). 'Muchos Media Content'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://haschkeink.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Muchos_Media.46100818.pdf

Comindwork software is a versatile online project management and implementation tool that allows organisations to record, maintain and share project information from a single location. It is fully customisable and integrates all of the features and capabilities necessary to manage and execute diverse project tasks, such as schedules, milestones, Gantt charts and project risks along with the management of tasks and issues. Comindwork's Project and Team Dashboards support effective communication through its collaboration and blog facility, regular Email Notifications and RSS, [2] Twitter integration ( http://twitter.com/comindwork ) plus comprehensive reporting and chart display for visualisation of a project's status.[1] Assistance for project managers is provided by the centralised storage that stores all the project artefacts in an organised way, making an overview available at any time. It is easy to link tasks, pages, discussions, people and results for a more effective view of the task organization and to allocate tasks efficiently within the team. Team members and clients can communicate informally, share ideas and useful tips through the project blog or discuss project requirements via the Wiki feature. [2] Clients have the ability to track project tasks and project progress status at anytime. They can see the next milestone and know what progress to expect. They are able to review and comment on the project and comments are tracked until they are purposely closed. Clients have full access to the features set up by the original organisation's account with Comindwork. However, if a client wants to add their own projects, they can upgrade their account and add their own customers, projects and users independent of the original company that opened the account with Comindwork. [3] ....................continued in comment

Comindwork is an online application that can be utilized by business for online collaboration. It offers a free service for smaller projects, with a pricing structure that then varies on your enterprises needs and demands. As such its flexibility can be fit in with any organizations growth. The interaction that can be achieved through Comindwork with clients is also a feature of this product. Allowing client's access gives you the ability to communicate effectively and quickly with them in a professional manner. Jay (2010) at Smashing Apps states that "It's simple and clear time tracker interface provides project managers with a quick overview on time management issues." Beckman (2010) states that "Comindwork combines over 250 project management related capabilities under one roof, yet does it with a web interface that is, by and large, a breeze to use. Some of the strengths of the service include traditional project management tools, knowledge management, collaboration tools, information sharing and versioning, and both agile and traditional waterfall management tools (e.g.: think Gantt)." Gunderloy, (2008) of WebWorkerDaily states "Comindwork includes bits of functionality that you might ordinarily find spread across multiple sites and services. As with just about any other project management software, it will track projects, tasks, team members, and deadlines, as well as the connections between them. But in addition, it includes time-tracking, issue-tracking, internal blogs, and svn-versioned file storage." Komssi et al (2009) states that "Software as a Service (SaaS) is accepted as one of the most important models in the service-oriented software business today". As a management tool using software as a service (SaaS), Comindwork is a good way of implementing employee and client integration.

References: Beckman, Z. (2010, February 4). Not a panacea, but trying: Comindwork is attractive | Rational Scrum. Rational Scrum. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.rational-scrum.com/2010/02/easy-to-use-project-management-tools/ Gunderloy, M. (2008, February 18). Comindwork Piles on Project Management Features . WebWorkerDaily . Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/02/18/comindwork-project-management-features/ Jay, A. (2010, January 8). Comindwork, The Most Customizable Suit Of Flexible To-Dos, Wiki, Emails - With Gantt Charts, MS Project And Workflows @ SmashingApps. Free and Useful Online Resources for Designers and Developers @ SmashingApps. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.smashingapps.com/2010/01/08/comindwork-the-most-customizable-suit-of-flexible-to-dos-wiki-emails-with-gantt-charts-ms-project-and-workflows.html Komssi, M., Kauppinen, M., Heiskari, J., & Ropponen, M. (2009). Transforming a Software Product Company into a Service Business: Case Study at F-Secure. Computer Software and Applications Conference, 2009. COMPSAC '09. 33rd Annual IEEE International, 1, 61-66. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from the IEEE Xplore database.

Diigo is a social bookmarking tool that has practical research applications, for both personal and enterprise purposes. Diigo is a self-described "collaborative research platform" [1] and has been lauded as an effective research tool by a number of sources [2] [3]. Diigo allows users to bookmark and annotate links, adding tags and private commentary much like many other social bookmarking tools (e.g. Delicious). However, Diigo extends this functionality with a browser add-on that includes a highlighting tool and the ability to attach one's annotations in the form of a "sticky note" [4]. Provided the user is logged in at the time, any subsequent return to annotated pages in the future results in the presentation of those annotations. In this respect, Diigo could be a valuable knowledge management and research tool for corporate needs. Given the functionality to create and manage groups, Diigo is applicable to an enterprise that undertakes regular research and sharing of collated information [2]. Diigo has also been suggested as a useful academic collaboration tool, particularly for group work [5]. Keep up to date with Diigo developments on the Diigo blog at http://blog.diigo.com/

While traditional methods for information gathering are still popular (i.e. physical libraries and cataloguing), today's preferred method of research however, has moved to the web with business and professional practices integrating social tagging as part of their independent information sharing and distribution [3] and is especially popular among the younger generation whose "basic assumptions about information today have changed" as they expect everything to be on the web. [1] According to Wikipedia, social book-marking (also known as 'social tagging') "is a method for Internet users to store, organise, search and manage bookmarks of web pages on the internet with the help of metadata" [2] and can be tagged "according to their own terms or definitions". [1] As this information is stored in the bookmarking cloud, it can be searched for and retrieved from any computer with access to the Internet or through a Diigo iPhone application (where you can download web pages for offline browsing). [4] For this reason, Diigo helps in overcoming the isolation felt caused by the distance barrier and breaks down communications barriers and engages interaction between management and remote project teams as well as between off-campus students and their tutors [1] and turns research into a social collaborative activity. Create personal networks consisting of people who share the same information categories through the 'MyNetwork' feature. This feature helps foster discussions around the content you are researching or are interested in. Build a knowledge-management, knowledge-sharing group or community online and enhance team collaboration with Diigo. Receive email alerts of new posts, hold threaded discussions and comment both on or off the article of interest. [4] Diigo is a free online collaboration tool and supports all major browsers such as FireFox, Internet Explorer7, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari there is no installation of softwa

References: [1] Redden, C. (2010). 'Social Bookmarking in Academic Libraries: Trends and Applications'. The Journal of Academic Librarianship. ScienceDirect. DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2010.03.004. Retrieved from URL - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W50-4YR8B2D-2/2/6f8737ad459312295b39c7b1a8c40b43 [2] Social Bookmarking. Wikipedia. Accessed from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bookmarking [3] Abbas, J. et al. (2007). 'Who is tagging information?'. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Vol. 44, No. 1, pp 1-4. Wiley Interscience. DOI: 10.1002/meet.1450440120. Retrieved from URL: US: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/meet.1450440120 [4] Diigo. Accessed April 14, 2010 from URL: www.diigo.com

