Collaboration Concept

Collaboration involves the techniques and technologies that brings together users, enables dynamic content generation and enables a conversational experience through visual communication. Traditional richer features include multiple channels for communications through audio, video and text, complemented by the capability to share applications and access control to systems. Newer features include more sophsiticated means to collaboratively develop content and the development of social networks. Key aspects of collaboration are listed below.

Email
Email provide communications where content is generally whereby communications channels are generally closed. A single sender initiates the message to an individual or a group.

Forums
Forums provide collaboration around a variety of topics. The focus is around a single, short topic and communications tend to be peer-to-peer.

Chat
Chat is a transactional conversations that tend to be peer-to-peer or within small groups.

Webcasting
Webcasting delivers multimedia-based presentations that that are differentiated by audio and video presentations as opposed to written text.

SMS
SMS provides basic alerts that are transactional in nature and delivered to a mobile device.

Wikis
Wikis are a mechanism to collaboratively develop common content. The focus is typically at an article level. Collaborators are typically peers in the creation of content.

Blogging
Blogging is used as important way to communicate with team members. The focus is around a single topic and the communications tend to be lead by an individual with other peer members commenting on the bloggers point of view.

Signaling
Signaling uses technologies such as RSS to deliver content of interest and headlines are generated when content is updated. Customers can configure what type of information they would like to receive. RSS aggregators consolidate content and display headlines to users.

Social Networking
Social Networking provides a means for people to create communities and know more about each other. Social Networks develop within collaborative environment and is a key aspect of gaining new customer opportunities.