Web collaboration software -- online teamwork solutions

Maybe you didn’t already know it, but web collaboration software can enable you to accomplish virtually the same amount of collaborative project work in an online setting as in a face to face one. For many business people, this is welcome news. Now there’s a lot less need for tiresome and expensive travel.

Group collaboration software (known as groupware) comes in two basic formats: web-driven applications and software that you install on your computer or in your office. Web-driven apps are considered back-end in that the software used resides on an online server. In contrast, front-end software must be installed and run on each participant’s machine. One popular web based solution is Facilitate.com. Groove Virtual Office is a well known peer-to-peer desktop solution.

So what sorts of work can be accomplished by this software? Within the three general categories of communication, conferencing, and collaboration, here are some of the most pertinent:

• Data, video, and voice conferencing
• Group discussions, forums, and online chat rooms
• Various media presentations, followed by question and answer session
• Management of projects, calendars, knowledge
• Customer or team member surveys or polls
• Sharing and collaboration of documents and applications

As with many applications, web collaboration solutions can either be shareware or licensed retail programs. Generally speaking, shareware can meet most basic user needs, with more robust options available with the purchase of powerful collaborative software. A comprehensive list of software solutions to create collaborative workspaces can be found at Thinkofit and Wikipedia.

Here are a few basic tips when choosing Internet collaboration software:

• Never underestimate the value of a simple interface. People on your team won’t be able to participate if they don’t understand the interface (hint- it should be intuitive enough not to require much familiarization).
   
• Video and voice quality must be acceptably good, if not excellent or above for accurate collaboration of shared online data.
   
• Back-end apps must be very reliable and with enough bandwidth to ensure good connections.
   
• If you’re going with an installed software solution, ensure that everyone on your team has the right platform and sufficient system specs.

As it increases in popularity, web collaboration becomes easier to achieve. The numerous software choices ensure that you’ll always have the right software for the job.