Jive SBS (Social Business Software) is a community building application, formerly known as Clearspace. It is specifically suited for medium to large organisations and boasts that it is "built for the enterprise" [1]. The application allows you to build communities for employees, the public (or both) [2]. Looking primarily at the Employee Community product, we are offered a powerful social networking tool that connects employees for the purpose of online collaboration. Employees can have detailed profiles and connections to "foster teamwork". At a glance information is also provided about online status, allowing employees to quickly see who is available for meetings etc. The profile information facilitates simple creation of organisation charts and groups for projects, teams, sections etc [3]. Features include discussions, collaborative documents, a configurable homepage dashboard, blogs, polls, bookmarks, categories, status updates, access control, private storage, mobile device support, project management tools (milestones, tasks, and calendars), search engine optimisation, and a range of other rich features [4]. Search and tag capabilities are worthy of note. The software supports tagging like most popular applications; however all content is included in search results (blog entries, discussion posts, annotations etc). This means that nothing is missed when undertaking a site search. Jive SBS has been considered a leader by Gartner in corporate social software [5] and a range of IT based experts have given encouraging reviews [6] [7]. Jive considers itself "robust, [and] enterprise tested" due to its 8 year maturity and the successful hosting of public sites with in excess of 80 million views/month, and employee communities comprising 20,000+ active users [4].

[7] Fontana, J. (2009). Jive refines corporate social networking tools. InfoWorld. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/jive-refines-corporate-social-networking-tools-893 [8] Jive Software. (2010). Get up and running with Jive Social Business Software. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.jivesoftware.com/products/how-to-buy [9] Marks, O. (2009). All that Jive: Putting the 'social' into business software. ZDNet. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://blogs.zdnet.com/collaboration/?p=388

Jive SBS was built for business and is the largest and fastest Social Business Software (SBS) in the world [1]. It brings together collaboration software, community software and social networking tools and enables organisations to connect with either employee's or customers or both [1]. When Jive SBS were looking to extend their leadership in the enterprise market with a new leadership strategy [2]. They went to 62 companies to find out what their business objectives were and how they use social software within their organisation. They found there were four main areas of focus; employee engagement, innovation, marketing/sales, market engagement, government and support [2][3]. With this information they redesigned their software [2]. On April 14, 2010, Jive SBS announced its next generation of the Jive Market Engagement solution product. Jive SBS aquired Filtrbox earlier in the year and has now integrated the technology into its product [4][5]. Filtrbox is a social media monitoring software, and Jive is the first company to combine it with collaborative SBS [5]. With the Market Engagment product a business can monitor and highlight people, conversations and brands influencing your product or service. Users are able to personalise a dashboard for their organisation so that you can configure topics, competitors, or product lines and employ filtering options. The learnings made through the software can be shared among the organisation by publishing findings onto an observation wall [5]. This becomes a central point of collaboration where others in the organisation can post their comments or feedback [5]. [1] Jive SBS (2010). Jive SBS 4.0. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://www.jivesoftware.com/products [2] Mosher, B. (2009). Next for the Enterprise: Social Networking Suites. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-20/next-for-the-enterprise-social-business-software-suites-004077.php [3] Jive SBS (2010). Social Business Acc

Mindjet [5] is best known for its mind mapping software but with the introduction of Catalyst [5] in October 2009 Mindjet released the power of their mapping software to the web. Catalyst is an online mapping tool that is delivered on a subscription service across the web. It enables team members to co-edit a map in real time. Members can brainstorm ideas, design business process, store their documents in a secure and centralised workspace and keep a work log of all changes. Catalyst also augments the support of social networking tools to help share the vision [1]. Currently the service is delivered as a subscription service charged at $25/user/month plus an extra $25 for web conferencing moderators. Catalyst runs on all major browsers [4] but it must have Adobe Flash Player 9.0 enabled. "We think better in picture than text and how that can that be related to business process" Scott Raskin CEO of Mindjet (Howlett, 2009). "Catalyst team members can simultaneously video-conference while modifying a shared document on an online " (Chapman, 2009). While this online collaborative mapping tool is impressive an area of consideration is the fact that it does not alert team members of asynchronous changes [3] via IM or email. Alerting team members of change during a project is an important feature for collaborative tools as discussed in the research study by Daniela Damian M. Sc. [2] which looks at how real projects actually use collaboration tools and what were their main areas of use and importance are. However, with the inclusion of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter this oversight could be overcome with good project management practices.

References [1] Chapman, G. (2009, Oct 8). Mindjet boosts online collaboration with Catalyst. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from Google (AFP): http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAtF77pDeYcjJL7H5N3Z7ykx4n3w [2] Damian, D. (2010, Feb 1). Case study of feature based awareness in a commercial software team and implications for the design of collaborative tools. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from UVicDSpace: https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/dspace/handle/1828/2133 [3] Howlett, D. (2009, October 6). Mindjet takes on Cisco with Catalyst. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from ZDNet: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Howlett/?p=1377 [4] mindjet. (2010). Catalyst - Technical Requirements. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from Mindjet: http://www.mindjet.com/products/mindjet-catalyst/requirements [ 5]Mindjet. (2010). Catalyst. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from Mindjet: http://www.mindjet.com/products/mindjet-catalyst/overview [6] Mindjet. (2010). Mindjet. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from Mindjet: http://www.mindjet.com/

Slideshare is the worlds largest community for sharing presentations online with over 25 million users a month. Users can upload powerpoint and keynote presentations, and word and PDF documents. Presentations can be commented on, bookmarked and shared and it is a great way to learn from others [1]. Businesses can upload presentations or documents to share ideas amongst the organisation and also generate leads due to the viral nature of the platform. Slideshare is linked with many other platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter [2]. Search engines will index the information in the presentations and it will enhance search engine ranking [3]. Presentations can also be made private and only accessible to members within your organisation [2]. Slideshare is being used by many businesses to market their products or services using the platform as a lead and traffic generation tool by either highlighting your business or directly generating leads through Slideshares LeadShare or Adshare tools designed specifically for business. There are no upfront costs and you only pay when leads are generated[1]. Slideshare also has its own branded channels for afee. The business channel allows businesses or organisations to customise its own microsite targeting the professional community. Here you can showcase eBooks, webinars and presenations while capturing leads and targeting a specific audience. Each microsite is a customised project for Slideshare and can be worked into an organisations budget [4]. [1] Slide Share Inc (2009). Slideshare. Retrieved 16 April, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/about [2] Learning Tools (2010). Top 100 Tools: Slideshare. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/slideshare.html [3] ZenDesk (2010). SlideShare Forum. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://slideshare.zendesk.com/forums [4] Slideshare (2010). Slideshare Branded Channels. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/channel

