Posts Tagged ‘collaboration tools’
Telephone Conferencing
Posted in Communications on 12/21/2010 09:23 am by
Kieron J James asked:
Telephone conferencing is one of the best collaboration tools available for businesses today. There are times when it may not be enough to just send an email, you just have to talk to the people concerned. This is when telephone conferencing comes into play.
Imagine a scenario where you need vital feedback on a presentation that you have put together not only in terms of just the content but also on the delivery. If your colleagues are scattered all over the world, which is how most businesses are nowadays, through telephone conferencing you can receive valuable input from them no matter where they are situated.
Telephone conferencing allows you to host conference calls, collaborate on presentations online or run training sessions, no matter where in the world the participants are. Conferencing solution providers use a conference bridge to connect participants who dial into it. While phone conferencing is about call conferencing only with voice, there are also video conferencing services available with vendors.
A teleconference is quite easy to organise and to host. The first thing you need to do is to schedule the meeting and to invite the participants. Ensure that when the participants dial into the conference call, they have all pertinent bits of information at their fingertips. It is not a good idea for any member to rummage through his or her files or computer while the teleconference is in progress, making all others wait.
There are different technologies and methods that enable telephone conferencing. Most telephone companies offer three way calling facility. The person who is the host calls two other people, each person in the group can also call two other people thereby enlarging the group. But most conference service providers use a conference bridge for telephone conferencing. Here the members are given a number to dial and an access code so that they can directly join the conference.
Telephone conferencing could be either between two people or more. More often than not numerous parties are involved in a conference. Phone conferencing allows many people to connect to a single call using a telephone line. People who are busy can save on the travel time by conducting the meeting through phone via telephone conferencing. Even those who may have difficulties getting to the office during the meeting can dial in from the nearest telephone and join the conference. Not to mention the money that can be saved by not having to book a meeting facility or to host a lunch meeting.
Justin
Telephone conferencing is one of the best collaboration tools available for businesses today. There are times when it may not be enough to just send an email, you just have to talk to the people concerned. This is when telephone conferencing comes into play.
Imagine a scenario where you need vital feedback on a presentation that you have put together not only in terms of just the content but also on the delivery. If your colleagues are scattered all over the world, which is how most businesses are nowadays, through telephone conferencing you can receive valuable input from them no matter where they are situated.
Telephone conferencing allows you to host conference calls, collaborate on presentations online or run training sessions, no matter where in the world the participants are. Conferencing solution providers use a conference bridge to connect participants who dial into it. While phone conferencing is about call conferencing only with voice, there are also video conferencing services available with vendors.
A teleconference is quite easy to organise and to host. The first thing you need to do is to schedule the meeting and to invite the participants. Ensure that when the participants dial into the conference call, they have all pertinent bits of information at their fingertips. It is not a good idea for any member to rummage through his or her files or computer while the teleconference is in progress, making all others wait.
There are different technologies and methods that enable telephone conferencing. Most telephone companies offer three way calling facility. The person who is the host calls two other people, each person in the group can also call two other people thereby enlarging the group. But most conference service providers use a conference bridge for telephone conferencing. Here the members are given a number to dial and an access code so that they can directly join the conference.
Telephone conferencing could be either between two people or more. More often than not numerous parties are involved in a conference. Phone conferencing allows many people to connect to a single call using a telephone line. People who are busy can save on the travel time by conducting the meeting through phone via telephone conferencing. Even those who may have difficulties getting to the office during the meeting can dial in from the nearest telephone and join the conference. Not to mention the money that can be saved by not having to book a meeting facility or to host a lunch meeting.
Justin
Elearning Tools Improve Collaboration and Engagement in Learning
Posted in Reference And Education on 12/20/2010 04:23 pm by
Don Robert asked:
There are a lot of elearning tools and software that promote increased involvement and collaboration in any academic setting as more and more students look for more engaging and interactive experiences in courses and tools offered by academic institutions. Both traditional and electronic learning students are looking for better, more flexible and more effective methods of learning. The popularity of social learning tools has prompted the rise of a trend that looks at these tools as new learning opportunities.
