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  • The Advantages of Using Outlook for Collaboration and Teamwork

    The Advantages of Using Outlook for Collaboration and Teamwork

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    There’s no denying that collaboration and teamwork are two of the most important drivers of business success. Having a well-oiled machine where team members communicate efficiently and are always on the same page can make a huge difference when it comes to productivity since it means you are getting the most out of your human resources.

    On top of this, the rise of remote work has made collaboration and teamwork even more important in the modern workplace. With team members now spread out across the world and face-to-face interaction becoming less frequent, it can be difficult to keep everyone in sync.

    Fortunately, with Microsoft Outlook, businesses can leverage the power of collaboration and teamwork while still staying secure, no matter where team members are located. On that note, here are the main advantages of using Outlook for collaboration and teamwork:

    Increased Productivity

    One of the most significant advantages of using Outlook for collaboration is its ability to help teams stay productive and organized. By harnessing Outlook’s powerful tools such as shared calendars, task reminders, and automated scheduling services, team members can not only keep track of their assigned tasks but also stay on top of deadlines, follow up with colleagues, and ensure that all projects move along smoothly.

    Moreover, by integrating with Office 365 suites like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, team members can collaborate on projects in real-time without the need for cumbersome email chains or other slow-moving systems. This helps keep everyone in sync while still allowing teams to work remotely or from different offices around the globe.

    Improved Communication

    Outlook makes it incredibly easy for teams to stay connected in real-time without the need for lengthy in-person meetings. Through its chat and messaging features, team members can quickly share ideas, updates, and questions – helping them to stay cohesive while working apart.

    Additionally, Outlook’s voice calling feature lets users make calls directly within its interface – allowing them to get answers faster no matter where they may be. And with the ability to create a custom Outlook email signature, team members can maintain a professional image and streamline communication with clients and colleagues alike.

    And perhaps most importantly, Outlook helps create a people-centric environment by making it easier for everyone to interact with each other regularly. This fosters stronger relationships between colleagues which can help increase morale and productivity, leading to more successful collaborations all around!

    Streamlined Collaboration

    When collaborating on projects or reports within Outlook users can easily share comments with one another within a shared document or project which makes gathering feedback simpler than ever before. When changes have been made they are synced automatically so there’s no need to copy/paste files back and forth between team members anymore.

    Additionally, tasks assigned within this shared environment are tracked in real-time meaning that everyone knows who is responsible for what at any given moment – helping increase overall efficiency.

    Enhanced Security

    One of the biggest concerns in today’s modern workplace is security – especially when dealing with sensitive data exchanged over multiple devices.

    Fortunately, Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that Outlook remains secure at all times by implementing TLS encryption (Transport Layer Security) as well as two-factor authentication methods. This requires users to enter both a username/password combination as well as another form of identification such as an SMS code sent directly from their mobile device before being allowed access to their account.

    Flexible Scheduling Tools

    Outlook also provides incredibly useful scheduling tools that make it easier for remote teams to adequately manage their workloads even if they are spread out over multiple time zones. Shared calendars allow team members from across the globe to view upcoming tasks and events together so no one misses out – ensuring efficient workflow throughout all operations regardless of physical location.

    Additionally, task reminders help keep everyone informed about deadlines and upcoming assignments – further simplifying project management.

    Integrations With Popular Business Tools

    Finally, Outlook integrates with some of the most popular business tools available today, making it easier than ever to collaborate with the tools you already know and love. This includes applications such as:

    With the integration of these tools, users can stay up-to-date with projects and calendar events without having to switch between multiple applications or tabs. As an example, if you have an important meeting today, you can sync your Outlook calendar with Slack so that everyone on your team receives the event invitation in real time.

    Conclusion

    Outlook remains one of the most versatile platforms available today due to its capabilities around facilitating collaboration and communication while still maintaining a high level of security throughout operations. With helpful scheduling tools such as shared calendars and task reminders, those using Outlook can effectively work together regardless of location while staying organized and productive along the way – ultimately resulting in greater efficiency during all stages of any given project.