One of the attractive features of Slideshare is the ability to not only upload presentations for online display, however by using their Leadshare application you can collect and update customer contacts. Leadshare also allows the user to link the presentation to the business contact details. Slideshare can be embedded in your web page, blogs and social networks at no extra cost. Kelly, (2010) explains that Slideshare has a number of additional features which enhance its use. These include presentations that have audio tracks known as 'Slidecasts' and a plugin which allows presentations to be uploaded directly from the Powerpoint tool. It also has plugins to allow access from networking services such as Facebook and Linkedin. Slideshare as demonstrated by Mullen, (2009) is a great way of presenting information. Mullen states "Increasingly Slideshare is being used as a tool by conference organisers to make PowerPoint presentations available to anyone unable to make the conference in person." PcWorld recently reported on Slideshare's new service called Channels which will allow companies to create a microsite. Perez (2010) states that "Companies can be a sponsor of a Channel focused on a specific topic, like virtualization, or they can create a Channel just for their brand." Perez reports that this service adds to two other marketing services of Slideshare's, which are Adshare and Leadshare. Slideshare is an effective way of sharing and be able to show your presentation to a wide audience. As stated by Slideshare "Anyone can view presentations & documents on topics that interest them. The site is growing rapidly with over 25 million monthly visitors."

References: About Us. (n.d.). Upload & Share PowerPoint presentations and documents. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/about Kelly, B. (2010). Slideshows. STRIDE Handbook 8 on E-Learning (pp. 106-109). India: India Gandhi National Open University. Mullan, J. (2009). Should we be more Social? Law Librarians and Social Media. Legal Information Management, 9, 175-181. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from the Cambridge Journals database. Perez, J. C. (2010, February 3). SlideShare to Let Companies Sponsor 'channels' on Its Site - PCWorld Business Center. Reviews and News on Tech Products, Software and Downloads - PCWorld. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/188442/slideshare_to_let_companies_sponsor_channels_on_its_site.html Slideshare LeadShare FAQs. (n.d.). Upload & Share PowerPoint presentations and documents. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/business/leadshare/faqs

ProjectSpaces provides secure online collaboration working space for project management teams, workgroups and committees. Flexibility is a main feature, with companies able to customise their workspace for co-ordinating and knowledge sharing. A review of ProjectSpaces by KillerStartups.com, found its user-friendly interface a major factor in attracting users as well as its level of control [3]. Document management is easy with version control and the organisation and management of files with smart folders, RSS feeds, blogging and discussion tools. Some features include [1]: * Support of any document file type, with multiple file uploading * WYSIWYG editor * Email notification * Export of Workplan to Word and Excel * Announcements with related links * Calendar and Contacts with photo uploading facility to identify users * Export of contacts to Excel and any email client e.g. Outlook * Customisable user level rights with password restriction * Integration with reporting tools such as Google Analytics The user-friendly interface helps users to locate information quickly with no training course needed and the help of an online video tutorial is available via YouTube [5]. OnlinePMTools rated ProjectSpaces five stars on ease of use [2]. Mashable.com compared ProjectSpaces with Basecamp and found it the better product: "ProjectSpaces, from ForumOne Communications, is like Basecamp on steroids…I tried using Basecamp for a project a while back and I found it infuriating…for those who crave more features, ProjectSpaces seems like a good option" [4]. ProjectSpaces also offer the option to host on your own servers and can easily transfer hosting to another server as needed. Customers of ProjectSpaces include THiiNC Health, Smartlife, Englin Consulting and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (GNOCDC), who after Hurricane Katrina relied on ProjectSpaces to keep the team working together across several states.

References [1] ProjectSpaces. (2010). Homepage. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.projectspaces.com/ [2] ProjectSpaces. (2010). Testimonials. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.projectspaces.com/section/testimonials [3] ProjectSpaces. (2010). Full Feature List. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.projectspaces.com/section/features/featurelist [4] Mehmet. (2008). Review: Manage your projects online with Projectspaces. GabFire Web Design. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.gabfire.com/manage-your-projects-online-with-projectspaces/ [5] Cashmore, P. (2006). ProjectSpaces - Project Collaboration (And a Potential Basecamp Rival). Mashable. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://mashable.com/2006/01/03/projectspaces-a-basecamp-rival/ [6] Gunderloy, M. (2007). ProjectSpaces Offers Collaboration, Web 1.0 Style. WebWorkerDaily. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/04/18/projectspaces-offers-collaboration-web-10-style/ [7] ProjectSpaces. (2010). ProjectSpaces vs. SharePoint. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.projectspaces.com/section/features/projectspaces_vs_sharepoint

[8] ProjectSpaces. (2010). Pricing. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.projectspaces.com/section/pricing [9] PRLog. (2008). ProjectSpaces Releases Self-Hosted Perpetually Licensed Version of Its Online Collaboration Platform. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.prlog.org/10120142-projectspaces-releases-self-hosted-perpetually-licensed-version-of-its-online-collaboration-platform.html

For any enterprise that wants to provide a secure and scalable shared workspace for geographically disparate project teams then the EMC Documentum eRoom Family [2] of products release 7.4 provides an integrated solution that provides many benefits. The EMC website [1] provides an overview of the five components in their Documentum eRoom family that together provide a fully integrated system for online collaborative workgroups. The whole family comprises a suite of products that cover many of the areas that are out lined as essential features for successful enterprise online collaboration in the White Paper prepared by the Gilbane Group [3] Collaboration and Social Media-2008 [4]. Features such as (a) Secure shared workspace (b) Secure storage for shared rich content including, images, audio and documents, (c) Ability to run on intranet or secure hosted website that can run outside of the corporate firewall to allow external partners to join the group, (d) eRooms can be organised on a project basis each with their own workspace that can incorporate user access privileges, (e) Notifications and integrated IM and (f) Project management tools. The modules included in the Documentum eRoom Family include: eRoom - Web based collaborative workspace eRoom Enterprise - Combines the eRoom capability of a collaborative work space with the power of the EMC content management tools. eRoom Real-Time Services - Combines eRoom workspace with real time conferencing tools such as real time meetings, presentations and whiteboard sessions. eRoom Viewer -Team access to Microsoft Project Management tools. eRoom .Net - The functionality of the eRoom environment nut within a hosted web environment. References [1] EMC Corporation. (2010). EMC. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from EMC: http://www.emc.com/utilities/globalsiteselect.jhtml?checked=true [2] EMC Corporation. (2010). EMC Documentum eRoom Family. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from EMC: http://www.emc.com/products/family/er

