Skype was founded in 2003 and is now a well known worldwide application on the internet. Skype has voice and video calling, IM and SMS systems and operates on a wide variety of mobile systems and differing operating systems. Skype uses a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. Skype Business concentrates on allowing businesses to operate effectively by means of effective and fast communication whilst saving money on communication. Skype offers a Business Control Panel which they state that "You can allocate and manage your employees' Skype Credit balances centrally, plus keep track of their, and your company's, expenditure with built-in reporting tools." Skype offers a business version of the Skype Application which main features are "Main features * Free Skype-to-Skype calls. * Free video calls. * Free instant messaging. * Call phones and mobiles, send SMS. * Voicemail. * Forward calls to a phone when you're offline. * Screen sharing * Send contacts " Myhill et al sums up Skype by stating "Calls between Skype users are free and with a standard broadband internet connection, it is a simple matter to run other Web 2.0 applications (e.g. Google Documents) and Skype at the same time - so that collaborators can talk to each other in real time and even work on the same documents simultaneously. Skype has well-over 300,000 million accounts worldwide and is a very popular facility. In the context of the VRE, Skype offers additional, global communications benefits which take the researcher well beyond other, less-intrusive means such as e-mail or wikis." Brkan states that "Collaborating or doing business with different parts of the world is far easier when you can speak to people in realtime, without worrying about the phone bill." For online collaboration such as conferences Skype is a cheap and accessible alternative to other options.

References Brkan, B. (2090, September 22). 5 Ways Skype Helps Your Business | FreelanceSwitch. FreelanceSwitch | Freelance job listings, freelancers directory, resources and thousands of articles.. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://freelanceswitch.com/working/5-ways-skype-helps-your-business/ Myhill, M., Shoebridge, M., & Snook, L. (2009). Virtual research environments - a Web 2.0 cookbook?. Library Hi Tech, 27(2), 228-238. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited database. Skype for Business - solutions. (n.d.). Skype " Make free calls and great value calls on the internet. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.skype.com/intl/en/business/solutions/

Officemedium is an online collaborative package for business which offers centralized collaboration, client integration, security, organization and social platforming. One of the features of Officemedium is the client integration which allows the business to create user accounts for their clients which allows them to access only the information meant for them. The software is simplistic and centralised. According to Officemedium their product is "Unlike most business software, our application is easy to use and stripped of over-complicated, unnecessary clutter." Officemedium uses a concept of Clients, Employee and Super User which allows differing levels of access and integration. Whereas there are many business applications that are similar, ReadWriteStart which is a resource guide for first time businesses, describes officemedium as "Topping their list is Officemedium, a service we profiled last fall which provides a wide variety of collaborative features wrapped up in an elegantly designed interface." Business Pundit lists the advantage of Officemedium as follows: "Features: * Client integration * Contact information management * Task management * Event coordination * Personal and group calendars * File sharing and storage * Resource and document management * Shared blogging * Real-time chat * Private messaging * Status updates * User profiles * Polling * Searching and tagging * Email updates and notifications Continued...............

Pros: * Extremely simple to use * Comprehensive suite of features * Well designed * Fast, rich interface * Simple pricing model * Based on Drupal" Business Pundit's conclusion on Officemedium is "Social media integration, comprehensive design, features, and ease of use make OfficeMedium a winner. Give the demo or free trial a shot." Officemedium has been developed using Drupal which is an open source content management platform. It offers a either user accounts or memory based consumption accounts as well as a instant demo and a 30 Day free Trial period so you can explore the application and find out if it suits your needs prior to having to outlay funds.

References: Cameron, C. (2010, January 18). Top 10 Online Small Business Collaboration Tools - ReadWriteStart. ReadWriteWeb - Web Apps, Web Technology Trends, Social Networking and Social Media. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.readwriteweb.com/start/2010/01/top-10-online-collaboration-to.php Case Study: OfficeMedium - Web-based Business Intranet Software (Drupal SaaS) | drupal.org. (2010, October 8). drupal.org | Community plumbing. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://drupal.org/node/599402 Knufken, D. (n.d.). The 10 Best Collaborative Web Tools for Business | Business Pundit. Business Pundit: Your daily dose of smart business opinion. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.businesspundit.com/the-10-best-collaborative-web-tools-for-business/ Mola, J. A. (2010, February 1). OfficeMedium Ranked #1 Collaboration App (Free Extended Trial for ebizQ Readers) - Business IT Buzz Blog. An SOA, BPM, Decision Management and Cloud Computing Guide for the Enterprise Community.. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.ebizq.net/blogs/guest_session/2010/02/officemedium-ranked-1-collaboration-app-free-extended-trial-for-ebizq-readers.php OfficeMedium | Web-based Business Intranet and Collaboration Software. (n.d.). OfficeMedium | Web-based Business Intranet and Collaboration Software. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.officemedium.com/ drupal.org | Community plumbing. (n.d.). drupal.org | Community plumbing. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://drupal.org/