  • How To Improve Cross Functional Team Collaboration

    How To Improve Cross Functional Team Collaboration

    In today’s world, teamwork is a necessity. You will have to interact with other people. Be it as an entrepreneur or as a worker to complete your tasks.

    However, many people struggle with how to improve cross functional team communication and collaboration.

    This article will help you understand how you can improve cross functional team collaboration and communication.

    With these guidelines, your company can work more efficiently and effectively.

    Strategic organizational communication is key to any successful team. But it can be challenging when members work remotely or are not in the same office.

    Poor communication can break down and lead to misunderstandings, which can cause issues for the entire team.

    There are many ways you can improve cross-functional team collaboration.

    One of the most important things is making sure that everyone feels heard and valued in the conversation.

    By valued, we mean:

    ●  Supportive when someone has an idea

    ●  Asking questions if someone doesn’t understand something

    ●  Keeping an open mind about what teams want for the future

    Team collaboration is essential for any organization to achieve its goals.

    A team is the best way to accomplish a task.

    When a team works well together, several positive things can come out. Such as:

    ●  Team members can adopt new ideas

    ●  Innovate

    ●  Make better decisions

    In this post, we will look at how you can improve cross functional team collaboration.

    You will also learn:

    ●  The benefits of cross functional team collaboration

    ●  The features of a good collaboration

    ●  How to ensure your company uses the right tools for its needs

    What Is a Cross Functional Team?

    Cross functional teams are widely used in many industries because they reduce organizational complexity.

    These teams help members with higher productivity rates in several very noticeable ways.

    These productive ways include:

    ●  Improvement in communication skills

    ●  Better knowledge sharing

    ●  Reduction of wastefulness

    ●  Increased mutual understanding

    Teams can have problems in communicating due to the following reasons:

    ●  The lack of open-mindedness

    ●  Willingness for intercultural dialogue

    This hurdle points asks teams to establish dialogue across cross functional teams.

    Also, it urges teams to be in constant contact with other cultures.

    Multi-disciplinary or cross functional teams can often work more successfully. They do this by highlighting different skill sets and combining them to produce desired outcomes.

    A cross functional team can be a perfect way for large groups of people to collaborate. This collaboration will work towards solving multimillion-dollar problems within a company or organization.

    For example, it could be the accounting department that focuses on finance. Or the HR department, which focuses on those who spend their hours entering data.

    In all scenarios, there are opportunities for all types of professionals to come together and help ensure success.

    Importance of Improving Cross Functional Communication

    Communication is a non-negotiable part of any company. And it helps us get to know each other and make better decisions together.

    When we say communication, we don’t just mean talking.

    It also includes nonverbal cues such as:

    ●  The body language

    ●  The facial expressions

    ●  The tone of voice

    There are many ways to improve how you communicate with your team members.

    You can avoid using jargon or acronyms when communicating with your team members.

    Using less terminology will help team members who may not be familiar with them understand what you are trying to say.

    Emphasize the importance of communication skills in the workplace. One of the most critical aspects of this skill is cross functional communication.

    This article will also give you tips on improving cross-functional team collaboration and how to get your team members to communicate better with one another.

    What Are Some of the Benefits of Cross Functional Team Collaboration?

    Cross functional collaboration allows employees to work with different teams, such as:

    ●  Product design

    ●  IT

    ●  Marketing

    Working with various teams will help to ensure that their work is coming together in one cohesive package.

    By working closely with these other groups and sharing information effectively, a company will see a higher quality product.

    The benefits of cross functional team communication include:

    ●  Increased productivity

    ●  Improved customer service

    ●  Better decision-making

    A good collaboration platform includes:

    ●  Automated notifications

    ●  Instant messaging

    ●  File sharing

    ●  Others

    It is essential to speak with your employees about what they are looking for in a new platform. Talking openly with teams ensures your company uses the right tools for their needs.

    Four Ways To Improve Cross Functional Communication

    There are four ways to improve cross functional communication.

    In this article, we will be looking at how to improve cross-functional team communication.

    We will first look at the benefits of good communication and then go through some tips on how to improve it.

    The first thing is to set up a meeting with your team members to discuss past mistakes. Discussions will help you identify what needs to change so that everyone can communicate more effectively with each other.