Powerful academic elearning tools can effectively integrate traditional learning management system (LMS) with tools similar to Facebook and LinkedIn. This new innovation is user-friendly social software as a service or SaaS solution that allows customers to provide the elearning 2.0 environment which is currently in demand for the students of this generation.
Alfred R. Novas, Chief Executive Officer of an elearning service provider said that the critical elements of educational offering nowadays are learning environment and collaboration tools. They are certain that academic institutions will not afford to miss this opportunity to engage their students and leave their legacy LMS’s behind by choosing a different tool.
Tools geared toward elearning web 2.0 is similar to Facebook in such a way that it provides social interaction for users from all over the world. It connects and engages students from different places. The specific communities and various community tools available empower users to connect with other people through tools they are already familiar with.
Novas added that the new product brings together all the best things about community and creates an environment that is completely beyond the limits of a traditional classroom. Through a centralized online location, users can enjoy access to discussions, presentations, videos, forums, study guides, blogs and other applications conveniently any time and in any place.
A department or institution’s academic elearning tools are required to be comprehensive, modern, fool-proof, and applicable within defined goals and budgets before they can be implemented for complete online courses or as vital components in a blended learning environment.
Dr. Peter J. Smith MD, MA, Fellowship Director, Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center said that their decision to use elearning tools was due to the advantage of being able to easily manage necessary courses, effectively deal with changing curriculum needs and create a new pipeline to help health care teams share ideas, expertise and relevant information. They believe that this solution is the most advanced of its kind in the market.
Donald
There are a lot of elearning tools and software that promote increased involvement and collaboration in any academic setting as more and more students look for more engaging and interactive experiences in courses and tools offered by academic institutions. Both traditional and electronic learning students are looking for better, more flexible and more effective methods of learning. The popularity of social learning tools has prompted the rise of a trend that looks at these tools as new learning opportunities.
Powerful academic elearning tools can effectively integrate traditional learning management system (LMS) with tools similar to Facebook and LinkedIn. This new innovation is user-friendly social software as a service or SaaS solution that allows customers to provide the elearning 2.0 environment which is currently in demand for the students of this generation.
Alfred R. Novas, Chief Executive Officer of an elearning service provider said that the critical elements of educational offering nowadays are learning environment and collaboration tools. They are certain that academic institutions will not afford to miss this opportunity to engage their students and leave their legacy LMS’s behind by choosing a different tool.
Tools geared toward elearning web 2.0 is similar to Facebook in such a way that it provides social interaction for users from all over the world. It connects and engages students from different places. The specific communities and various community tools available empower users to connect with other people through tools they are already familiar with.
Novas added that the new product brings together all the best things about community and creates an environment that is completely beyond the limits of a traditional classroom. Through a centralized online location, users can enjoy access to discussions, presentations, videos, forums, study guides, blogs and other applications conveniently any time and in any place.
A department or institution’s academic elearning tools are required to be comprehensive, modern, fool-proof, and applicable within defined goals and budgets before they can be implemented for complete online courses or as vital components in a blended learning environment.
Dr. Peter J. Smith MD, MA, Fellowship Director, Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center said that their decision to use elearning tools was due to the advantage of being able to easily manage necessary courses, effectively deal with changing curriculum needs and create a new pipeline to help health care teams share ideas, expertise and relevant information. They believe that this solution is the most advanced of its kind in the market.
Donald
IBM Business Solutions: CIO Collaboration Tools for a Smarter Planet
Posted in Tech on 12/18/2010 05:12 am byExploreIBMCsuite asked:
www.ibm.com IBM collaboration solutions help CIOs work smarter by connecting employees through knowledge sharing, thus improving processes for business efficiency. VO: The average employee loses 5.3 hours per week on inefficient processes. Two thirds of employees believe there are colleagues who can help them do their jobs better, they just dont know how to find them and 42% of people say they are forced to make decisions with the wrong information at least once a week. Turns out, the way we work isnt working. But what if there was a way for CIOs to take the busyness out of business? There is, and IBM can help. Every day, IBM helps millions of employees from companies around the world gain instant access to people and information through collaboration solutions. Optimizing talent and technology? Thats working smarter, not harder.
