Working With Writers_Group 1_Final Project

Running head: TEAM 1: WEB 2.0 COLLABORATION TOOLS

Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools

Technology Review Group 1

Christina Cereghini, Teddi Johnson, & Sarah Moore

RHET 7320

TEAM 1: WEB 2.0 COLLABORATION TOOLS

Table of Contents

Overall Software Analysis ……………………………………………. p. 3 Central Desktop ……….………………………………………………. p. 8LiveBinders …………………………………………………………… p. 21iManageProject ………..………………………………………………. p. 30

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Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools Technology Review Group 1

(Christina Cereghini, Teddi Johnson, & Sarah Moore)

Abstract: Technology Review Group 1 chose to review and report about online collaboration tools individually, yet with support and interactivity as a group. Therefore, each member chose an online collaboration tool to research, set up an account within their respective tool, and then invited the other group members to participate as associates within the collaboration environment. What follows is a comparison analysis of the three tools that incorporates a final recommendation. For readers who want to thoroughly understand our group’s recommendations, immediately following the analysis and comparison charts are detailed research reviews that offer an explanation of each tool from an administrative perspective, including participating user comments.

Group Analysis and Overall Evaluation:

Team 1 chose to evaluate two very similar, collaboration-specific, Software as a

Service (SaaS) platforms called Central Desktop and iManageProject. We also chose to

evaluate LiveBinders, which is an online tool offering collaboration with a focus on

resources and functioning as a reference tool. In comparing these three tools side-by-side,

Central Desktop and iManageProject were found to be extremely similar, while LiveBinders

might be considered compatible as an add-on, more resource-focused tool for either

Central Desktop or iManageProject. Given the similarities between Central Desktop and

iManageProject, they were evaluated in tandem, and iManageProject was found lacking in

features and difficult to ensure participant enrollment. For example, participant invitations

expired within 30 minutes of the proffer, so it was difficult to carry out the research

process as a team. Therefore, although iManageProject remained under evaluation, our

entire team realized quickly that Central Desktop was the superior product of the two. That

said and it being the case that these two tools functioned so similarly, Team 1 recommends

a combined usage of Central Desktop and LiveBinders for anyone seeking to carry out an

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active collaboration project and create resources as an ongoing reference tool. Both of

these products could serve any business or education venue well. However, given that

iManageProject offers a fully functional free version, it is still considered a good option for

individuals or new businesses with small projects or on a shoestring budget.

Product Features

The following chart shows the features of each tool at a glance:

Features Central Desktop iManageProject LiveBindersHome/Dashboard ✔ ✔ ✔File Uploads ✔ ✔ ✔Comments/User Forum ✔ ✔ ✔Media Storage ✔ ✔ ✔Milestones ✔ ✔Tasks ✔ ✔Calendar ✔ ✔People ✔ ✔Time Tracking ✔ ✔Wiki ✔Database ✔Blog ✔Gantt Chart ✔Reports ✔

How the software works

All three products were simple online sign-ups. Each offered a free version or a trial

version of the paid plans. None of them required downloads, so none took up personal

computer space.

How easy or difficult

All three products were extremely easy to use. The sign-ups were uncomplicated

and straightforward. The only problematic issue was encountered in iManageProject, as

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mentioned above. It was almost impossible to get all group members logged in initially

because invitations to join expired quickly and had to be re-issued when participant were

concurrently online.

As far as product navigation, each was fairly quick to learn. There was a home space

or dashboard, and one could readily see tabs or menus to click in order to access various

features. Central Desktop features were enabled (or not) by the project administrator, then

other users could access them through the dashboard menu. iManageProject had fewer

features to choose between, so all were visible in the dashboard for every user. LiveBinders

offered primarily open space in which to add URL’s or file resources, and the interface was

easy to understand and implement.

Price

Number of projects/storage space

Central Desktop(250 MB uploads)

iManageProject(2 GB uploads)

LiveBinders(5 MB uploads)

Any number/100 MB space - - Free1 project/1 GB space - Free -5 projects/50 GB space $99/month - -20 projects/10 GB space - $10/month -50 projects/25 GB space - $20/month -100 projects/50 GB space - $40/month -Unlimited/100 GB space - $80/month -

Personal experience

Team 1 had a positive experience both as a team and with each of the platforms

being researched. The tools evaluated were actually used in collaboration for this review,

and they were all helpful to that process. Specific details of personal experiences can be

read in detail in the individual research documents below.