Documentum eRoom provides a "web-based collaborative workspace for distributed teams" [1]. Additions to Documentum eRoom include real time services, collaboration management capabilities, Microsoft Project compatibility and a secure online shared environment. The eRoom Family of software has been a major player in the field of collaboration over the last ten years. EMC released a document about what they regard as their top 10 tips regarding what a SMB (medium to small businesses) should look for when considering web-based collaboration software. This document can be located at http://www.retrospect.com/assets/Top10_WebCollab_en.pdf. So how does EMC's very own software hold up these top 10 tips? DLA Piper Rudnick is mostly a US based law firm, forty offices, which required an easy and secure method to collaborate online. "The verdict: use of EMC's Documentum eRoom, a web-based collaboration platform that allows for secure information sharing" [2]. DLA Piper was deciding between Lotus QuickPlace and Documentum eRoom and stated that eRoom scored the battle because "eRoom's functionality and ease of use won out" [2]. EMC's top 10 tips echo this statement; "workspaces that are easy to manage" and "collaboration software should be flexible" [3]. However, even though eRoom has a proven history of being reliable software, they faced a new battle of collaboration-software competition.

Although Documentum eRoom and the rest of the family can live up to the top 10 tips, it may however, suffer a loss at the nature of technology. eRoom lacks compatibility with Web 2.0 tools such as "blogs, RSS and wikis" [5]. In an effort to keep up with technology EMC created "Centre Stage: moving beyond collaboration" [4]. In addition, the popularity of Microsoft's SharePoint has increased competition between the two products with companies migrating from eRoom. With such competition, a free version called CentreStage Essentials was released: the"version is a "limited" release of CenterStage. It does include storing documents in folder and attachment boxes like in eRoom, plus a few other features. There is no charge for this version" [5]. eRoom might still be the best suited software for many businesses, but with technology advances happening continually, it may also mean that for any new businesses delving into new collaboration software it could be a good idea to read up on Microsoft's Sharepoint 2010 or CentreStage. References/Notes [1] Details from http://www.emc.com/products/detail/software/eroom.htm [accessed April 8, 2010]. [2] Chen, A., (2007). Law firm makes case for eRoom, http://www.emc.com/collateral/analyst-reports/0307-eweel-law-firm.pdf, eWeek: The enterprise weekly, Issue: March 28, 2007 [accessed April 8, 2010]. [3] EMC. Top Ten Tips for Web-based Collaboration in SMBs, http://www.retrospect.com/assets/Top10_WebCollab_en.pdf [accessed April 6, 2010]. [4] OpenVine, Migrating from eRoom to CentreStage, http://www.openvine.com/downloads/eRoomCenterStageMigration.pdf [accessed April 9, 2010]. [5] OpenVine Web Solutions and Consulting, experts in best eRoom practices, the eRoom blog, http://blog.openvine.com/?m=200905 [accessed April 9, 2010].

WebEx Online Classroom is the perfect tool for providing live just-in-time online instructor-led training or self-paced training to employees, partners and clients where participants can access either service from their web browser at any time from any place. WebEx Online Classroom allows for easy e-learning/e-training content creation and delivery and with the added e-commerce feature one could turn their in-house training service into a profit-earning centre. [1] Instructors are able to set up remote 'labs' for participants to practice on during any stage of the program, create polls or quizzes, receive instant feedback or track participation and attendance along the way. They are also able to record and archive. [1] WebEx Online Classroom allows for presentation sharing, streaming media or live video, interact in 'real-time' with the participants as well as passing control from user-to-user and share applications simultaneously. [1] Real-time demonstrations provide strategic advantages with respect to: [2] [3] * Rolling out new products faster * Accelerating customer usage of your products * Training new reps and partners * Bringing employees up to speed on new applications * Providing and/or improving remote support to your IT department and client base * Re-train or re-skill personnel who have been injured and/or returning to the workforce [4] The WebEx application has now been made available, free of charge, to Apple iPhone and iPad users. This means that the aforementioned training applications can be delivered to students who are on the move. It also delivers the traditional benefits of WebEx, i.e. virtual meetings and subsequent collaboration, sharing and annotation as well as individual or group chat sessions. [5]

Although predominantly marketed as a web based training tool for small-medium businesses, Webex offers a stable platform for collaboration in the educational sector. Steve Mackenzie is Distance Learning Development Team Leader in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at De Montfort University. He compares the usability and effectiveness of three web conferencing tools; Wimba, Webex and WiZiQ. He uses them as live online learning tools and his practical experience makes him well qualified to compare them. Mackenzie believes that technology should be invisible. He compares things like logging in, audio quality, whiteboard tools, feedback tools, the general environment look and feel, recording of sessions and of course support, he places more importance on the user interface and how much the tool maximises interaction. [1] Mackenzie's verdict is that Webex is the pick of the bunch providing a stable, least problematic web conferencing environment. He regards it as the easiest to log into and by far has the most appealing look and feel for participants and is easy to work with for teachers. [1] This is supported by other software review sites. [2] [3] One of WebEx's features has been its development of applications for iPhone. Users can view and join meetings and conferences from their phone, making collaboration possible away from their Internet-connected computers. [3]

References: [1] Mackenzie, S. (2009). The Three Dubya's - Wimba, Webex and WiZiQ. Learnadoodledastic Retrieved 31 March 2010, from http://learnadoodledastic.blogspot.com/2009/09/dubyadubya-dubya-wimba-webex-and-wiziq.html [2] GiveMeaReview. (2010). Webex Review. Givemeareview.com Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://www.givemeareview.com/online-meeting/webex.html [3] TopTenREVIEWS. (2010). Web Conferencing Review: Webex. Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://web-conferencing-services.toptenreviews.com/webex--review.html

"Interactive website tools for distance learning, online tutoring, collaboration and fun. Add whiteboard, chat, games, message boards, VOIP and web conferencing to your website by simply copying a few lines of HTML code. Over 100,000 created!"[1] Groupboard.com is an online collaborative whiteboard used for educational, business conferencing and entertainment purposes. Groupboard.com offers free software for businesses or individuals to add to their websites. Basically, the whiteboard acts as a real time drawing board. The software is offered in three distinct formats: groupboard (simple), groupboard designer (advanced) and groupworld.net. Groupboard (simple java whiteboard): This applet allows for simple text messaging and voice conferencing. Groupboard suggests that this format can be used for "tutoring, distance learning, training, or simply for fun!"[2] The whiteboard can handle picture uploads that can be drawn over, which may be particularly helpful in teaching for both education and businesses. Groupboard Designer (advanced): This is an advanced version, as this whiteboard can be used to add extras to the drawing capability, such as mathematical signs for teaching or the symbols used when an architect is compiling a blueprint. Groupworld.net: This format advances the whiteboard again by adding voice/video conferencing and desktop sharing capabilities to strongly enhance the collaborative environment.