Sue
What to Consider When Examining Online Team Collaboration Tools
Posted in Computers And Technology on 12/11/2010 11:10 pm by
Grace X Kang asked:
Today’s working environment is all about connectivity. It doesn’t matter what the organization, the concept of team collaboration involving staff, clients, partners and others has become a “must do” activity for the success of everyone involved. Dependence upon e-mail communication for project management can lead to serious workflow pauses, possible loss of data and increased project completion times.
So What’s The Solution?
Savvy time management experts will recommend the use of secure online workspaces protected by password only access extranets for team collaboration online, which will provide work flow activity in a more effective and efficient way. If you happen to be working on a global landscape, there are three specific areas you need to examine before purchasing the team collaboration system.
• How difficult is the learning curve? There are tons of team collaboration tools loaded and stuffed with what may possibly be features added for only marketing purposes. More often than not, these added features affect only the buzz about a particular tool rather than actually aiding and abetting in greater, measurable communication efficiency. Complicated collaboration software can make it extremely difficult for getting your users happily on board with the system.
• Keep it simple. Everyday working people find themselves busy enough with their choice at hand that they don’t have the time to dedicate trying to get up to speed with team collaboration tools that essentially are over bloated communication systems. You will find that your clients will be especially frustrated in the event that you compel them to spend a great deal of time adopting too complex system in order to simply more quickly. Stay away from team collaboration tools that do not provide you with a simple intuitive process for operation.
• Online training is an essential feature. A good team collaboration tool provider will offer its clients online training and is easily accessible at any time. The project portals should be intuitively simple and never overwhelming to new users. Collaboration tools that are way too difficult to understand will present a challenge because you will be spending an inordinate amount of time training current employees, dedicating a good deal of time with new employees, as well as trying to cajole and convince customers and partners to use it. All the while, your project productivity will take a hit. You should never be spending that many hours training your team simply how to interact with your team collaboration system. The tool provider should offer you training documents and screen capture videos that can be accessed by new users on their own time.
These three things should be the first things you look for before proceeding to take an in-depth look at any group collaboration system.
Louise
Today’s working environment is all about connectivity. It doesn’t matter what the organization, the concept of team collaboration involving staff, clients, partners and others has become a “must do” activity for the success of everyone involved. Dependence upon e-mail communication for project management can lead to serious workflow pauses, possible loss of data and increased project completion times.
So What’s The Solution?
Savvy time management experts will recommend the use of secure online workspaces protected by password only access extranets for team collaboration online, which will provide work flow activity in a more effective and efficient way. If you happen to be working on a global landscape, there are three specific areas you need to examine before purchasing the team collaboration system.
• How difficult is the learning curve? There are tons of team collaboration tools loaded and stuffed with what may possibly be features added for only marketing purposes. More often than not, these added features affect only the buzz about a particular tool rather than actually aiding and abetting in greater, measurable communication efficiency. Complicated collaboration software can make it extremely difficult for getting your users happily on board with the system.
• Keep it simple. Everyday working people find themselves busy enough with their choice at hand that they don’t have the time to dedicate trying to get up to speed with team collaboration tools that essentially are over bloated communication systems. You will find that your clients will be especially frustrated in the event that you compel them to spend a great deal of time adopting too complex system in order to simply more quickly. Stay away from team collaboration tools that do not provide you with a simple intuitive process for operation.
• Online training is an essential feature. A good team collaboration tool provider will offer its clients online training and is easily accessible at any time. The project portals should be intuitively simple and never overwhelming to new users. Collaboration tools that are way too difficult to understand will present a challenge because you will be spending an inordinate amount of time training current employees, dedicating a good deal of time with new employees, as well as trying to cajole and convince customers and partners to use it. All the while, your project productivity will take a hit. You should never be spending that many hours training your team simply how to interact with your team collaboration system. The tool provider should offer you training documents and screen capture videos that can be accessed by new users on their own time.