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What others are saying

Online reviews for each of these products were positive and can be read in detail in

the individual research documents below.

Comparison criteria

As a team we agreed to evaluate each of the tools according to price, types of users,

product advantages, popular features, ease of use, account limits, and effectiveness of the

product support center.

The following chart gives our findings at a glance:

Criteria Central Desktop iManageProject LiveBindersPrice Expensive Free/Affordable FreeAudience Any collaborators Any collaborators Anyone

Advantages

Central storage, excellent project

tracking, complete Web 2.0 tools,

connectedness among team members

Central storage, some project tracking, some

Web 2.0 tools, connectedness among

team members

Central storage, some Web 2.0 tools, ability to post

and message among team members, easy-to-use

reference tool capabilities

Popular features

Wikis, web meetings, blogs, messages, time

tracking, reports

Messages, bulletin board location, time tracking

URL organization, easy file sharing, functions similarly to a wiki

Ease of use Easy Easy Easy

Account limits

250 MB uploads/$99 per month offers 50 GB

space

2 GB uploads/Free version offers 1 GB space

5 MB uploads/100 MB space

Support Excellent Obtainable but not excellent

Excellent

Final recommendations

We greatly enjoyed working together as a team and each of the products we

researched helped to enable the collaboration process. The following comparisons serve as

a final synthesis of our team recommendations:

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iManageProject

Of the three software tools our group reviewed, we would recommend Central Desktop and

LiveBinders over IManageProject. iManageProject is a progressive tool, but we had a few

problems trying to access it and use it. One of our team members commented,

When I did attempt to load [iManageProject], it was hard to do. I took the free tour of the site and saw many good features. Several of them have the same interface names as Central Desktop such as ‘Milestones’ and ‘Dashboard’, and the software looked as if it were very similar to Central Desktop. For someone like me—a digital immigrant—who stumbles through technology, iManageProject would be a daily challenge to navigate. It is a site that would appeal to a tech-savvy audience.

As mentioned above, however, iManageProject can be a great option for a budget-conscious

collaboration effort – it offers a few, good collaborative features, large upload ability, and a

free version.

Central Desktop

Central Desktop receives our recommendation hands-down. The software is easy to

navigate and easy to use. One very helpful feature is the fact that milestones can be divided

into tasks. As each participant marks off his or her assigned tasks, the percentage of project

completion is available to all users. This is a great feature for tracking time and

accountability as a project unfolds. Other than the price, this product offered the best

collaborative software options by far of those that our team researched.

LiveBinders

LiveBinders, which is also a Web 2.0 tool, is completely different from either

iManageProject or Central Desktop. Whereas it is perfect for collaboration, we primarily

recommend it for educators and companies where its notebook feature would be most

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helpful. It is a great collaborative reference tool for housing documents in a central, virtual

location. LiveBinders is easy to use and can function in-house or be shared publicly.

Back to Table of Contents

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Central Desktop Researched by Christina Cereghini

The types of collaboration this software can facilitate Central Desktop is an online, Software as a Service (SAAS), collaboration tool. It is very

easy to access and implement as a Web 2.0 software. There are many features that make Central Desktop very attractive to a small or medium business. Below is a screen shot of the collaboration tools the administrator can enable. There are also WebMeetings, but a business must pay to use that feature. There are milestones and tasks that allow the user to track how the group is doing.

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TEAM 1: WEB 2.0 COLLABORATION TOOLS 10


The features of the software The software has many features, as can be seen from the screenshot above. The

homepage of the workspace is very informative, however, other areas of the site are equally important. The screenshot below is the view from the homepage of my administrator’s page. I have some tabs that a regular user would not have, but each user can access just about anything from this spot. All of the tabs allow for the user to find things easily as they are organized to make sure things can be found quickly.

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How the software works When someone wants to create an account they go to http://www.centraldesktop.com. To

obtain a free trial, simply click on “Try it Free” in the upper right hand corner. Users are then asked to register, and the form they fill out looks like the picture below. It is simple and easy to fill out. The part I like most is that it asks for the creator to name the web address and the workspace so the ball gets rolling quickly.