Google Docs is a free application provided by Google in which team members can collaborate online for free. Google Docs offers the ability to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations online. Google Docs offers you the ability to share your documents with whoever you choose and has different settings depending on your needs. You can set the file to either be viewed by other people and or edited as well. One of the advantages of an application such as Google docs is that you have no need to download or upload data. Online storage also reduces the risk of loss of data due to computer crashes. Google Docs offers a number of export options and formats which you can save your files in. Google.com states that they offer "DOC, XLS, CSV, ODS, ODT, PDF, RTF and HTML formats." Online collaboration can take place in real time so that employees can automatically follow the changes and or contribute. Murray, 2010, Describes Web 2 applications such as Google Docs as "Web 2.0 technologies can be modified, remixed, adapted, and displayed in a multitude of variations, allowing for highly customizable workflows to be developed with little effort." Dekeyser and Watson state that "We found the interface to be very usable, effective, and efficient. In addition, setting up collaboration with colleagues proved to be exceedingly simple. We suggest that Google Docs is an excellent platform for ad hoc collaboration on document creation." Overall Google docs is an excellent option for a free collaboration tool that will allow you to operate anywhere. Google is currently improving Google Docs with new features such as being able to upload any file and language translation. Google States that "We're still working to make Google Docs a better place, and we're listening closely to your suggestions".

References: Dekeyser, S., & Watson, R. (n.d.). Extending Google Docs to Collaborate on Research Papers. Google. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:M0i6zuhvc7AJ:scholar.google.com/+google+docs&hl=en&as_sdt=2001 Google Docs. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.google.com/google-d-s/whatsnew.html Google Docs Tour. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html Murray, A. (2008). Electronic Resource Management 2.0: Using Web 2.0 Technologies As Cost-Effective Alternatives To An Electronic Resource Management System. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 20(3), 156-168. Retrieved April 9, 2010, from the Routledge Informa Ltd database.

Backpack by 37 Signals. Backpack is a product created by 37 signals which allows the user to store information, documents, discussion and schedules with your workforce in a secure online environment which is accessible all the time. 37 Signals states that "Over 3 million people use our web-based apps to get things done the simple way." One of the features of Backpack is its interaction with email. When file attachments are sent to Backpack they automatically update on your pages. The backpack pricing plan allows you to start out small and upgrade your package when your business grows. This allows flexibility in the pricing system to suit your business needs at any given time. Backpack can also work with other applications like Google Calendar and a variety of other devices such as iphone apps, third party desktops and widgets. The Backpack accounts are protected with password protection with SSL security that ensures your information is safe at all times. Backpack capabilities are described by Gomez de la Torre as follows "1. Important scheduling information 2. Shared and easily modifiable check list of things to do 3. Personal knowledge and experience of prior dealings with clients 4. Identification of files necessary for the meeting 5. Repository for other tacit knowledge" Backpack creates a powerful user interface which allows workers to be in touch and informed whether they are office based or mobile. Backpack has been reviewed by a number of sources some of which can be perused in the reference section. Richard Cobbett from Pc Plus sums up Backpack as "Backpack allows you to manage all your data across multiple PC's with ease. Backpack is hands-down the most flexible of the online organisation tools, and it just keeps evolving. " Further information can be found about Backpack at http://backpackit.com/

References: Cobbett, R. (2009, March 3). 37signals Backpack review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of Other software. TechRadar UK | Technology News And Reviews. Retrieved March 31, 2010, from http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/utilities/other-software/37signals-backpack-34109/review De la Torre, V. G. (2005, December 8). Knowledge Management Systems Research Paper: Knowledge Management Systems and Web 2.0 Tools & Technologies. The University of Texas at Austin School of Information. Retrieved April 1, 2010, from www.ischool.utexas.edu/~i385q/archive/gomez_web2.0.pdf Intranet, Group Calendar, Small Business Organizer: Backpack. (n.d.). Intranet, Group Calendar, Small Business Organizer: Backpack. Retrieved March 31, 2010, from http://backpackit.com/ Kelly, W. (2007, July 1). PC Today Article - 37signals Backpack . PC Today - Your Mobile Computing and Wireless Authority. Retrieved March 31, 2010, from http://www.pctoday.com/Editorial/article.asp?article=articles/2007/t0507/24t07/24t07.asp&guid= Schmidt, A. (2006). PRODUCT PIPELINE.. Net Connect, 131, 18-19. Retrieved April 1, 2010, from the Business Source Premier database.