    You should also make sure that everyone knows their role on the team and understands their job.

    These are the critical four tips:

    ●  Involve all team members in the process

    ●  Prepare a communication plan before the meeting

    ●  Keep the meeting short and to-the-point

    ●  Create a follow-up plan after the meeting

    The future of work will be cross functional teams because they help move work forward in a better and more efficient way.

    Ensure That Your Team Is on the Same Page

    Identify Issues

    The first step to improving cross functional team collaboration is to identify the problems slowing down your team’s progress.

    Brainstorm

    Once you identify the problems, it is time to start brainstorming solutions.

    Use Technology

    The best way to improve cross functional communication is by using technology to facilitate better communication between team members.

    Create Space

    First, it’s essential to create a space where people can share their thoughts and feelings. Safe spaces will help them feel more comfortable with one another.

    Open Door Policy

    Next, it’s crucial to establish an open-door policy. This policy will encourage people to share their ideas and opinions more often.

    Set Clear Goals

    Finally, make sure that you have a clear goal for the team at hand.

    Having goals set will help the teams know what they should be working on to reach this goal.

    Tips for Better Communication Among Cross Functional Teams

    Have Transparent Communication

    The first tip is to have open and transparent communication.

    Employees should be aware of what is happening in the company and what their colleagues are doing.

    Better communication will help them understand how their work fits the bigger picture.

    Open conversations will allow them to feel more engaged in the process.

    Share Ideas and Feedback

    The second tip is that employees should share their ideas and feedback promptly.

    With ideas flowing freely, teams can identify any potential problems before they arise.

    Communication of Managers

    The third tip is that good communication comes from the top. Communication and business efficiency go hand in hand and both work best when there’s a strategy in place for organizational communication. Consider bringing on an internal communications manager to develop and implement strategic messaging and communication throughout your organization. Choose communication managers with a wealth of experience and a masters in strategic organizational communication or a similar educational background. Communication managers will encourage and foster all team members to work together on common goals, instead of separately.

    Challenges of Improving Cross Functional Communication

    It is vital to have a clear understanding of the challenges faced by organizations today.

    Organizations are faced with a myriad of challenges today.

    The most recognized challenge is to have a clear understanding of their customers.

    You can do this through research and data analysis. Other challenges may include:

    ●  Having an ethical brand

    ●  Creating work that stands out

    ●  The ability to find talent

    To improve the challenges, you can do the following:

    ●  Have better cross functional team communication

    ●  Ensure that all employees are on the same page about goals and objectives

    Communication is an essential aspect of any business, and teams that communicate well are typically more productive.

    By using CRM, you can ensure that all employees are on the same page concerning goals and objectives.

    The CRM will help facilitate communication between all team members. It will also provide a place to record all relevant information related to customer interactions.

    Conclusion

    Technological improvements have made it easier for teams to work together. But it has also created new challenges.

    For example, most people have difficulty knowing what is going on in other teams. This poor knowledge can lead to poor interdepartmental communication.

    To help overcome these challenges, we need to make sure that all team members know what each member is doing. And that they are communicating with one another.

    In conclusion, better team communication is crucial because cross functional team collaboration is essential for organizational success.

    But, it is not easy to achieve this goal.

    Many factors can cause the breakdown of teamwork, such as:

    ●  Lack of communication

    ●  Unclear expectations

    ●  Unmet deadlines

    To solve these problems, we need to work on improving cross functional communication by following these tips:

    ●  Make sure everyone understands the goals

    ●  Create a culture of open dialogue

    ●  Work on trust and respect

  • Microsoft Announces Loop, a Fluid-Powered Collaboration Tool

    Microsoft Announces Loop, a Fluid-Powered Collaboration Tool

    Microsoft’s vision for the future of remote and hybrid work is taking shape with its announcement of Loop, a new collaboration tool based on Fluid.

    When Microsoft announced the Fluid framework, the goal was to reimagine office software, providing a way for companies, teams and individuals to collaborate in real-time. The company’s latest tool, Loop, is based on Fluid and brings those goals into focus.