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http://www.centraldesktop.com/


Once the account is created, a small window opens and asks if the administrator wants to go ahead and add members. They simply need to enter the email addresses for the other users. It also allows the administrator the option to create user names for the other users if they choose. This is good in a place of business because it ensures that all of the names remain professional.

Once a user is in, they can start setting up discussion boards and information in the calendar. They start with milestones and within the milestones, tasks can be added. It is very simple to set up, and specific users can be assigned to each milestone and each task within the workspace. There is also an option to create a template for the different task lists. This helps if a project has multiple areas where the same list needs to be used or if multiple projects have the same tasks.

Once a task or milestone is completed the user clicks on complete task/milestone or while they are making a comment there is a box at the bottom that the user can click to say this

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Above: Milestone that is not complete.Below: Milestone that is complete.


task/milestone is complete. The only issue with this is that if there are multiple people assigned to the task, only one person has to click complete for the task to be marked out. Screenshots below show milestones and tasks when completed or incomplete.

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Above: An incomplete task listBelow: A completed task list


There is also a section for files and discussions. Any user can upload files that are pertinent to the project. Below is a screenshot that shows the area for files and the different folders they can be arranged in. Users can also add new folders as they see fit. Once a file is

uploaded in one area, the user can click on upload new version to add a new draft of the same file.

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How easy (or difficult) the software is to install and/or use I found the software extremely easy to use and there was no installation. For the free trial

all I had to do was sign up and send my colleagues an invitation to join. They both thought it was really simple as well.

The price of the software, if any Click on the “Upgrade” link and you are taken to:

https://workingwithwriters.centraldesktop.com/home/account/upgrade

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https://workingwithwriters.centraldesktop.com/home/account/upgrade


Click on “Compare all editions” and you will see the following table:

SocialBridge Professional

SocialBridge for Enterprise

SocialBridge for Agencies

Price Starting at $99.00/mo Contact Sales Rep for pricing

Contact Sales Rep for pricing

Who should use it Small businesses or departments

Medium-to-large companies or departments

Creative, digital, interactive and marketing agencies

What you get Everything you get with SocialBridge Personal+The convenience of using one vendor for documents, projects and web meetings instead of hassling with multiple passwords and sites

Everything you get with SocialBridge Professional+More capacity, automation and security to get your employees, customers and partners working together better

Everything you get with SocialBridge for Enterprise+Tools that streamline creative approvals and lighten administrative overload, so you can spend more time wowing, wooing and winning clients

Popular features Easy collaboration with third parties

Robust document management

Ability to assign tasks and track projects

One-click web meetings

Dedicated online communities for specific project teams, departments and clients

Deep customization and automation so you can mold SocialBridge to fit your business needs

Rollout advice from Central Desktop collaboration experts

Review+Approve to route, track and mark up creative files online – even videos

Private online communities so all your different account teams can manage projects and communicate with clients

Preview, share, revise and discuss large media files with people inside and outside your agency

Account limits 30 users (20 internal + 10 external)

Five workspaces 50 GB file storage

None. Customized to meet your needs.

Volume discounts offered.

None. Customized to meet your needs.

Volume discounts offered.

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Your personal experience with the software I personally found this software very easy to use. I only had to play with it for a few

minutes before I figured out the basics. Then, once I started creating, it seemed as though each step became logical. The interface is extremely accessible and I would recommend this to a company who was looking for a way to collaborate online.

What other people are saying about this software Both of my colleagues have said that Central Desktop is a great collaboration tool. There

are so many options with the free trial, and it just expands when you upgrade.

CrunchBase, a site that reviews online tools says that Central Desktop is, "easy to implement and scalable for small and medium-sized businesses. Central Desktop's collaboration software solution allows business teams to interact, share and manage their daily work activities from anywhere at any time."

TechCrunch, a partner with CrunchBase, describes Central Desktop as, "providing the richest set-of-tools available for business users with ease-of-use at a price-point, leveling the playing field for small and mid-size companies wishing to do business with enterprise partners and customers." the site also says that Central Desktop has over 125,000 users. This article was written by Matt Hickey

Another mention about Central Desktop from TechCrunch, this article by Leena Rao, says that Central Desktop, as of 2010, "allows users to simultaneously co-author Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents in real time, as well as open and save files directly into the cloud."