Groupboard is an online whiteboard tool that can be used by educators, students, designers and anyone with a collaboratve project or task [1]. The Groupboard whiteboard can be added to a website and the Groupboard iPhone Applet allows for connectivity to the whiteboard via the iPhone [1]. Other online whiteboard collaboration tools include Virtual Whiteboard [2], Dabbleboard [3] and Vyew [4]. Virtual Whiteboard limits the length of time that a whiteboard is available for and their is a limit of four users per 15 minute collaboration session [2]. Dabbleboard's free package offers a whiteboard with unlimited users but they do not offer a website embedding option like Groupboard [3]. Vyew is a feature-rich online whiteboard application from the big-end of town. Vyew's customer page lists many positive testimonials from multi-national corporations, large educational institutions and collaboration tool reviewers [5]. Vyew does not offer a website embedding option like Groupboard. TechCrunch's review of Groupboard attests to its reliability and usefulness as a whiteboard tool [6]. Groupboard is free to use, offering good value for smaller educational groups or low-end designers. Groupboard is a relevant addition to this collaboration tool list. see References below

References [1] Groupboard. (n.d.). 'Groupboard: free online collaborative whiteboard and chat'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.groupboard.com/products/ [2] Foster, T. (2010). 'Virtual Whiteboard'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.virtual-whiteboard.co.uk/home.asp [3] Dabbleboard Inc. (2009). 'Dabbleboard - Online whiteboard for drawing & team collaboration - Interactive whiteboard software'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.dabbleboard.com/ [4] Simulat Inc. (2010). 'Vyew - FREE Anytime Collaboration and Live Web Conferencing'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://vyew.com/site/index3 [5] Simulat Inc. (2010). 'Customers - Vyew'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://vyew.com/site/customers/testimonials/ [6] TechCrunch. (2010). 'CrunchBase - Groupboard'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.crunchbase.com/company/groupboard

WizeHive is a collaboration platform which allows groups to share all sorts of information. Tools such as notes, calendars, files, tasks can be shared via email or within WizeHive. Workflow tools, form builder tools enable collaboration around business processes [1] Users are able to share videos, images and files by adding people to workspaces. Workspaces can be customized with corporate colours and logos and it is easily accessible via a browser with integrated email. There is also an integrated email where you can send files and notes via email to your WizeHive workspace for others to view [2]. It is ideal for project management where users are able to organize ideas and tasks for projects. Users are able to communicate and keep up to date with activities in real time as detailed in AppVita's (2009) review. Keeping track of conversations between users and managing communication is another useful function of this application. WizeHive is a free service for personal use and up to US$39 per month for the premium edition. A review from Tea (2009) highlights the ease with which users can contribute to WizeHive and the simple, uncluttered interface. Tea (2009) also emphasizes the crowded online collaboration tools market with the number increasing however with WizeHive's simplicity and powerful features makes it an option to consider. References [1] Organise and Share Information. Retrieved 12 April 2010 from http://www.wizehive.com/features/ [2] WizeHive: Collaborate Online. Retrieved 12 April 2010 from http://www.appvita.com/2009/06/27/wizehive-collaborate-online/ [3] Tea, K. (2009). Simple But Powerful - The Buzz That Drives WizeHive. Retrieved 13 April 2010 from http://www.web2andmore.net/2009/08/01/simple-but-powerful-the-buzz-that-drives-wizehive/

Wizehive - Online Collaboration and Organisational Tool Wizehive is an online collaborative and organisational tool that can be set up to track multiple tasks, activities and deadlines through the sharing of notes, files, and ideas within an individually tabbed workspace interface. It is an interactive application that can be accessed not only from your computer browser, but also through any email, a desktop client, or mobile communication device [1a]. Projects are divided into individual workspaces according to the teams that are working on them and/or the client. Each individual workspace displays as a tabbed file system with the follow categories and functions [1b]: 1. Recent Activity - set chronologically and in real time. o Displays feeds on all activities from all team members. o Instant reply can be facilitated o Notes, ideas and messages are shared between the team here o It can include text, graphics, links or uploaded files. o Information on this page can also be categorised to keep track of specific threads and ideas. 2. Files o Allows uploading, storing and sharing of files o Supports multiple file formats 3. Tasks o Displays all tasks connected to the project. o It identifies who is responsible for each task. o Records the status of each task. 4. Calendar o The calendar is integrated with the task system and identifies key target dates for each project. The application can also allow you to view all activities across all projects in one frame through the 'All' tab. The success of Wizehive was recently manifest within the use of its platform by TechCrunch to determine the top 50 applicants for the, "best new technologies of the year" [2]. CEO of TechCrunch, Heather Harde, stated that its, "…ability to easily collect ratings, make notes, and work collaboratively was fantastic".

References: [1a] Wizehive (2010) Organize and Share Informaiton. Retrieved on 14th April 2010 from http://www.wizehive.com/features/ [1b] Wizehive (2010) Organize and Share Information. Video. Retrieved on 14th April 2010 from http://www.wizehive.com/features/ [2] Wizehive (2010) TechCrunch50. Retrieved on 14th April 2010 from http://applicants.wizehive.com/applicant/success-stories/techcrunch50.html

Review Basics was created by Sharp Styles Lab and is an online collaboration tool that allows you to annotate and comment on documents, images on videos. Content is secured and password protected so it can only be viewed by people in your organisation that have been invited. You are able to invite as people as you like [1]. Review Basics is a web-based application so you do not need to download any software but Adobe Flash does need to be installed to provide feedback using the simple drag and drop tools. The application can also be used by anyone in your organisation from any location in the world. It supports many file formats and if you find a file format that is currently unsupported, Sharp Styles Lab will do their best to accommodate you. [1]. With Review Basics you can upload draft proposals and invite staff to provide feedback and exchange ideas [1]. It is ideal for organisations that are geographically spread. Even in smaller businesses it can be difficult to organize staff for face-to-face meetings, so collaborating in this way makes discussion much easier and allows everyone to be involved in a decision making process [2]. It also allows for members to think about a proposal more thoroughly before offering feedback or making any comments [3]. [1] Sharp Styles Lab (2010). Review Basics. Retrieved 16 April, 2010, from http://www.reviewbasics.com/Home.aspx?NoCache=592c3049-fe2b-4e16-8e03-bd5d27dd494b [2] Cohen, A.S. (2008). The Collaboration Effect: The Second Wave of the Internet. Retrieved 16 April, 2010, from http://blogs.cisco.com/collaboration/comments/the_collaboration_effect_the_second_wave_of_the_internet/ [3] Cranor, L.F. (1996). Internet Collaboration: Good, Bad, and Downright Ugly. Retrieved 16 April, 2010, from http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds2-3/lorrie.html