    Microsoft Loop is a new app that combines a powerful and flexible canvas with portable components that move freely and stay in sync across applications—enabling teams to think, plan, and create together. Microsoft Loop has three elements: Loop components, Loop pages, and Loop workspaces.

    Loop components open the door to collaborating in chat, email or documents, with the ability to use the pre-installed components or create custom ones. Loop includes status trackers, the ability to vote on things to help build consensus, shared workspaces, and loop spaces, or flexible canvases to organize components.

    Microsoft Loop components are rolling out in preview across Microsoft 365 apps, such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and OneNote in the coming months, with more Microsoft Loop functionality to follow.

  • Microsoft All-In On Open Source: ‘The Accepted Model For Cross-Company Collaboration’

    Microsoft All-In On Open Source: ‘The Accepted Model For Cross-Company Collaboration’

    Microsoft has fully embraced open source software, calling it the “industry-accepted model for cross-company collaboration.”

    Microsoft was once considered by many as the number one enemy of open source. The company’s approach to software was diametrically opposed to the open source movement, since Microsoft’s business was based entirely on charging for its operating systems (OS) and software.

    In recent years, however, especially under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has embraced open source and shifted its entire business model. Rather than vigorously protecting its OS business, and working to keep everyone using Windows, Microsoft has adopted a more open approach. The company’s new focus is providing the best software and services, regardless of the platform the user is on.

    This new approach lends itself well to working with open source, especially when it comes to collaborating with other companies. Sarah Novotny, Open Source Lead, Azure Office of the CTO, outlined how much things have changed in a blog post:

    A few years ago if you wanted to get several large tech companies together to align on a software initiative, establish open standards, or agree on a policy, it would often require several months of negotiation, meetings, debate, back and forth with lawyers… and did we mention the lawyers? Open source has completely changed this: it has become an industry-accepted model for cross-company collaboration. When we see a new trend or issue emerging that we know would be better to work on together to solve, we come together in a matter of weeks, with established models we can use to guide our efforts.

    Novotny highlights several benefits of being part of the open source community, including gaining different perspectives, balancing corporate policy with employee empowerment and autonomy, securing every stage of the software supply chain and over communicating.

    These lessons have had a profound impact on how Microsoft does business.

    As a result, companies are working together more frequently, and the amount of cross-industry work we’re able to accomplish is accelerating. In 2020 alone, Microsoft participated in dozens of industry groups, associations, and initiatives—from long-standing established organizations, like the Linux Foundation and Apache Foundation, to new emerging communities like Rust and WebAssembly. This work across companies and industries will continue in the year ahead and we look forward to learning, growing, and earning our place in open source.

    Microsoft’s example can serve as a lesson to all companies on the importance of open source in today’s industry, and especially in the context of the digital transformation currently in effect.

  • Dropbox Spaces Update Geared At Remote Workers

    Dropbox Spaces Update Geared At Remote Workers

    Dropbox has unveiled an update to Spaces, one aimed at helping remote workers collaborate and remain productive.

    Dropbox Spaces is a service currently in beta that helps small teams work together and stay productive. Dropbox describes the service as “the virtual workspace that brings together teams and projects. Spaces is a new experience from Dropbox, and is designed so small teams can streamline their work, prioritize their day, and stay connected from anywhere.”

    As the pandemic has transformed the workplace, Dropbox has gone all-in on remote work. The company announced it was transitioning to a “virtual first” company, even releasing the Virtual First Toolkit to help other companies do the same.

    Dropbox has introduced Spaces 2, making it even easier for remote teams to work together.

    The new Dropbox Spaces is a virtual workspace that brings teams and projects together. With Spaces, teams have one easy-to-use place where they can collaborate on content, communicate with their team, and coordinate projects from start to finish.

    • Streamline your work. When information is spread across tools and channels, projects are harder to kick off and manage. Spaces makes it easier by bringing together files, cloud content, tasks, comments, and timelines into a single Space for teams.
    • Prioritize your day. Competing priorities make it difficult to work efficiently and finish what needs to get done. With Spaces, you can create tasks for yourself and the team, add project milestones, and manage your schedule so you never miss a deadline.
    • Stay connected to move projects forward. Connecting with people and keeping tabs on work-in-progress is more challenging than ever. With Spaces, you can share project updates, reply to feedback, and feel the human connection of working together from anywhere.