Efren Duarte wrote an article on the website, hubpages, about Central Desktop and he said, "Central Desktop has made some huge strides and has now even appeared as the only real SaaS Contender in the Collaboration market for small businesses."

Listio, a website that reviews all types of online tools says, “Central Desktop is a powerful tool for project management, one that all levels of users can benefit from. It is easy to use and made easier by the how to videos on every page when you set up the account.” The article does mention a few places where Central Desktop could improve, such as the calendar, adding more settings for priorities, managing contacts and personnel as well as improving the interface to be more pleasing to the eye.

A review from the website Bright Hub, written by Ronda Levine, says that Central Desktop is extremely easy to set up and use. It gives a brief overview of what the tool allows you to do. It takes you step by step through what you see when you first log into the workspace and some of the options you have. Levine says that Central Desktop is so easy because “it does not require expert technical knowledge to use – in fact, if you can fill out forms, you can use Central Desktop. It is also great for collaboration, and because it runs like an academic bulletin board system.”

Amanda Milvihill, writing for EContent, says that Central Desktop is always being innovative and listens to the clients. When the company looks to develop new software it “turns

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to its existing clients for ideas”. This shows that they are really interested in what their clients’ needs are.

David Roe from CMS Wire has nothing but good things to say about Central Desktop. His article on this collaboration tool states that “Central Desktop, which is sometimes offered as an economical version of SharePoint, has a robust social collaboration platform that targets the SMB market where users can create common files, develop blogs and forums, and develop to wikis — in fact, pretty much all you might want from a social collaboration application.” That is pretty high praise indeed.

Overall there are more positive evaluations of this collaboration tool than there are negative ones. This seems to be a good tool to use for any small or medium sized business looking for ways to keep in touch and stay on track when they are on the go or have important deadlines coming up.

The criteria you are using to compare the software The group discussed the criteria and we decided to evaluate all three tools with the same

criteria: Price: This tool’s price is relatively cheap for the amount of usage you can get

out it as well as the tools that are found within. Who should use it: Any small to medium business that is in marketing or

advertising and possibly entertainment would find this tool useful. What you get: One place to store files, keep track of projects and elements within

that project that need to be completed. You also are able to connect with other members of the company no matter where they may be through the discussion boards, blogs and wikis.

Popular features: Web Meetings are one of the most discussed features that I found when researching this tool. The ease with which you can collaborate with all members of the group, internal and external. The amount of storage available for the paying user is quite large.

Account limits: For those users that go above the initial package there are no limits to the number of users or the amount of workspace and storage space that you have. For the users who choose the first package there is still quite a bit of space for you.

Help Center: The help center for this tool is quite impressive. You can search by topic or choose one of the options they have listed. They also have resources that allow you to look at video tutorials that take you through every step of the site as well as training options should you choose to adopt this collaboration tool for your company. There is also a user forum where you can look through what other companies have been having difficulties with and see if their responses help you in any way. You can also discuss any manner of issue you have with Central Desktop or any aspect of the workspaces in the forum. There are add-ons through for your browser and for Microsoft Outlook. There is also a Contact Us section where you can ask questions directly or submit suggestions for things you think need to be improved or changed. Below is a screenshot of the help center.

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Your overall evaluation of the software you tested I am really excited about this particular tool. I found it to be easy to set up and just as

easy to use. I was impressed at the number of ways this tool allows its users to collaborate with one another. There are so many options that it would take more than just these few days to look at all of the information found within.

There are some downsides though. One thing that Sarah and I discussed was the lack of an instant messaging tool. The other is the fact that a regular user cannot see when others are signed in, only the administrator can see that. The interface is pleasing to the eye but if you wanted to change the colors you have to know the HEX values for the colors you want to use. You can look them up online but it would be simpler if there were just colors with the shade beside the name so you could choose more easily.

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Works Cited

"Central Desktop." Central Desktop. TechCrunch, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 June 2012.

<http://www.crunchbase.com/company/central-desktop>.

Duarte, Efren. "Product Strategy Review: Central Desktop for the Large Enterprise." HubPages.

HugPages Technology, 18 Sept. 2009. Web. 07 June 2012.

