http://www.masternewmedia.org/2003/10/26/contextual_online_collaboration_tools.htm
A repeated theme in networking is the value of the online collaboration which it enables, and many prognostications of how this will revolutionize the workplace have been on offer. The reality has been somewhat less than overwhelming. While I still consider collaborative tools to have great potential, I have come to realize that technical and organizational barriers continue to prevent them from receiving widespread everyday use. Not least is the fact (inclined to the positive though I may be) that we don't have a convincing demonstration of competitive advantage resulting from implementing these tools.
What is blocked at the door sometimes comes down the chimney, as this article [which has an abundance of direct links and supporting information] suggests. Instead of using explicit tools, implementing collaboration through extension of existing tools in a way which makes it simply 'another menu item' has potential for success which escape more 'architectural' solutions. Were this to be so, it would be another demonstration of how appropriate is the 'bottoms up' model for network activity.
Posted by jho at November 18, 2003 09:18 AM