    It’s a safe bet Dropbox will have a big hit on their hands with Spaces, as the company leverages their own “virtual first” experience to help other companies maximize remote productivity.

  • Microsoft and NFL Expand Partnership, Focus on Surface and Teams

    Microsoft and NFL Expand Partnership, Focus on Surface and Teams

    Microsoft and the NFL have announced an expansion of their partnership aimed at helping the league improve its efficiency, collaboration and communication.

    Since 2013, Microsoft has supplied the NFL with Surface tablets for coaches, officials and players. With the new expansion, the NFL will roll out the Microsoft Teams platform to further its digital transformation goals. With its cross-platform support, Teams will serve as the central way for NFL organizations to collaborate, chat, share files, schedule meetings and more.

    “Since 2013, Microsoft has helped transform the NFL through technology around our game,” said Renie Anderson, chief revenue officer and executive vice president of NFL Partnerships. “Microsoft Surface has quickly become an authentic tool to the game of football and is vital during all NFL games for coaches, players and NFL Officials. And now by working together to integrate Microsoft Teams across the League, together we aim to improve on communications and collaboration in a modern way.”

    “We’re inspired to continue to help the NFL accelerate its digital transformation,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president, Modern Life, Search and Devices, Microsoft. “We’ve worked together to innovate the way the game is played with Surface devices to power Instant Replay and in-game play review for players and coaches on the sidelines. And by combining Surface and Microsoft Teams deeper into the fast-paced workflow of the League, we have an incredible opportunity to bring together the power of hardware and software to help everyone be more productive.”

    With other sports using Apple’s iPad, the expansion of the NFL deal is a big win for Microsoft.

  • New ‘Spaces’ Feature Could Come to Outlook

    New ‘Spaces’ Feature Could Come to Outlook

    Outlook may be getting a major upgrade with a new ‘Outlook Spaces’ feature, providing a new project-based organization system.

    Twitter user Walking Cat (@h0x0d) tweeted a video of the new feature in action. Cat also posted a test form that contained the following description:

    “Spaces pulls together your documents, emails, and events using the search terms you provide here. In upcoming releases, we’ll be using AI to assist in discovering and grouping work items into Spaces.”

    As some users replying to Cat’s tweet have said, while the feature looks amazing, it will be interesting to see how well it does at a time when Microsoft is pushing Teams as a means of communication and collaboration. For many individuals, Teams is increasingly replacing email in importance. For those who still rely on email, however, this has the potential to be a major improvement.

  • Workona Launches Desktop For The Cloud; Raises $6 Million in Seed Funding

    Workona Launches Desktop For The Cloud; Raises $6 Million in Seed Funding

    Workona has announced “the launch of their cloud desktop, a work management platform that allows users to access and manage resources across more than 75 popular cloud apps from a single unified system.”

    The company recently completed “a $6 million seed funding round, led by K9 Ventures and August Capital, to accelerate its product development and user acquisition.”

    Recognizing that “modern teams run on cloud software,” Workona is trying to bring the disparate pieces of a cloud-based workflow together in a productive, intuitive manner. Workona’s cloud-based desktop connects to the most popular cloud apps in use today, such as Amazon, Asana, Basecamp, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs, Outlook, Zoom and more. Each app can be accessed and worked with inside Workona. Shared workspaces take collaboration up a notch, increasing productivity even more.

    “So many people spend their days working in the cloud, but there was no platform to manage that work. That’s what Workona does,” said Quinn Morgan, Workona co-founder and CEO. “Previously, all of your cloud apps, projects, and documents were scattered across the web. Workona’s cloud desktop pulls them together into one powerful system.”

    Having a central location to access different tools and platforms significantly increases a user’s efficiency.

    “Workona is a force multiplier because it impacts every level of your work,” Morgan said. “Your apps and projects are at your fingertips, so every action you take is significantly faster.”