ReviewBasics is a free website, that creates a safe and secure online space, where users can upload content and gather feedback about their content. The website is aimed for businesses in "creative and design, opinion research, film and video and legal." (Ruby, 2007) It can be beneficial for businesses that require feedback on projects, bringing comments together in one location. By doing this, it avoids the dilemmas of keeping track of feedback in emails. When a project is set up, users upload one or multiple files, to a total of 25mb per account for reviewing. (Q&A, 2010) Supported files include: * Microsoft Word™ and PowerPoint™ (DOC/DOCX, PPT/PPTX) * Images (JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF) * Adobe Acrobat (PDF) * Video (FLV, WMV, AVI, MPEG) (Q&A, 2010) Once uploaded, people can be invited to review the content via email invite. With a simple click on the link, the person can be taken to the project where they enter a password provided and begin giving feedback using the tools. Different tools such as the "Callout", similar to a speech bubble, "Arrow", "Emoticon", "Selection" and "Drawing" can be used to give feedback, with a simple drag n' drop onto the page. (Products, 2010) Account holder can limit what feedback, each invited person can see. Once feedback is made, email updates are sent notifying users that comments have been left. This can save businesses time by not waiting for notification by email or phone, and can help complete projects much faster, creating greater efficiency. Anytime during the project or upon completion, an annotated PDF file can be downloaded with all reviews made. This file can be stored and accessed at a later date. (ReviewBasics, 2010) ReviewBasics provides a cost effective collaborative tool that allows project reviews to be saved in one place, creating greater efficiency and helps complete projects faster.

Reference: Products. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.sharpstyle.com/ Q&A. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.reviewbasics.com/QandA.aspx?NoCache=b22b65c6-80ce-4e4f-81fd-d7ad193c6cc1 ReviewBasics. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.reviewbasics.com/Home.aspx?NoCache=c327e07a-ff88-4fc1-be88-2606073523a2 Ruby, B. (2007). A review of ReviewBasics. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://cmsreport.com/blog/2007/review-reviewbasics

ActiveCollab is a server side project management tool, which allows for collaborative work between the team, clients and contractors [1]. The software is suitable for use by a group of three or more people. Travis King describes the learning curve as fairly simple, with short descriptions on what each element does and it has a straightforward set-up system for users [2]. Main features: · Project milestones · Discussions · File sharing · Joint calendars · Time tracking · Forums Other features: · Export calendars to Outlook, iCal, or Google Calendar. · Can work from Blackberry, iPhone, or other XHTML enabled mobile device. · Client login to milestones and discussions. · Available through your own server - PHP5.0 or higher · Outright purchase, no ongoing monthly fees · Customise look · Multi-lingual Multiple projects can be created and run concurrently, and with the project milestone application, tasks within each milestone can be set in place for completion before moving on to the next milestone. Management and invoicing are seamless when sharing data, creating time logs and tasks, which are all located under the one application. Billing and payments are tracked through the time reports. This data can also be used to refine and analyse each project. The evolution of files can be tracked through time log categorising. Clients, teams and contractors can all contribute to the files without losing any relevant information, thus assisting in the streamlining of sharing, commenting and organising. Email integration also allows for notification to all collaborators regarding new projects and tasks, or upgrades on file versions. Plugins and extensions are easily integrated and customisation of the interface is simple with full source code being made available for complete customisation. This is significant for security reasons alone.

activeCollab is a project management & collaboration tool that can be set up on a client's server, and accessed from the local network [1]. activeCollab written in PHP, is a complete suite of applications providing invoicing, mail, file sharing, drag and drop task management, time tracking and the ability to set customised roles and permissions for users [1]. activeCollab's wide range of applications are extendible and customisable with import and export functions for updates and reports [1]. 'The Web Squeeze' gives activeCollab a score of 4.5 out of 5 and says, 'It is a true lifesaver to a busy designer who needs a good management tool.' [3]. activeCollab started life as a free open source project but in 2006 it re-emerged as a fee based product [3]. Corporate and small business licences are attractively priced [1]. Similar products include Basecamp [4], Teambox [5] and Projectmanager.com [6]. Basecamp offers the same application functionality for the high-end of the market with their own server and storage solution at substantially higher fees [4]. Teambox is an open source product built with Ruby on Rails but it does not appear to have an active nor a strong support base [5]. Projectmanager.com has an attractive dashboard interface and like Basecamp its online provisioning & storage is reflected in their higher subscription fees [6]. 'The Web Squeeze' review and the '5thirtyone' review recommend the activeCollab as a relevant, useful project management & collaboration tool for providing good value to clients who can install their product on a reliable server [2][7]. ------------- see References below

References [1] A51 d.o.o. (n.d.). 'activeCollab - Project Management and Collaboration Tool'. Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://www.activecollab.com/ [2] Haug, J. (2008). 'ActiveCollab Review'. The Web Squeeze. Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://www.thewebsqueeze.com/product-and-software-reviews/activecollab-review.html [3] A51 d.o.o. (2008). 'About A51'. Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://www.a51dev.com/about [4] 37signals. (2010). 'Project management, collaboration, and task software: Basecamp'. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://basecamphq.com/ [5] Teambox. (n.d.). 'Teambox | Project collaboration'. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://www.teambox.com/ [6] Project Manager Online Ltd. (2010). 'Project Management Software Online: Project Manager.com'. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://projectmanager.com/ [7] Punsalan, D. (20060. 'activeCollab project management'. 5ThirtyOne. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://5thirtyone.com/archives/467

Share. Collaborate. Communicate. [1] Glasscubes is all about file sharing, intranets, contact management and document management. [1] It is an application that is ideal for maintaining customers, employee relations and dealing with issues in a real time collaborative feed. The 'cubes' part refers to workspaces where access is assigned to various individuals or departments within and external to the company. Glasscubes is a UK company with the highest audience base, as per Alexa.com, from South Korea, India, United Kingdom and United States [2]. The application allows for real-time editing of office, pdf and image files online so that users know they will be editing the latest update. Users can share calendars, if they require, and in March 2010 Glasscubes announced its calendar synchronization for active employees. "Glasscubes... announced that its online-based collaboration software now allows users to synchronise calendars directly with Google Calendars, or to view (read only) events in other calendaring applications that support the iCal format"[3]. Adding to this announcement Glasscubes has also been accepted into the "Google Apps Marketplace" [4].

