What we categorize as “collaborative software suites” is sometimes known as “groupware” or “computer-supported cooperative work.” According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/computer- supported- cooperative- work), some authors see a difference between cooperation and collaboration because of the way tasks are divided.

Cooperation is when the results of independent subtasks are merged to create a final deliverable.

Collaboration requires teamwork for each subtask as members work toward a common goal. This article is an example of both collaboration and cooperation, and the tools we chose reflect that. We used TikiWiki for most of our non-voice communication, taking advantage of the wiki, blogs, directory, and file galleries. We even played with TikiWiki’s online chat (although we were on the phone at the time). We also used AIM and Skype. See the Part II introduction for the complete list of tools we used. Collaborative software suites include many of the features described in the glossary, and thus include many tools. As a result, collaborative software suites can save you time and effort when compared to installing many individual tools, but lead to more decisions, because now you have to analyze all the tools, as well as the suite itself. When choosing a suite, first find out the primary purpose of the suite. For example, TikiWiki is built around a wiki; Basecamp’s primary purpose is project collaboration; Drupal is a content management system. Then, look at the secondary tools and see if they are of interest to your group. The following describes the primary purposes of the categories that we have chosen:

-  Communication applications primarily include instant messaging, online chat, or VoIP. Suites might also include application sharing, chat rooms, and video chat.

-  Broadcast applications primarily include blogs, podcasts, and presentations. Suites might also include wikis, surveys, “push” mechanisms, and comments.

-  Sharing applications primarily include calendars, file galleries, forums, bulletin boards, and application sharing. However, many of these features can be found in suites from other categories. For example, Windows Live Messenger includes applications from the communication and information sharing categories. Some wiki software includes “push” mechanisms, security, calendars, RSS feeds, and email. Some meeting software includes application sharing and chat.

-  Gathering applications primarily include surveys, project management, feedback, and time tracking. While these applications might be included in some other suites (like wikis and blogs), it is more likely that you have to install stand-alone versions.

-  Wikis are either stand-alone (such as MediaWiki) or part of a suite (such as TikiWiki). Wiki suites might include workflow management, blogs, image and file galleries, chat, a calendar, surveys, and more.

-  RSS feeds are never the primary purpose of a suite. However, most web-based applications, such as blogs and wikis, include RSS feeds. You must also determine what type of software you want to use:

-  Web-based (also called managed or hosted) software, where you select a plan and create an account. With web-based software, such as Kavi or Basecamp, your information is stored securely on the vendor’s server. You and your team log in when you want to make changes, report progress, or upload files. The vendor is responsible for maintenance, support, upgrades, and backups. However, if you cannot connect to the Internet for any reason, you cannot access your account. Typically, you can use the latest version of  any browser to access web-based software. (For example, you can typically use Internet Explorer 6 or later, Netscape Navigator 8 or later, Mozilla, Safari, and Opera.)

-  Server-based software, which requires that the software is installed on your server. With server-based software, such as TikiWiki or Drupal, you are responsible for making sure that your server meets the installation requirements and updates are applied in a timely manner. These installations tend to be a bit more complicated because of other requirements (like PHP or SQL). If you have an IT department, talk to them first, because they will be installing the software and all updates. Instead of using a suite, you might want to use individual communication tools like those found at Google (http://www.google.com/intl/en/options, which is the English site):

-  Blogger lets you create a blog for yourself or for your team, letting all team members post on individual blogs. You can post photos, customize the layout, and set the options for syndication (RSS feeds). You can also specify whether your blog is public or is only available to those readers you have chosen.

-  Google Calendar lets you create multiple calendars, which you can view individually or as a group. You specify the name of the event, when it is (and if it is an all-day or limited-time event, and if it repeats), where it is, which of your calendars it belongs to (if you have multiple calendars), and a description. You can also give permission to others to view your calendar along with theirs, and they can do the same for you. (However, you cannot make changes to their calendar unless they give you permission, and they cannot make changes to your calendar unless you give them permission.) Like Blogger, you can specify whether your calendar is public or only available to specific guests.

-  Google Groups lets you create mailing lists and discussion groups. Groups can be one of three types: Public (open to all), Announcement-only (only moderators can post messages, but all members can read them), and Restricted (only those who have been invited can join the group, post, and read). Restricted groups are not listed in Google’s public directory.

-  writely (http://writely.com) lets teams collaborate on documents, which can be saved as HTML, RTF, Microsoft Word, Open Office, and PDF. It also includes an option to create an RSS feed, although the feed is added to a public site, so you might not want to use it for private documents. writely documents include revision history and blog posting (to a hosted provider like Blogger or to your own server). You can also use Google Talk as your primary communication tool if all team members have a Google or gmail account.