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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.

Although a blog would not normally be considered as an online collaborative tool, Posterous have developed a front-end engine which makes it very simple and easy for multiple contributors to post to a single blog just by emailing their content to a single email address. Contributors are not required to register as members and the service is free. [1] [2] The subject of the email becomes the title of the post, and the body and attachments of the email become the content of the post. You can post text, photos, music, video, documents and all kinds of files, just by attaching them to the email. Posterous formats it all nicely for you creating picture galleries for multiple images, drops music into mp3 players, video into a flash player and attaches download links for documents. It even resizes large file sizes to make them more web friendly. [1] What sets Posterous apart is its ease of use by allowing contributors to just email their contributions. This opens up the collaboration process to less technically savvy users in a non threatening way. It also does not restrict the size of the posts so they can be as brief or as lengthy as necessary or desired. Setting it up is also quick and simple. As blog owner, you can attach a security password to the blog and nominate the contributors that will take part. Each contributor is invited to post and is notified by email when anyone else has posted something. It makes blogging as easy as email. And by providing access to multiple users in such a simple way, it becomes a central repository for ideas, images, audio, video, stories which is accessible by all. [3]

[1] Administrator. (2006). Confluence. ITerating.com All software reviews and ratings Retrieved 14 April 2010, from http://www.iterating.com/component/content/article/385-wiki-engines/15924-confluence- [2]Attlassian. (2010). Confluence. Everyone on the same page Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/tour/enterprise-wiki.jsp [3]Bailey, C. (2006). Confluence Vs Basecamp. Code Intensity Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://codeintensity.blogspot.com/2006/08/confluence-vs-basecamp.html [4]Yehuda, G. (2009). Confluence 3.0 = Enterprise Wiki +++. Gil Yehuda's Enterprise 2.0 Blog Retrieved 14 April, 2010, from http://www.gilyehuda.com/2009/06/02/confluence-30-enterprise-wiki/

Posterous is a blogging tool that allows groups to create a shared publishing environment that can easily be accessed via email to share text, photos, audio and video. This removes a major technology challenge from group dynamics, as any file type can be sent to Posterous via email and will automatically be converted to the most web efficient format, for uniform presentation and removing the technology hurdle from user experience [1]. Posterous allows users to log onto the system and then send an email, the text of which is posted attractively to a blog, and if an attachment is included (image or document), that is also posted; these postings can be mirrored automatically to Blogger, where they can be tagged 'writingmatrix' along with other identifiers [2]. [1] Hacker News, "Why I chose Posterous" http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=304102 [2] Stevens, V. "Engaging Collaborative Writing through Social Networking" Foundation Computing, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Available from: http://www.j-let.org/~wcf/proceedings/d-052.pdf