    “Workona solves a problem that is staring us in the face, but we haven’t noticed it yet,” said Manu Kumar, Workona board member and K9 Ventures investor. “Microsoft and Apple used to put an enormous amount of engineering power into optimizing the desktop, but all that was forgotten when we transitioned to working in the browser. Workona has picked up where they left off by bringing the best features of a desktop to the cloud.”

    The company says that early users come “from both startups and Fortune 500 companies, and include industry leaders like Twitter, Salesforce, Amazon, and NASA.” It’s a safe bet that list will continue to grow.

  • Dropbox Adds Team Feature To Basic, Pro Accounts

    Dropbox announced a few months ago that it had over 400 million users and that it was in use at over 8 million businesses, though only 100,000 of those were actually Dropbox for Business customers. Now, the company says over 60% of its Basic and Pro users say they’re using the service primarily for work.

    The company just announced the launch of a new team feature for Basic and Pro accounts enabling users to collaborate for work purposes. It’s designed for small teams so they can organize projects, share information, etc.

    Dropbox says the feature will enable you to collaborate from a central place, share things with your team faster, and keep your files where you need them.

    “Put all the information everyone needs in the team folder — and keep them all on the same page. Each team member will automatically get access to files put in this folder for easy collaboration from anywhere,” the company says in a blog post. “Create groups of team members to quickly share with working groups. And if you need to add someone later on, they’ll instantly get access to any folders already shared with the group.”

    ” Everyone can create separate accounts for personal and work files so they can stay focused on getting things done. Both accounts will be available from anywhere — desktop, mobile, and on the web,” it adds.

    Earlier this summer, Dropbox launched file requests as an easy way for users to collect files fromi groups of people. In June, the company put out this infographic looking at a timeline of feature additions.

    Image via Dropbox

  • Google Docs Makes Sharing Files Easier

    Google announced a new sharing experience for Google Docs aimed at making it easier to share your files with other people.

    You can still click the big “Share” button at the top of an open file lis usual, and you can share from the Drive list by clicking the person icon at the top of the page after you have one or more file selected.

    Now, after you do that, and the box appears for adding people, you can also get a shareable link, which you can then share with anyone – kind of like you might do with a YouTube link to an otherwise private video.

    “The shareable link will be set to view-only by default,” Google says. “And if you are ever wondering whether you’ve already made the link shareable, just look at the icon next to the button. Green means yes, grey means no, just like on your Android device.

    “If you want anyone with the link to be able to do more with your file, like leave comments and suggestions or make edits, just change ‘can view’ to ‘can comment’ or ‘can edit’ in the dropdown,” Google adds.

    The updates should be available within the next couple of days.

    Image via Google

  • Google Drive Gets Activity Stream So You Can Keep Track Of Changes To Files And Folders

    Google announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out a new activity stream feature for Google Drive, enabling users to see all changes made to and actions taken on files and folders. This should be ideal for collaborations, making it easier to see who did what, and when.

    Specifically, the activity stream will show when files are moved or removed, renamed, uploaded, shared and unshared, and edited or commented on.

    Google Drive activity stream

    “Drive makes group projects easier because everyone can share files and work together. But in today’s busy world, it’s tough to track the changes to all your shared to-do lists, budgets and presentations, especially when content changes so often,” says Google Drive interaction designer Ian Gunn on the inspiration for the feature.

    “You’ll see a rundown of what your team has been doing, such as editing and commenting on team notes, adding a new spreadsheet, renaming a presentation, sharing with your boss and more,” he says. “It’s also easy to only see what you’re interested in. Select any file or folder and the stream will change instantly to show information relevant to just that item.”

    Google recently added the ability to take quick actions on folders (renaming, sharing, etc.) from a new drop-down menu at the top of each shared folder. Now, below this, it will show the entire folder hierarchy to make it easer to jump from one folder to the next. It will also show profile pics for who has access to it.

    The Activity Stream feature is in the process of rolling out, and should be available to all within the next week.