<http://avochief.hubpages.com/hub/Product-Strategy-Review-Central-Desktop-for-the-

Large-Enterprise>.

Hickey, Matt. "Central Desktop Takes $7 Million." TechCrunch. WordPress.com, 16 Apr. 2008.

Web. 07 June 2012. <http://techcrunch.com/2008/04/16/central-desktop-takes-7-

million/>.

Levine, Ronda. "Central Desktop - Review." Bright Hub. Bright Hub, Inc., 8 July 2009. Web. 07

June 2012. <http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/reviews/8707.aspx>.

Mulvihill, Amanda. "Central Desktop Establishes Common Ground for Creative Agencies."

EContent Magazine. Information Today, Inc., 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 June 2012.

<http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=74508>.

Rao, Leena. "SharePoint Competitor Central Desktop Launches Microsoft Office

Collaboration Tool." TechCrunch. WordPress.com, 4 May 2010. Web. 07 June 2012.

<http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/04/sharepoint-competitor-central-desktop-launches-

microsoft-office-collaboration-tool/>.

"Review of Central Desktop: Powerful, Centralized Project Management | Web 2.0 Reviews |

Listio for Web 2.0." Review of Central Desktop: Powerful, Centralized Project

Management | Web 2.0 Reviews | Listio for Web 2.0. Boxador, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 07

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June 2012. <http://www.listio.com/reviews/2008/08/central-desktop-powerful-

centralized-project-management/>.

Roe, David. "Central Desktop Offers Social Collaboration Edition for Marketing." Central

Desktop Offers Social Collaboration Edition for Marketing. Simpler Media Group, Inc.,

25 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 June 2012. <http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-

collaboration/central-desktop-offers-social-collaboration-edition-for-marketing-

010649.php>.


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LiveBinders Researched by Teddi Johnson

I was introduced to LiveBinders last year while attending the Arkansas Teacher Leadership

Academy. Our technology facilitator would send information on the Professional Learning

Network (PLN) blog site about Web 2.0 tools to experiment with. As I scrolled through the list I

was drawn to this site because at the time our leadership team was researching e-portfolio sites

for the students at our school to use. LiveBinders looked like the perfect fit for what we wanted.

After experimenting with it, I liked it! In fact, upon returning from the academy, I presented the

software to the leadership team as a tool to store our actions and documentation for the school

year. The team has used the binder to save documents from all the school improvements and

collaboration meetings. I have created a personal binder for all of my graduate school documents

and a binder for my thesis portfolio. For this group project, I also created a binder for our group

to test. I hope the information in this report will convince many of the members in this class to

catch on to this environmental wonder.

LiveBinders is a Web 2.0 tool for sharing and collaboration that is basically an online 3-

ring binder. It allows users to store information, such as website URL’s, PDF’s, Word

documents, and images in an online digital binder. In addition, by using LiveBinders, the user

can share the web-binders with anyone he or she likes, and the user can search for other public

binders that have already been created (Plano, 2012). LiveBinders is easy to access, it’s free, and

it does not require a download. The user only has to go to the site at LiveBinders.com, set up a

user name and password, and go to work. The instructions are as follows: sign up to create an

account so you can store your livebinders right away. Add the ‘LiveBinder It’ bookmark tool to

your browser toolbar. Start browsing the web. Find a link you want to save then click on the

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‘LiveBinder It’ to automatically add the link to a new binder. Edit your LiveBinder with the edit

tool to re-title tabs and upload files to the tabs (LiveBinders, 2011).

Some of the perks of the LiveBinder software, other than the ease of logging on and

setting up an account, are how easy it is to navigate and build the binder. The following screen

shot shows what the home page looks like:

I included the text boxes to show the link to sign up, and the link to log on after you have signed

up. Each one of the tabs serves as guides to lead the user to an information page that explains

that particular facet of the site. For example, this particular tab “Featured Binders” opens the

page with public binders that can be viewed to show how documents are stored in the software.

The links on the right are more binders that can be accessed for viewing and use.

Collaborating with LiveBinders

Although LiveBinders is traditionally considered an educational tool for teachers and

students, it can also be used for business collaboration. I found the following letter that

introduces this new addition to the software:

Happy New Year everyone!

Use this link to log In after signing up

Use this link to sign up. Just create a user

name and password.

