The People Part of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

• On Telecommuting … “The socialthing! team has been telecommuting for about a week and a half now and it’s been a pretty big experiment. As a team, can we be away from each other and still stay just as productive? The simplest answer is: Not really. But that’s not the whole answer, and there’s a lot of factors that go into this, so this will be my own made up primer for telecommuting.” Socialthing
• Telecommuting Keys … “I believe that the KEY – the key – to telecommuting situations is connection, engagement, and relationship. An invested employee works hard and is more likely to exercise good judgment.” Management Craft

The Technology Trends of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

• Yugma Skype Edition … “Yugma today announced the launch of their Yugma Skype Edition. The Yugma Skype Edition builds upon Skype’s offering by adding real time collaboration and desktop sharing functionality. Yugma has integrated the new functionality in a way that makes it extremely easy for existing Skype users. Once Yugma Skype Edition in installed, simply invite a friend or colleague from your existing Skype contact list, Yugma opens automatically, and sharing begins.” For Windows, Mac and Linux. PRWeb
• WhoDoes 1.1 … GotThingsDone released Version 1.1 of WhoDoes, its Web-based project management service. New features: iCal subscriptions, monthly subscriptions, a shared repository, among others. Available immediately. GotThingsDone (PDF)
• CapGemini and Google … CapGemini announced an agreement with Google, for offering Google Apps to the enterprise market. “Google Apps Premier Edition, which includes Docs & Spreadsheets, Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk products, will be delivered as Software as a Service (Saas) Software as a Service (Saas) over the Internet through an employee’s Web browser. Over the next five years, this delivery model of software is expected to have an annual compound growth rate of 25%, according to Gartner Inc. And the price for Capgemini clients is cheap — $40 per user per year.” SearchCIO
• Wiki Update … From Donna at Avenue A | Razorfish … “Here’s a presentation that should tell you a lot about the current state of the wiki. It describes the wiki in detail and includes screenshots and usage numbers. Let us know what you think needs changing the most.” There are best practices noted on slide 17. Avenue A | Razorfish (35 slides)
• Office 2007 = No Big Advance … Troy weighs in on the collaboration capabilities in Office 2007: “While Office 2007 offers useful tools for people concerned primarily about the look of their documents, this isn’t the big advance for collaboration that we’d hoped for. While you’re sure to find tools that will speed your workflow, this isn’t a must-have upgrade for intranet workers.” Intranet Journal
• JuggleSoft … Jugglesoft released JuggleMyStuff, a project management and collaboration service. “JuggleMyStuff (JMS) is a comprehensive, web application that helps managers and project teams work with greater agility than ever before. Creating or updating projects is quick and easy; and managers will appreciate the innovative features that help them swiftly adapt to shifting priorities. Users can also collaborate on tasks or web docs, store files and keep track of appointments. Information can be private or shared, and virtually anything can be annotated or discussed in context. Additional tools enable users to retrieve information quickly and stay on top of what’s important.” Available immediately. PRWeb

Insights on Being Productive and Effective as an Individual

• Five Tips for Writing … (1) identify your productivity zone, (2) don’t do anything else during writing time, (3) use tricks to stay focused, (4) write without your inner editor turned on, and (5) reward yourself when done. CopyBlogger

Other Noteworthy Insights

• NTP Suing Carriers … NTP sued AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile for patent infringement. “This time around, NTP is going after the wireless carriers. Eight patents are cited, five of which were argued in the RIM litigation. The argument this time seems to be that because hardware makers like RIM and Nokia have licensed the patents in question from NTP, the carriers should have to have a license as well. NTP wants ongoing royalties as well as damages from the carriers.” CNET News