These three things should be the first things you look for before proceeding to take an in-depth look at any group collaboration system.
Louise
GGN- US Defense Had Mock Haiti Disaster Drill Day Before Earthquake, Coincidence?
Posted in News on 12/06/2010 02:03 pm byddarko2012 asked:
www.nextgov.com As personnel representing hundreds of government and nongovernment agencies from around the world rush to the aid of earthquake-devastated Haiti, the Defense Information Systems Agency has launched a Web portal with multiple social networking tools to aid in coordinating their efforts. On Monday, Jean Demay, DISA’s technical manager for the agency’s Transnational Information Sharing Cooperation project, happened to be at the headquarters of the US Southern Command in Miami preparing for a test of the system in a scenario that involved providing relief to Haiti in the wake of a hurricane. After the earthquake hit on Tuesday, Demay said SOUTHCOM decided to go live with the system. On Wednesday, DISA opened up its All Partners Access Network, supported by the Transnational Information Sharing Cooperation project, to any organization supporting Haiti relief efforts. The information sharing project, developed with backing from both SOUTHCOM and the Defense Department’s European Command, has been in development for three years. It is designed to facilitate multilateral collaboration between federal and nongovernmental agencies. Demay said that since DISA set up a Haiti Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Community of Interest on APAN on Wednesday, almost 500 organizations and individuals have joined, including a range of Defense units and various nongovernmental organizations and relief groups. APAN provides a series of collaboration tools, including …
Gina
DocuSign Training Video — Collaboration Tools
Posted in Tech on 11/18/2010 04:42 pm byESIGNwithDocuSign asked:
This video will show you how to enable and use collaboration tools to make changes and additions to a document through DocuSign, while managing approval initials from all signers for the changes and maintaining a secure audit trail of the changes. DocuSign provides two methods of online collaboration to make change to a document: Document Markup and Field Markup. For more ESIGN resources, please visit us at www.docusign.com.
Cory
Web-Based Collaboration Tools Just For You
Posted in Communications on 11/10/2010 03:49 pm by
Jacob Bainton asked:
With the advent of the Internet, massive development has taken place in different spheres of our lives. Like for example, it is now possible for us to keep in touch with our friends and relatives located thousands and thousands of kilometers away from us in some other countries of the world. What’s more? These days, the web based collaboration tools that are available help workgroups to collaborate on spreadsheets as well as documents and even create libraries containing different types of project related documents, reference materials, shared to-do lists, and so on. Few examples of these tools include knowledge management systems, online spreadsheets, project management systems, electronic calendars, extranet systems, enterprise bookmarking, and so on.
These tools enable the workgroups to start off at a very little cost. Moreover, what is more interesting is that there is no need for you to be an IT manager in order to set up these tools. In other words, they can be set up very easily. Doesn’t it sound interesting? If so, then just have a look at some of these collaboration tools.
Google Docs: Google Docs is regarded as an outstanding application for the purpose of collaboration. With the help of this application, you can share your spreadsheets as well as documents with your clients or team members in real-time. This is a browser-based application and online storing of your work implies that your work will be readily available at any place having an Internet connection. Skype: Have you ever heard of Skype? If not, then let me tell you that this is an excellent application for making telephone calls via the Internet. This technology has been termed as Voice over Internet Protocol, or in short, VoIP. Free calls can be made to those who are using Skype as well as to toll-free numbers. Apart from this, the application has built-in features for the purpose of file sharing, instant messaging, as well as for video-conferencing. Spicebird: If you are planning to manage your projects with the help of a desktop application, Spicebird is the most appropriate application for you. It has built-in features like for example instant messaging chat system and several other features like an address book where you can store the contact details of your team members, a group calendar, and so on. Thinkature: It is also one of the popular tools for collaboration. It provides you a workspace so that you can visually communicate by way of chatting, drawing, and so on. Dabbleboard: It is basically an online whiteboard that is very simple and easy to use. You can make use of Dabbleboard for drawing flow charts, creating network diagrams, creating Toolkits (which is a set of drawing objects that is reusable), and so on.