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In response to many requests, we are very excited to announce the addition of collaboration features to LiveBinders. You can use collaboration for activities such as:

1. Students working on group projects – in your class or with a school across the country

2. Teachers collaborating on lesson plans3. Teachers and students working in the same binder4. Districts or schools collecting shared resources5. Collaborative classrooms6. Curriculum Alignment planning

Dawn Wall, Technology Coordinator from Kansas State University, was one of our early testers of the collaboration feature. Here is how she is using it:

This collaboration functionality is really awesome. For example, we have created a private binder to share information regarding a complicated program transition. This allows us to have select staff update the binder in a timely manner while all interested parties have access to view the binder and have up-to-date information. I also think it has great potential for K-12 and post-secondary education project collaboration.

Please see this binder to find out more about how to use the collaboration features: LiveBinders Collaboration

Thank you to the LiveBinders users who reported bugs and requested features. Please continue to let us know how to make LiveBinders better for you.

Sincerely,

Tina and Barbarahttp://www.livebinders.com(Collaborating with LiveBinders)

The letter serves as a worthy review of the collaboration tool from an outside source. There is

also an overview of how to collaborate with LiveBinders. The abbreviated overview lists the

following steps:

First, make sure that all parties have LiveBinders accounts. Only one person will

be the binder owner and the rest will be collaborators. The binder owner needs to

do the following:

1. Have email addresses for all the collaborators2. Create the binder that will be shared

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3. Edit the properties so that they reflect the desired name, category, access, etc. NOTE: the binder owner will be the only one who can change the binder properties.

There is additional information as to how to add and/or remove collaborators and how to give

them access to the notebook by emailing them the URL using the standard email system. It will

also be possible to find shared binders if the user is designated as a collaborator.

Various types of collaboration this software can facilitate is listed in the binder examples below

(Collaborating with LiveBinders):

Collaborize ClassroomPlanning/teaching logLivebinders’ CollaborationCollaborative SheetsCollaborative Forms (Texas)Collaborative Handouts & Sheets (MN)Power Tools RechargedToni Buzzeo BooksData-Driven Practice: Toni BuzzeoSchool Library Monthly

Information Skills ToolkitImprove Academic AchievementCollaborative Units that WorkLibrary Research with Emergent ReadersCollaborative…ComprehensionDestination CollaborationPBL (Grades 9-12)Smart SchoolsHarmony Curriculum Mapping examples

A Walk-Through of a LiveBinder

To give the other groups who may not be familiar with the software an idea of how

LiveBinders works, I have compiled a tutorial of sorts to allow the groups to take a walk-through

of an actual binder. During the walk-through, I will also be giving directions as to how to

navigate the software.

First, after logging on to the site, the user should click on the desired binder that he or she

wants to see as in the next screenshot. For this walkthrough I chose a business binder to show

that the software is not limited to education uses only. I chose to use the binder called ‘Product

Presentation’ as is indicated by the arrow in the screenshot below.

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Clicking on the desired binder will open the binder’s cover page. The tabs at the top of the page are the documents that can be read for study or collaboration discussion.

.

Clicking on the tab—I chose ‘Using Mind Mapping’—will open the document to be read.

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This screenshot gives a glimpse of the tabbed document. Any time you wish to see a different

document just click on the tab to open that document.

FeaturesOne of the features that I love about this software is how easy it is to use. Other features

that others have evaluated are these:

Users can

Curate and present their resources quickly and simply Take control of information View links like pages in a book instead of URLs on a page Combine uploaded PDFs and Word docs with links in one binder Save Time Update information conveniently without having to resend links Avoid layout issues – all documents are organized by tabs and subtabs Edit LiveBinders anytime, any place Make an Impression For environmentalists, the site allows users to go paperless one LiveBinder at a time Share all your documents in an easy presentable format Use LiveBinders for Smartboard and laptop presentations Build a library of binders and become a valuable resource for others (Awesome

Education Technology, 2011).

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Testimonials about the features come from these two teachers:

By Kristen PainoJune 8, 2012

Livebinders allows you to store websites, PDF’s, word documents, and images in a convenient digital binder that is stored online. Best of all, you can share these web-binders, with anyone you like, and you can search for other public binders that have already been created. Putting a LiveBinder together is pretty easy. It is a great way to share information online in an easy and organized way. The possibilities to teachers are pretty amazing!