Glasscubes brings together a multitude of features specifically intended to help small and medium sized organisations share files, collaborate on documents, and manage key elements of their online operations securely. (Miles, 2009) Each Cube is a workspace with a dashboard providing a comprehensive summary of activities within the Cube and a secure area for documents. Every Cube also has its own calendar that can be merged with other personal or business calendars for a full overview and to ensure bookings and deadlines do not clash with each other. (Harris, 2009) Glasscubes requires no add-ons and files are backed up daily, but it falls short of Basecamp's (http://basecamphq.com/ ) robust and structured method of document management and sharing and there is no support - either included or as add-ons, for milestones, reporting and analytics. (Harris, 2009) Like Basecamp, Glasscubes was designed for small businesses and is limited when it comes to working with large clients and teams that have multi-level, frequently changing tasks that don't require all members to see everything at all times. For larger organisations, Salesforce (www.salesforce.com ) can be scaled up for customer relationship management and offers more functionality, such as email support. (Harris, 2009) As an online service for small businesses, Glasscubes is a competitively priced Web-based project management tool with ample collaborative features to help link up with colleagues and clients anywhere there is an Internet connection. Unlike many customer relationship management tools, Glasscubes is simple to use even without extensive training or technical knowledge. (Miles, 2009)

References Glasscubes: Online intranet, workspaces and simple CRM. (n.d.). Share. Communicate. Collaborate. - Glasscubes: Online intranet, workspaces and simple CRM. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.glasscubes.com/ Harris, C. (2009, November 13). Glasscubes Review | Business Computing World. Business blogging and technology reviews - Business Computing World. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/?p=1512 Miles, S. (2009, December 26). Glasscubes ‚ Facilitating Communication and Collaboration - Reviews by AppVita. AppVita.com - Discovering web-based applications that just make life better. - Reviews by AppVita. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.appvita.com/2009/12/26/glasscubes-%E2%80%93-facilitating-communication-and-collaboration/

Confluence is commercial intranet software produced by Attlassian. It comes in both hosted or dowload options. It is an enterprise Wiki suited to larger organisations as it allows teams to collaborate and manage knowledge. It provide a single place where people can create, share, comment and edit content together. It comes with source code so it can be integrated with the organisations existing systems and processes.[1] [4] Reportedly it is in use in over 8,100 organisations in 94 countries around the globe across government, education and technology sectors. There is a catalogue of over 100 plug-ins available. The plug-in architecture allows organisations to develop their own.[4] Spaces are created for teams and individuals and permission access secures these spaces. It appears to balance user-friendliness, functionality, scalability and security [3] In using this wiki software as a project management tool users report that it feels polished and professional and is a notch above other offerings like Basecamp or MediaWiki (the platform that powers Wikipedia)[2] [3]. Descriptions like "more robust" and a "real workplace tool' [3], "world's most popular" [4] and the evidence that this product enjoys an active open source community creating plug-ins for all to use, signifies its value in the workplace.[3]

The exchange of information easily and freely in modern business would have to be considered necessary to survive. As stated by Happel (2009) "Exchanging information is vital for the success of modern organizations." Confluence by Atlassian provides a Wiki type service for business that allows the exchange of information. One of Confluences strengths is that it can be adapted and integrated into an organizations system to ensure productive process. Confluence has been adapted and used for collaborative group projects. Some of the reasoning for this is as follows: The Australian Research Council's Network for Early European Research (NEER) uses confluence for interaction with its digital base repository PioNEER. Burrows (2008) states that "Confluence is marketed as 'enterprise Wiki' software, which simply means Wiki-type software with various additional features, including the ability to control access to specific spaces and pages." And that a key element in the process of designing new structure is interoperability between Confluence and PioNEER. Networking Computing's, Anderson (2006) states that "Our Editor's Choice, Atlassian Software Systems' Confluence 2.1.2, has all the features that suit an enterprise wiki. It's easy to install and set up, yet flexible and extensible." Infoworld ranked Confluence highest out of four Wiki Collaboration tools compared and Heck, 2007 stated "It doesn't go overboard with extraneous features, yet still stuffs in an amazing amount of functionality - all surrounded by a good-looking, friendly interface." As a business collaboration and knowledge management tool Confluence offers a wide range of flexibility at competitive pricing.

References Enterprise Collaboration and Wiki Software - Confluence . (n.d.). Atlassian - Software Development Tools and Collaboration Software . Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ Anderson, R. (2006, March 30). Review: Wikis In The Enterprise - Network Computing. Network Computing. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.networkcomputing.com/unified-communications-voip/review-wikis-in-the-enterprise.php?p=5 Burrows, T. (2008). DEVELOPING A DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR A HUMANITIES RESEARCH NETWORK: THE PIONEER PROJECT. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 13(1), 1-11. Happel, H. (2009). Social search and need-driven knowledge sharing in Wikis with Woogle. International Symposium on Wikis, 13. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from the Acm Portal database. Heck, M. (2007, January 5). Wikis evolve as collaboration tools | Applications - InfoWorld. Business technology, IT news, product reviews and enterprise IT strategies - InfoWorld. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.infoworld.com/t/applications/wikis-evolve-collaboration-tools-644

Online collaboration requires unique group dynamic solutions, the lack of physical presence and asynchronous communication involved can create chains of emails and long lists of data that require constant analysis. The MindMeister software works like a digital whiteboard that can be manipulated by multiple users and instantly updated to reflect changes.[1] Mind mapping allows individuals to communicate to the overall objectives of the group, in a non delegate manner. Mind mapping is a very powerful methodology for structuring your own ideas but also within workshops it can be a strong tool for both learners and trainers. [2] diagrammatically communicating words, ideas and images into group visual thinking. The software has a creative and simple graphical user interface can create a hierarchical structure that can be linked and rearranged around a central theme, intuitively arranging the brainstormed concepts and ideas into groupings and assists targeting and distinguishing goals and objectives. The non-linear format allows for the creative progression of ideas with a simple history timeline to keep project teams updated on latest changes to the map, changes can be sorted by individual contributions to see how a team reached an idea and the ability to link and share ideas in real-time facilitates multi-user planning, brainstorming and project management sessions, removing obstacles of geography and time. The iPhone applications and browser extensions incorporate this creative software into standard business practice and the open source software is REST-based API allowing for simple integration into other applications and the 256 bit data encryption means that data is secure.

