Not Socialising - Just Working

Somehow, I've got involved with a community based project where a number of local groups have come together to provide training events for local people. Having worked together for a while and meeting in-person every few months, they have found it difficult to keep all groups informed of what all other groups are doing.

Chatting with the people tasked to improve this situation, the main items of a wish list are:

• a space for group members only
• a place for meeting agendas, minutes and notes
• a list of contacts
• an events calendar
• a forum for activity updates

My first thought was for Google Education; the tools, permissions and sharing possibilities seemed tailor made to solve the collaboration problems. Unfortunately a number of the groups are part of the local authority who's IT system prevents access to anything Google (other than search I presume). However, I also had second thoughts about the suitability of Google Apps for this group. I need to think this through more but I felt a more straightforward physical web space and simple tools than provided by Google would suit this group better.

An initial web search brought back a host of social networking type sites:

• http://www.hoop.la/
• http://www.bigtent.com/
• http://www.spruz.com/
• http://www.mixxt.net/

These sites tended to offer a range of facilities that weren't on the groups wish list and would tend to cloud the fairly basic job the group needed to accomplish.

It took a little time to find the search terms that would bring back the sort of straightforward web space with basic functionality that I wanted ('online group workspaces' seemed to provide the most appropriate results). An initial sifting left a number of potential sites:

• http://www.glasscubes.com
• http://www.wizehive.com
• http://wiggio.com
• http://www.zoho.com/projects/

NB: Yammer and Podio were not included in this list as they had a few too many social features and all users need to have the same email domain (ie work in the same organisation) which is not true of this group. There was also the ultra minimal option to just have a shared calendar eg http://30boxes.com/ which is perhaps a little too minimal.

The group are now looking at 2 sites to choose their favourite.

http://wiggio.com
I like the look of this interface; it has a simple horizontal tab menu focusing on the 3 main functions of Activity Feed, Document Folder and Calendar with a vertical menus providing a members list on the left and collaboration and communication tools on the right.

The website says that Wiggio is the easiest (free) way to work in groups with an online toolkit to support group work. Perfect for private groups:

• host virtual meetings and conference calls
• create to-do lists and assign tasks
• send email, text and voice messages
• manage events with a shared calendar
• poll your group in real time
• upload and manage files in a shared folder.

There is a good knowledge base containing 'how to' information. There is a premium service which allows custom branding etc. The site does have a few 'flaky’ moments now and again where things work one minute but not the next (this could be explained by the web session expiring without giving the user an alert to login again).

www.glasscubes.com
This site looks fairly straightforward and focuses on the same Share, Collaborate, & Communicate functionality although I feel the interface is a little more crowded and 'busy' than Wiggio.

The website says this site promotes Online Collaboration allowing you to organize your day to day work, projects, information, people and files securely. A web-based online collaboration tool and project management software that enables you to:

• Share Files
  Getting lost with too many emails? Share files and content in secure online workspaces with people inside and outside your organization.
• Online Collaboration
  Manage projects, and easily organize your day to day work. Keep on top of your task’s and get visibility on all your stuff.
• Communicate
  Connect with people and communicate better, saving time by letting you get work done (the important things) more quickly and efficiently.

There is a pricing plan but the free account gives unlimited users, 2 workspaces, 1Gb storage and a variety of features (details at http://www.glasscubes.com/full-features). However, on the free account, HTTPS is available on Sign in only and the online document editor is no longer available.


The other 2 sites in brief:

• www.wizehive.com
  This site gives a mix of collaboration and social tools. Whether this is a good mix or just a confusion of the 2 is open to debate. The website gives a flavour of the site:
  "Build forms and workflows, automate business processes, and drive social engagement with your customers & employees using WizeHive's web based platform On your own website or through your facebook fan page!"
• http://www.zoho.com/projects/
  Zoho projects provide a number of tools for online workgroups but here the focus is very much on Project Management and doesn't really fit the needs of the group I'm working with.

Finally, there is http://groupspaces.com
The site provides tools for managing a membership group rather than a work group. Although not quite right at the moment, if the group wants to engage the public by developing a programme of events for a members group, this could well provide their next step.

http://groupspaces.com/SlowFoodPU/

I'm sure that the 'Social Web' phenomenon has widened participation of people with the digital world and probably improved their digital skills hugely. Occassionaly though, all people need are straightforward work tools. We aren't all being social all of the time. Occasionaly most of us just have to do a bit of work, sometimes in a team.

TGIF - Time to be social.

StickPin Boards

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if there was a more 'fun' way for student groups to post digital messages for each other (something to do with pledging activity for ESDGC week towards the end of April). This would act as an alternative to a Moodle Forum (nothing wrong with Moodle Forums IMHO).

After a look around, the leading contender and some alternatives on the theme are previewed below.


 
Wallwisher (http://www.wallwisher.com)
From the sticky board websites I've seen, this is by far the easiest to use. The functionality is limited of course but sometimes this isn't a bad thing - perfect for the novice / poorly engaged user.

Creating a wall involves choosing an Image, Title, Background, some Permissions, a Background and the ending of the wall Web Address (eg http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/The-Friday-Feature). Note that the username is not included in the web address, handy for public use. You can then add and move digital sticky notes to a board and set permissions for private or public viewing or posting. If you allow anyone to post, you can choose to moderate all posts before they appear in public.

Wallwisher - demo play area

Sticky notes can contain 160 characters of text, a web link, an image or video. The wall has an RSS feed and web code to embed the wall into another web page. If you setup an account you can create and manage multiple walls. You can however play with a demo or build a wall without needing to login. I suspect you will create an account anyway because this solution is easy to use, enagaging and has a variety of uses even if you use other forms of group communication.