Phillip
With the advent of the Internet, massive development has taken place in different spheres of our lives. Like for example, it is now possible for us to keep in touch with our friends and relatives located thousands and thousands of kilometers away from us in some other countries of the world. What’s more? These days, the web based collaboration tools that are available help workgroups to collaborate on spreadsheets as well as documents and even create libraries containing different types of project related documents, reference materials, shared to-do lists, and so on. Few examples of these tools include knowledge management systems, online spreadsheets, project management systems, electronic calendars, extranet systems, enterprise bookmarking, and so on.
These tools enable the workgroups to start off at a very little cost. Moreover, what is more interesting is that there is no need for you to be an IT manager in order to set up these tools. In other words, they can be set up very easily. Doesn’t it sound interesting? If so, then just have a look at some of these collaboration tools.
Google Docs: Google Docs is regarded as an outstanding application for the purpose of collaboration. With the help of this application, you can share your spreadsheets as well as documents with your clients or team members in real-time. This is a browser-based application and online storing of your work implies that your work will be readily available at any place having an Internet connection. Skype: Have you ever heard of Skype? If not, then let me tell you that this is an excellent application for making telephone calls via the Internet. This technology has been termed as Voice over Internet Protocol, or in short, VoIP. Free calls can be made to those who are using Skype as well as to toll-free numbers. Apart from this, the application has built-in features for the purpose of file sharing, instant messaging, as well as for video-conferencing. Spicebird: If you are planning to manage your projects with the help of a desktop application, Spicebird is the most appropriate application for you. It has built-in features like for example instant messaging chat system and several other features like an address book where you can store the contact details of your team members, a group calendar, and so on. Thinkature: It is also one of the popular tools for collaboration. It provides you a workspace so that you can visually communicate by way of chatting, drawing, and so on. Dabbleboard: It is basically an online whiteboard that is very simple and easy to use. You can make use of Dabbleboard for drawing flow charts, creating network diagrams, creating Toolkits (which is a set of drawing objects that is reusable), and so on.
Phillip
9. Fostering Online Collaboration and Teaming
Posted in Education on 11/09/2010 08:48 am byTravelinEdMan asked:
In “Fostering Online Collaboration and Teaming”, Dr. Bonk stresses the importance of incorporating meaningful collaboration in an online class. Details are provided on techniques (eg, team/group creation) and tools (eg, wikis, blogs) that can be used to foster group work among students Resources IU Instructional Consulting office: www.indiana.edu General Links Collaboration Tools in Online Environments: www.aln.org Virtual Teams: www.elearnmag.org Cooperative Learning: ctl.stanford.edu High Tech Tools for Learning Groups: www.oncourseworkshop.com Promoting Student Collaboration: www.wpi.edu Group Project and Online Collaboration: faculty.deanza.edu IU-specific Links: IC — Online Synchronous Communication & Collaboration Tools: podcast.iu.edu IC – Online Teaching and Learning Tools – Web-based Conferencing Tools: www.indiana.edu What is the Connect Meeting Service? kb.iu.edu
Antonio
DIY Marketing is Suicide For the Growing Business – Time to Revisit C-Level Outsourcing
Posted in Business on 10/29/2010 02:00 am by
Paula Pollock asked:
Virtual staff has hit the mainstream now. First it was outsourcing, then off-shoring and now virtual teams are de rigueur in many growing companies. People are located everywhere and with all the fantastic collaboration tools available today, even executives are becoming virtual. Hiring CMOs and CFOs are not requirements during the business growth phase. Some firms hire because they assume that’s the only way they can get talent. But when your goals move from establishing your brand to turning a profit, there are ways you can rent the professionals you need if you know where to look.
Pay to Play: Some companies think they can get great talent just for offering equity share. I don’t need to tell you that 100% of nothing is nothing. Professionals will only accept this deal by knowing (read: hard numbers and facts) that they will gain handsomely. I get these offers myself usually from someone who is outside the U.S. and doesn’t understand our market. It’s better to hire someone part-time than make promises that you can’t keep.