    Image via Google

  • TogetherJS Is Mozilla’s Real-Time Collaboration Tool That Works Anywhere On The Web

    Real-time collaboration is an important part of the modern Web. In fact, you could argue that it’s the most important aspect of any modern Web app – just look at how much emphasis Google Docs puts on working together. Unfortunately, such collaboration is only currently possible in Web apps built specifically with that in mind, but Mozilla wants to change all that.

    Mozilla Labs announced today that it’s releasing TogetherJS to the world. It’s an HTML5-based collaboration tool that adds the same kind of tools that you see in Google Drive to any Web app or site. While it may be focused on collaboration, TogetherJS is also a communications tool that enables text and audio chat between two or more people via WebRTC.

    Here’s a full list of the features currently enabled by TogetherJS:

  • See the other person’s cursor and clicks
  • See scroll position
  • Watch the pages a person visits on a page
  • Text chat
  • Audio chat using WebRTC
  • Form field synchronization (text fields, checkboxes, etc)
  • Play/pause/track videos in sync
  • Continue sessions across multiple pages on a site

    • And here’s a video of it in action:

    You may have noticed by now that TogetherJS is a carbon copy of TowTruck – a real-time collaboration tool that was released by Mozilla Labs in alpha back in April. As it turns out, Mozilla changed the name to TogetherJS last month, but said that the underlying technology remained the same. The reason for the name change was solely due to Mozilla realizing that TowTruck quickly outgrew its original ambition and it needed a new name to reflect this reality.

    If you want to know more about TogetherJS, check out Mozilla’s excellent technology overview. If you want to contribute, you can find its GitHub page here.

    [Image: Mozilla Webmakers/YouTube]

  • Mozilla’s TowTruck Brings Collaboration To The Web At Large

    One of the best parts about Google Drive is its real time collaboration. Real time collaboration is only available in Google Drive documents or apps built with the Realtime API though. Now Mozilla is working on bringing that level of collaboration to the entire Web.

    Mozilla Labs, the group that brought us Open Badges, Popcorn and more, has unveiled its latest project – TowTruck. In essence, TowTruck is an open source HTML5-based tool that lets multiple people work on the same Web page together. The tool uses WebRTC to enable video/audio communications between parties while they edit and browse the Web together.

    Here’s an early proof of concept video that shows what Tow Truck looked like two months ago. The version that’s available now has WebRTC:

    Tow Truck – Proof of Concept in Progress from Simon on Vimeo.

    TowTruck is obviously built with developers in mind. Many Web designers no longer work in the same office, let alone the same state or country. A tool like TowTruck would be incredibly useful for these designers as they can now show others examples of their work, including the code, in real time. The others can then help refine that code in real time.

    If you want to try out for TowTruck for yourself, you can do so here. Mozilla also provides the JavaScript necessary to integrate TowTruck into your own site at the above link. That being said, Mozilla warns that TowTruck is currently in alpha and doesn’t recommend that you use it in production at this time.

    [h/t: The Next Web]

  • SlideShare Zipcasts for Real Time Collaboration

    A long time ago Tim Oren scribbled this on a napkin to help explain a little of what he learned about collaboration.

    Collaboration Matrix

    We put wikis in the top left, email in the bottom left and IM in the bottom right. He described that at the top right is a collaboration sweet spot, but a place that is very hard to start off with. You create something to the left or below it and try to evolve it. You could easily put Twitter and Socialtext Signals in the top right. Twitter in effect evolved out of eariler learnings from blogging. Signals was an evolution of a social software platform. Good theory, and the point is doing new things in real time is hard.

    Today SlideShare launched Zipcast, a web conferencing product that is fast, simple and social. Its a natural evolution of what SlideShare has been, a new way to asynchronously share slides. Its new not just in how it is integrated into the fabric of the real time social web. Building a collaboration solution on top of a thriving professional sharing community with millions of presentations viewed by over 45 million people per month is decidedly new.

    If you are in marketing, you can host social webinars with promotion being a byproduct of using it. If you are in sales, you can launch a pitch immeadiately without the complexity of setup and asking someone to install a download. If you simply have an idea to share, there is no stopping you because it is free for public and viral meetings.

    And what I really like about is it is web conferencing actually on the web.

    Originally published on Ross.Typepad.com