By Kelly LittleApril 28, 2012

Collaborate, collect, create units of instruction with multimedia functionality. Present to class from the binder, or embed to your class site as resource!My favorite way to organize, yellow folders are often chaos!How do you use this tool? Cancel commentWe'd love to know! Please log in or create an account to share your wisdom (Plano, 2012).

Two other LiveBinders features of merit are that there is a privacy clause. It can be

read at the link http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/privacy. There is also an upcoming

option for professional users and organizations who need more to apply for a Subscription

Service. It will include greater storage capacity, larger file upload sizes, and other premium

features. More information about the subscription service can be found at the same link as

above, only instead of ‘privacy,’ you will need to type ‘upgrade’ (LiveBinders, 2011).

As shown in the screenshot below, Livebinders can be used with 37 collections.

They are all listed and categorized for ease of use (LiveBinders, 2011).

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http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/privacy


Overall Evaluation

My overall evaluation of the software is that it is a great option offered by Web 2.0. It is free, it

is easy to use, and it is accessible to users for collaboration or for personal use. After comparing

LiveBinders with the other software our group investigated, I would say it is one of the easiest to

use. There are not as many steps to get to the main workstations or as much to navigate in order

to complete a task.

LiveBinders is a valuable tool for any collaborator to have in his or her virtual toolbox.

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Works Cited

Awesome Education Technology. (2011, January 4). Retrieved June 7, 2012, from Wordpress.

Collaborating with LiveBinders. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2012, from LiveBinders.com.

LiveBinders. (2011). Retrieved June 5, 2012, from LiveBinders.com.

Plano, K. a. (2012, April 28). EdShelf. Retrieved June 6, 2012


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Project title

Feature tabs

Housekeeping tabs


iManageProject Researched by Sarah Moore

How iManageProject works

iManageProject is an online, Software as a Service (SAAS), collaboration tool of the

simplest nature. It is quite readily accessed and implemented as Web 2.0 software. In other

words, there is nothing to download or fill up your personal computer space. It is very easy

to install, as the user merely creates an account, and iManageProject provides a central

location and virtual space to address any type of collaborative project. iManageProject is

also very user-intuitive to operate. Part of this is due to its streamlined design, and part is

due to its minimal features.

Features

iManageProject includes four specific features that are easy to use; essentially, the

program offers a decent level of collaboration in an online bulletin board fashion. Features

first include a Dashboard area. The screenshot below shows the clean desktop interface.

As

can

be seen in the screenshot above, there are four tabs on the top left of the screen that access

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the included collaborative features (to-do, milestones, and time), as well as housekeeping

tabs (settings, template creation, account, search, people) on the right. Within the

dashboard, to access the actual collaboration project, the user must click in the right

sidebar on the project title (“Collaborative Software Reviews” in this case), to access the

home area for the project.

The overview page for the actual project home appears as follows:

As briefly mentioned, besides the “Overview” dashboard-style page within your project,

features within the project area (top tabs on the left of the screenshot) include an option

for “Messages” that are similar to email within the site; a “To-do” option that offers creation

of lists of tasks to be done; “Milestones” that can be set up within a date framework,

“Writeboards” that are similar to an online, but editable, bulletin board; a “Time” log for

keeping track of personal project activity; and a location for “Files” to be uploaded and

shared. Each of these options is very straightforward and user-friendly.

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Pricing

iManageProject pricing is quite reasonable and is shown in the chart below:

As can be seen in the pricing chart, iManageProject offers the same tools in the free version

as in the paid versions; only the number of projects and storage size increases. In reviewing

the product, since the iManageProject lacks some significant features that other SaaS

programs offer, the pricing scheme is inexpensive but less than optimal at any level but the

free one.

Personal experience and what others are saying

Except for issues with the invitation feature, my personal experience was very

positive. However, overall the program offered limited features, and that was definitely a

shortcoming. As you will see from this team’s other reviews, we were much more

impressed with Central Desktop, a similar SaaS offering that provided much greater depth

in its features. The online reviews of “what others are saying” about iManageProject were

solely found in magazine or technology reviews, rather than by users. Several of these

reviews were insightful. GetApp.com stated that

iManageProject is an online (SaaS) project management software that makes team collaboration very easy. iManageProject features integrated to-do lists, dashboards, milestones and time tracking. With iManageProject, users can share files, work on online collaboration tools, communicate through writeboards and message boards.