Lino (http://en.linoit.com/)

Although second on my list for the ESDGC task in April, this StickPin Board wins hands down for the range of functionality it provides. This is a serious solution for those who need to keep on top of their sticky note addiction and lead a useful and productive life.

Lino - demo play area

The demonstration leads you through the main functions of the stickies, the board (canvas) and the two floating menus. Because of the range of functionality, Lino does need a bit more attention and playing with before getting to grips with everything. There are a number ot of mouse-over icons and menus that eluded me to begin with but mostly things are quite intuitive and easy to use. Some of the main functions include:

• Easy to Post, Move Peel-off
• Customise note settings
• Rotate to a rakish angle
• Set due dates
• Receive email reminders
• Layout pictures
• Share with groups
• Attach files
• iPhone or iPad enabled

If you create an account, you get a 'Main' and a 'Someday' canvas setup automatically but you can create more boards with their own web address (eg http://linoit.com/users/richar1p/canvases/The-Friday-Feature). You can also create Groups of people and assign them to a board - ideal for project or deadline management. The only down side is the advertising that appears on your board (I have to say very discrete advertising however).

I think this solution is well worth a test run to see what it can do for you and your groups!

--o0o--

Just to round things off, a couple of other web sites and PC based software on the same theme....

Share Square (http://www.sharesquare.com/)
Described as a visual collaboration tool which allows users to organize and share information.
The site is in private beta at the moment and I've signed up for an invitation.

I mention this site becaus there is a free account for all ...@tudelft.nl email users (staff and students of the Delft University of Technology I assume - my Dutch is a little rusty). A great idea for engaging your learners.


Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com)
Pinterest is an online pinboard site where users can create theme based image collections of things they like or find interesting. Easy to use, a Pin It button lets you grab pictures of your favorite things as you browse the Web.

The site creator thinks that "a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests".

The result is a series of digital 'mood boards' used by interior designers and the advertising industry.
You can also add short comments and others can 'like', 're-pin' etc - a cross between Twitter and Flicker eg.

http://pinterest.com/serabee/bucket-list/

This US site was the fastest growing social networking site in 2011 with a the majority of users being female, more male-oriented pinboard sites have been created (eg Manteresting.com and Gentlemint.com).

There are some concerns in the US about how the site makes it easy to contravene copyright law by posting images without the approval of the image owner (see: 
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/tech/31106641_1_repinning-copyright-entire-image).

NB: The concept of 'Fair use' doesn't apply in the UK....

Great if you like that sort of social type thing.
I'm not sure my name of 'TwitPic' will catch on with users however :-)

I'm afraid I've run out of time this week so the PC based 'stickies' software will have to wait until next week - my apologies if that is what you have continued reading this far for - until next week then (it actually turned out to be 2 weeks) - (oh the suspense of it all) ....

TGIF

eMail at Thirtysomething ....

A story from a couple of months ago keeps popping into my head so today's feature contains some thoughts on the place of eMail some 30 years on.

Ray Tomlinson sent the first network eMail in the autumn of 1971. Ray was a programmer developing a time sharing system for large computers that formed part of the ARPANET project. Local electronic mail had been around for 10 years or so but Ray modified the software, named SNDMSG, so messages could be sent to a username at a computername. Electronic mail could now travel across the ARPANET network to remote (rather than just local) users.

Using the 'at' symbol ( @ ) was his inspiration!
I love stories about the origins of things we take for granted. When asked why he did it he says "mostly because it seemed like a neat idea" - fantastic!




Bizarrely, the @ symbol has become a work of art acquired by the Museum of Modern Art as part of its Architecture and Design collection in 2010 (see: http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2010/03/22/at-moma). You can't make this stuff up :-)

I digress.

The story that started me thinking about the role of eMail surfaced in December 2011:
Atos boss Thierry Breton defends his internal email ban (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16055310)

Health and Wellbeing champions in the IT services company suggested banning internal eMail as a way of improving working conditions. A study showed employees were receiving an average of 100 internal emails and were spending up to 20 hours a week checking and answering eMail. The employees estimnated that only 15% of messages were useful.

From it's beginning, eMail was a 'killer app'; easy, quick and cheap. A great way to keep in contact with people all over the world and in other organisations. Internal eMaill however often has different motivations where messages represent proof that you've done your job, that you have 'communicated', defence against others etc. As a means of group communication there are drawbacks. It isn't easy to revisit who said what when, you need a threaded discussion group for that. Even the 'streams' of Web 2 tools are difficult to follow (these however are often more like 'Waiting for Godot' where largely unrelated statements masquerade as discussion and the end point never comes).

Atos are carrying out a pilot with 500 staff (of their 80,000 employees) using new tools such as a cloud computing environment, social networks, instant messaging, micro blogging, document sharing to create a knowledge community. After 18 months, the company is close to having everything in hand to make the change away from internal eMail which should be completed by Feb 2014.

Although a fraction of the size, my organisation is large and getting larger with 2 mergers in 3 years, my experience of internal eMail echoes that of Atos. One of the projects I'm working on at present is trying to develop the digital literacy across the organisation by promoting the use of the sort of tools described above. Progress is slow. Whatever the barriers, staff are reluctant to engage with internal discussion groups and digital workspaces. Maybe having internal eMail is too easy an alternative or maybe our organisation is too old (the average age for Atos is 35)?

I'll let you know if we have a breakthrough.
I've got my fingers crossed hoping for a 'Ray Tomlinson moment'.

TGIF

PS Should that have been R@y Tomlinson?