Effective collaboration can be difficult at times, but with the current technology that is available to us, group work can be done with relative ease. Google Docs, Wikis, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the collaboration technologies that make working together so much easier for businesses and for anyone else involved in group work.
I was recently involved in a group project with two other people and we decided to set up a wiki. A wiki is a website where people can add, edit, and retrieve information (Wikipedia, "Wikis"). This made collaboration for our project so much easier than having to send emails or text messages back and forth. We were able to line up our hours of availability so we could easily see the best time to meet. We also posted outlines for our individual sections of research as well as links to websites that we came across that were relevant to another person’s section. When we met together, all of the information we had gathered and organized was right there, all in one spot.
Wikis are just one example; Google Docs is another collaboration technology that works very similarly. For those interested in real-time updates and communication, there are websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Twitter can be described as mass instant messaging and can be effective in discussing brief items. Facebook can be used to form group pages where discussions can take place.
Collaboration is vital to the success of businesses, and being able to collaborate effectively is vital to anybody wanting to succeed in virtually any industry. Technologies such as Google Docs, Wikis, Facebook, and Twitter provide fast, convenient mediums wherein people can collaborate effectively and contribute to the success of businesses and organizations.