References: [1] MindMeister available from http://www.mindmeister.com/ [2] Top 100 Tools, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies available from: http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/mindmeister.html/ [3] Programmable Web available from http://www.programmableweb.com/api/mindmeister/

Mind maps are useful in the generation of ideas particularly in a group situtation. For a mind map, a main idea is taken and starts in the centre of the page. Key words and images are worked outwards in different directions. All words and ideas have many other ideas and concepts [1]. A Mind Map is "the Swiss Army Knife of the Brain" [3] which helps to improve your learning and thinking skills by prompting the brain with cues to help it work the left and right side of the brain [3]. A mind map helps organise information and rather than completing it on paper an online version such as MindMeister can be used for group collaboration [2]. Mind maps can be created in real time and viewed as changes are made [2]. Mind maps can be used in an organisation to plan meetings, know more about your competition, plan accounts and plan projects [2]. With MindMeister, mind maps can be worked on off-line and synchronised with your account once you are back so you can work anywhere that doesn't have an internet connection [2]. Mind Maps are private by default but can be made public if you choose so that you can share maps with people within your organisation or all over the world. All changes to the maps are recorded in a history so that you can see who did what and when [2]. [1] Creativity Web (2007). Mind Maps. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Mindmap/ [2] MeisterLabs (2010). MindMeister. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://www.mindmeister.com/ [3] Buzan (2009). Maxamise the Power of Your Brain. Retrieved 19 April, 2010, from http://www.buzan.com.au/learning/mind_mapping.html

Collaber is a virtual office that holds user information secure on a dedicated server, working on both Intranets and Extranets. The multi-platform (such as Windows, Linux and Mac) project management software allows for communication and sharing of data in a password-protected online environment. Educational institutions can benefit by creating virtual classrooms with file sharing and live interaction utilising the attractive graphics. First-time users immediately gain an understanding of available features by viewing the short video tutorials available on every feature, further enhancing the overall perception of ease of use. A demo page is also available to work through the complete process of engaging online collaboration with Collaber [1]. Collaber' features will soon include online account management for mobiles [1]. Editors are context sensitive with wizards improving file and picture sharing. Discussions and Chat tools features a time line and instant messaging with attachments. A review by Business Hacks [4] points out the value of the quantity of services Collaber offers its users and also mention the quality of interactive visuals used to enhance the user' experience of the software. Features include [1]: * Searchable contacts with changeable status and profile * Instant messaging with file and picture sharing * Drag and drop functionality to share files and folders * Task management tools to assign tasks to members and track progress * Application tool designer * Discussions, Wiki's and polls

A review by PR-inside.com [3] of Collaber' features view the highlights as: * Web version with unified account * Multi calendar with similar functionality to Google App's Calendar * Improved HTML editor * Keyboard short cuts * Advanced alerts and support * Compatibility with web applications, especially attractive to application store developers * New filters enabling items found by tags, date, members, status and more References: [1] Collaber (2007). Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.collaber.com [2] SoftSea (n.d.). 'Online Project Management'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.softsea.com/review/Collaber.html [3] PR-inside (2007). 'Web based multi-platform collaboration software released'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www.pr-inside.com/print1414291.htm [4] BNet insight (2009). 'Collaborate in an online share workspace with Collaber'. Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://blogs.bnet.com/businesstips/?p=3648

Yammer is the leading real-time communication platform for companies, groups and organisations. It is changing the way that people communicate at work, and making project teams more connected and productive. Yammer is essentially a micro-blogging service like Twitter but it focuses on the enterprise. (Hatton, 2009) A feed is created in one central location as employees answer the question "What are you working on?" - enabling co-workers to debate ideas, post news, ask questions, and share information and links. (Datapaedia, 2010) Yammer makes it easy to securely collaborate with internal and external groups. People within an organisation can use Yammer to collaborate on projects and Yammer Communities can be used to form secure project specific Yammer networks to collaborate with customers and external partners, separate and private from the company's Yammer network. (Yammer, 2010) Each member of an organisation can have a Yammer profile including information such as photo, title, contact info, background and area of expertise. (Ives, 2009) Yammer can be used to ask a question, share news, ideas, and documents within the private network. Unlike email, "following" specific people and joining groups an individual can choose whose messages to receive thereby creating a custom feed. Messages, profiles and tags can all be archived and they are searchable, so new members can get up to speed quickly by tapping into the power of the organisation's collective database of past ideas and solutions. (Yammer, 2010) Yammer integrates with emails, Twitter, Google Talk, Jabber, Google Reader, Firefox. There are apps for Desktop, iPhone, iPod touch, SmartPhone, BlackBerry and SMS integration and several third party applications are available. It also offers a suite of corporate class security features to suit company requirements. All data sent to and from the Yammer website uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and all backup data and data in transit is encrypted to maximise prote

"Yammer takes the familiar Twitter messaging system and applies it to internal corporate communications" [1]. Essentially, it is microblogging whereby users can contribute, ask questions and communicate about current projects. Yammer is free to start up and businesses, if they choose, can pay for network administration rights later. Yammer has strong positives as clean and simple collaboration software. Yammer has a presence in Australia with companies like Deloitte offering up their success stories online [2]. Yet, isn't Yammer just another name for Twitter? All over the web, people are comparing Yammer to Twitter. Maybe the weakness in the web-based software is that users are looking for something that is a mix of the two. Corporate and personal - maybe something to consider - a 'Yatter' collaboration tool in the future! David Sacks, the CEO of Yammer, suggests that extras like the Yammer community and security features [3] sets Yammer ahead of Twitter as a microblogging tool. To see Sacks discuss his product on YouTube go to - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpBYo9bw2os.

Present.ly [5] is a similar product to Yammer. Needleman suggests that Present.ly is a better tool for corporate companies; "the biggest wins in Present.ly are at the platform level. Unlike Yammer, you can get Present.ly either as a hosted service, or, if you want, you can install in your business, behind your corporate firewall. And Present.ly supports the Twitter API, so tools that work with Twitter, like Twhirl, should be easily modifiable to work with Present.ly" [4]. Could Present.ly be a 'Yatter' solution? However, where Yammer is free, Present.ly is only free for up to five users and then small costs apply depending on the package selected [4]. Whether a firm uses Yammer, Twitter or Present.ly, it is clear microblogging has entered businesses as a fast, solid and dependable collaboration tool. References/Notes [1] Site Rapture Statistics, http://www.siterapture.com/sitemain.asp?SiteID=2330 [accessed April 9, 2010]. [2] Deloitte Case Study, https://www.yammer.com/about/case_studies [accessed April 9, 2010]. [3] Sacks, David., (2008). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpBYo9bw2os [accessed April 9, 2010] [4] Needleman, Rafe (2008). Business microblog tool Present.ly is smarter than Yammer, CNet News, published September 17, http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10045150-2.html [accessed April 9, 2010]. [5] Present.ly URL, http://presentlyapp.com/ [accessed April 9, 2010].