Tag Archives: collaboration

Google Drive

Posted on by

Google Drive provides access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more. Besides providing access-anywhere file storage, Drive is also your main access to the Google Suite of tools, including Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, and others.

How it is useful to technical communicators:

Google Drive is a great file storage system. However, its value to technical communicators comes from its capability for supporting real-time collaboration and editing. Multiple users can be given access to view, comment on, or edit files, thus enabling a great method for collaboration when users are in disparate geographic locations.

Learn more:

When signed in to a (free) Google account, you can access Google Drive for that account on any web browser at https://www.google.com/drive/. You can also access Drive from the mobile app available for free on app stores.

Other software like it:

Dropbox, OneDrive

Marqueed

Posted on by

Marqueed is a Web application that allows users to share image files and comment on and mark-up those image files.

Marqueed is useful for collaborating on images remotely. While numerous tools exist for commenting on and editing text with others online, fewer tools are available that allow users to comment on and edit images online. As the jobs of technical communicators expand beyond producing text—and as technical communication jobs move to remote workspaces—collaboration tools such as Marqueed become more valuable.

You can sign up for an account and begin using Marqueed on the product’s Web site.

Google Drive can be used in a similar fashion, but it is not designed specifically with discussing images in mind.

GoVisually is a similar Web application to Marqueed that has a few more features but with a less simple design and use.

Dropbox

Posted on by

Dropbox is an alternative file storage option that can be downloaded onto both Macs and PCs. It allows users to access their files from any computer by logging onto their Dropbox account, and to also share files with several other parties. Dropbox is especially helpful when sharing extremely large files that may be too large to send over email.

Collaborative teams and remote teams would benefit from Dropbox because files can be accessed and edited as long as there is an internet connection to login to the account. It could be compared to cloud-based storage options, but Dropbox is significantly more integrated into the user’s main computer, and allows for sharing in a way that isn’t possible with some cloud-based options.

More information about Dropbox and the way it works is available on the application’s website: https://www.dropbox.com/about

Point

Posted on by

Point is an extension for Google Chrome and allows a user to easily share links or segments of website content with other Gmail users without needing to sign into their email account.

Technical communicators would benefit from Point in situations that require collaboration such as team projects at work or in school, as the extension streamlines the content sharing process by eliminating the need to open new tabs.

More information is available on the extension’s website, and once Point has been installed, there is an intuitive how-to process in order to teach new users how to optimize Point.

http://www.getpoint.co

Pinterest

Posted on by

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board on which users can collect, organize, and store images that link to online content.

How it is useful to technical communicators:

Pinterest is often associated with recipes, craft ideas, and hobbies, but it can also be useful for organizing online material for classes and internships. Pinterest boards can help visual learners more easily keep track of online resources because images are paired with the content.

Where you can learn more about it:

Pinterest

Pinterest Help Center

Other software like it:

Pinterest is similar to a web browser’s “Bookmarks” folder, but it is organized visually.

Pocket allows users to store internet content to access later. It has a visual interface similar to Pinterest’s.