Lesson 2:

INTERNET BASED COLLABORATION

Internet-based collaboration or web collaboration refers to web,

social, and software tools used by an organization to facilitate
communication and collaboration with customers for increased sales and
satisfaction via the Internet in real time. Web collaboration packages
generally consist of web-based tools within websites to assist an
organization in the area of sales and new revenue-generation
opportunities. Web collaboration techniques include but not limited to
phone, text, chat and remote multi-user conferences or seminars via
Internet or phone systems. Web collaboration can be used in an Internet
(IP) environment or integrated with an organizations' existing telephone
infrastructure to provide automated customer assistance for a client's web-
based inquiries.

INTERNET-BASED COLLABORATION TOOLS

A collaboration tool is used to assist work groups to get things done better
and simpler by providing an avenue for several individuals to communicate
simultaneously using one platform. Group support systems help involve different
individuals work on a common project performing different tasks using computers
and existing Internet collaborative tools which make tasks easier and much faster
to do. Before computers and the Internet existed, we have been using the simplest
collaborative tool available-paper. 

One of the best features of Internet-based collaboration tools is it provides

group members greater connectivity regardless of where each one is at any given
time. 

Different types of Internet-based collaboration tools

1. Document sharing or file sharing is the practice of distributing or providing

access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audio, images,
and video), documents, or electronic books. File sharing may be achieved in a
number of ways. 
2. Work grouping is the practice of sharing data via a local network.

3. Web presenting: Work with your colleagues, your partners, your agencies and
vendors, and of course, customers and prospects using a shared library of assets
and workflows that let everyone contribute simultaneously.

4. Co-browsing, in the context of web browsing, is the joint navigation through the
World Wide Web by two or more people accessing the same web pages at the
same time. Early co-browsing was achieved by local execution of software that had
to be installed on the computer of each participant

5. Web conferencing is a form of real-time communications (RTC) in which

multiple computer users, all connected to the Internet, see the same screen at all
times in their web browsers. Some web conferencing systems include features such
as texting, VoIP (voice over IP) and full-motion video.

6. Video conferencing is a technology that allows users in different locations to

hold face to-face meetings without having to move to a single location.

7. Screen sharing is generally understood as the technologically empowered ability to transmit

the contents of your computer screen to one or more remotely connected Internet users.

8. Instant messaging is a type of online chat which offers real-time text transmission over 
the Internet.

9. Mind mapping is a way of linking key concepts using images, lines, and links. A central
concept is linked via lines to other concepts which in turn are linked with other associated ideas. 
Most simply, Gmail is a useful e-mail service from Google products. Google Calendar can be
shared between teammates and can give an overview of what other teammates are doing at a
given date and time noted on the calendar. Google Calendar can also get e-mail, chat, and SMS
notifications. Google Docs are powerful and useful document sharing tools. We can access our
documents from anywhere through the Internet using Google's help. Those documents can be
shared, edited, and presented. Furthermore, one of the teammates can create a group to
collaborate with each other.
COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT (COORDINATION) TOOLS

Collaborative management tools facilitate and manage group activities. Examples

include: 

 Electronic calendars - (Also called time management software) schedule

events and automatically notify and remind group members.
 Project management systems - Schedule, track, and chart the steps in a
project as it is being completed. 
 Workflow systems - Collaborative management of tasks and documents
within a knowledge-based business process. 
 Knowledge management systems - Collect, organize, manage, and share
various forms of information Enterprise bookmarking - Collaborative
bookmarking engine to tag, organize, share, and search enterprise data.
Prediction markets - Let a group of people predict together the outcome of
future events. 
 Extranet systems - (Also known as 'project extranets') collect, organize,
manage and share information associated with the delivery of a project
(e.g.,: the construction of a building)
 Social software systems - Organize social relations of groups online to
collaborate and share structured data and information, which primarily
includes surveys, project management, feedback, and time tracking.