In comments about iManageProject’s “uncluttered interface,” Web-based Software

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evaluates,

Generally speaking, iManageProject's interface is very minimalist, and so are several features (time tracking being a good example). For lots of small businesses, time tracking requires a date, a number of hours and a description only. However, for organizations with complex processes, time tracking in iManageProject lacks several things, including a time clock, a couple of time entry fields (such as time type) and integration with third-party accounting solutions. File management is also very minimalist but in this case, it is a plus.

Another application evaluation site, MakeUseOf.com, points out, “The tool borrows a lot of

from the popular Basecamp while offering free and much cheaper premium packages –

including the most useful features like Messages, To-dos, Milestones, Files, and even

Writeboards.” There was really nothing extremely negative in any of the online reviews,

but the flaw in iManageProject is not in its user interface but in its feature provision. If it

were the only online collaborative software tool that I had ever used, it would appear on

the surface to be a good product. But therein lies the problem – it is a good product rather

than a great product. However, that comparative fact would remain unknown unless one

takes specific time to compare it against other similar products such as Central Desktop.

Comparison criteria

In carrying out such a comparison, our team applied the criteria of

Who might use the product? What features does the product provide? How effective and easy-to-use are those features? What account limits does the product set? How effective is the product support or help center?

In the case of iManageProject, it could be utilized within any collaborative setting because it

is very general in nature. The features are easy to use but not always effective, as it lacks

certain features. For example, it fails to tie the “To Do” list to “Milestones,” so there is no

ability to track percentage of a job as its being done. The product account limits are fine for

35


each offered level; the file upload capability is excellent. However, a simple thing like the

iManageProject help center was a problem. I never found it within the website and actually

had to search online via Bing to locate the help center. (Later I also discovered it on the

company home page – it just didn’t seem to exist inside of my project once I was logged in.)

Once I found the support area, it actually was helpful, but only in a general sense. It offered

FAQ’s and information about each general feature of the site. But for a specific example, I

could not find any place that explained why my invitations to other team members expired

so quickly (as mentioned previously and explained in depth below).

Overall evaluation of the software tested

In a final analysis, iManageProject worked readily and easily at set up. My

experience with iManageProject was positive in the features that are offered. This software

is truly extremely easy to learn and begin using instantly. However, it was difficult to invite

others to join the project site. The invitations expired quickly and had to be reissued as

many as three times before others were able to catch the invitation in time to log in.

Furthermore, it is not a full suite because it doesn’t offer web meetings, wiki setup, instant

messaging, and perhaps other multimedia options that some of the more expansive

collaborative software sites offer. The scaled back time tracking feature and lack of

integration of tasks with milestone completion was also less than perfect. Therefore,

iManageProject is limited in its scope of application – it’s a suitable option for a very simple

collaborative project, but complicated business models may require greater technological

ability than iManageProject offers. The fact that the free version is limited to one project

and one gigabyte of space suggests that paying customers would prefer to look elsewhere.

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To be absolutely honest, iManageProject speaks to my personal experience as if it were a

“lite” version that ought to be offered solely as freeware.

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Works Cited

“Editor’s Software Review – iManageProject.” Web-based Software. 2012. 8 Jun. 2012.

http://www.web-based-software.com/imanageproject/review/.

“iManageProject.” GetApp.com. 2012. 8 Jun. 2012.

<http://www.getapp.com/imanageproject-com-application>.

“iManageProject Plans and Pricing Info.” iManageProject. 2012. 7 Jun 2012.

http://imanageproject.com/en-US/signup.

“iManageProject: Project management tool like Basecamp.” MakeUseOf.com. 2012. 7 Jun.

2012. < h ttp://www.makeuseof.com/dir/imanageproject-project-management-

tools-like-basecamp/>.


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http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/imanageproject-project-management-tools-like-basecamp/

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/imanageproject-project-management-tools-like-basecamp/

http://imanageproject.com/en-US/signup

http://www.web-based-software.com/imanageproject/review/

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