Rent-A- CMO: We saw this trend emerging years ago. Companies need part-time and interim marketing executives and departments. As your business grows, you can no longer “wear all the hats” and “heard all the cats” yourself. You need to focus on the areas where you can make a difference and drive revenue. The marketing you have done in the past to get you here: letting the print shop manage your brand, having your son run your website and writing your own copy, needs to step up considerably to get you there.While some of this could continue, you need someone focused solely on the marketing direction managing the projects and holding everyone accountable.
Rent-A-Marketing Department: Another trend that’s emerging beyond the expensive confines of the agency world is what I’ve coined VMD or Virtual Marketing Department. In addition to the CMO focusing the campaigns and direction, project managers drive deadlines across multiple team members as needed – all outside of your place of business. The trend is away from Do-It-Myself and moving towards Just-Do-It-For-Me.As we specialize in marketing, both online and traditional we have the right people to make it happen. Why spend days – even weeks – looking for talented copy writers, blog writers, project managers, graphic designers, web talent when you could have the entire department managing to your goals? There are affordable options for all sizes of growing business.
Making sure you get just what you need and not paying for more is what smart, growing businesses do. The days of squandering six figure salaries on figureheads are over. Everyone needs to produce. Once you get to the mid-market you can’t afford to play with DIY marketing. The time you take to enjoy updating your own website or writing your own copy can be better done by a professional, in less time and more effectively. This leaves you more time to work with clients and focus on larger sales. Don’t play at your business. Take it seriously or you can’t expect anyone else to.
Ask About the Pollock Marketing Group’s VMS – Virtual Marketing Services.
Lori
Virtual staff has hit the mainstream now. First it was outsourcing, then off-shoring and now virtual teams are de rigueur in many growing companies. People are located everywhere and with all the fantastic collaboration tools available today, even executives are becoming virtual. Hiring CMOs and CFOs are not requirements during the business growth phase. Some firms hire because they assume that’s the only way they can get talent. But when your goals move from establishing your brand to turning a profit, there are ways you can rent the professionals you need if you know where to look.
Pay to Play: Some companies think they can get great talent just for offering equity share. I don’t need to tell you that 100% of nothing is nothing. Professionals will only accept this deal by knowing (read: hard numbers and facts) that they will gain handsomely. I get these offers myself usually from someone who is outside the U.S. and doesn’t understand our market. It’s better to hire someone part-time than make promises that you can’t keep.
Rent-A- CMO: We saw this trend emerging years ago. Companies need part-time and interim marketing executives and departments. As your business grows, you can no longer “wear all the hats” and “heard all the cats” yourself. You need to focus on the areas where you can make a difference and drive revenue. The marketing you have done in the past to get you here: letting the print shop manage your brand, having your son run your website and writing your own copy, needs to step up considerably to get you there.While some of this could continue, you need someone focused solely on the marketing direction managing the projects and holding everyone accountable.
Rent-A-Marketing Department: Another trend that’s emerging beyond the expensive confines of the agency world is what I’ve coined VMD or Virtual Marketing Department. In addition to the CMO focusing the campaigns and direction, project managers drive deadlines across multiple team members as needed – all outside of your place of business. The trend is away from Do-It-Myself and moving towards Just-Do-It-For-Me.As we specialize in marketing, both online and traditional we have the right people to make it happen. Why spend days – even weeks – looking for talented copy writers, blog writers, project managers, graphic designers, web talent when you could have the entire department managing to your goals? There are affordable options for all sizes of growing business.
Making sure you get just what you need and not paying for more is what smart, growing businesses do. The days of squandering six figure salaries on figureheads are over. Everyone needs to produce. Once you get to the mid-market you can’t afford to play with DIY marketing. The time you take to enjoy updating your own website or writing your own copy can be better done by a professional, in less time and more effectively. This leaves you more time to work with clients and focus on larger sales. Don’t play at your business. Take it seriously or you can’t expect anyone else to.
Ask About the Pollock Marketing Group’s VMS – Virtual Marketing Services.
Lori