Working With Writers - Group 1 - Final Project

Running head: TEAM 1: WEB 2.
0 COLLABORATION TOOLS

Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools
Technology Review Group 1
Christina Cereghini, Teddi Johnson, & Sarah Moore
RHET 7320
TEAM 1: WEB 2.0 COLLABORATION TOOLS

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Table of Contents

Overall Software Analysis . p. 3
Central Desktop .. p. 8
LiveBinders p. 21
iManageProject ... p. 30


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Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools
Technology Review Group 1
(Christina Cereghini, Teddi Johnson, & Sarah Moore)
Abstract: Technology Review Group 1 chose to review and report
about online collaboration tools individually, yet with support and
interactivity as a group. Therefore, each member chose an online
collaboration tool to research, set up an account within their respective tool,
and then invited the other group members to participate as associates within
the collaboration environment. What follows is a comparison analysis of the
three tools that incorporates a final recommendation. For readers who want
to thoroughly understand our groups recommendations, immediately
following the analysis and comparison charts are detailed research reviews
that offer an explanation of each tool from an administrative perspective,
including participating user comments.

Group Analysis and Overall Evaluation:

Team 1 chose to evaluate two very similar, collaboration-specific, Software as a
Service (SaaS) platforms called Central Desktop and iManageProject. We also chose to
evaluate LiveBinders, which is an online tool offering collaboration with a focus on
resources and functioning as a reference tool. In comparing these three tools side-by-side,
Central Desktop and iManageProject were found to be extremely similar, while LiveBinders
might be considered compatible as an add-on, more resource-focused tool for either
Central Desktop or iManageProject. Given the similarities between Central Desktop and
iManageProject, they were evaluated in tandem, and iManageProject was found lacking in
features and difficult to ensure participant enrollment. For example, participant invitations
expired within 30 minutes of the proffer, so it was difficult to carry out the research
process as a team. Therefore, although iManageProject remained under evaluation, our
entire team realized quickly that Central Desktop was the superior product of the two. That
said and it being the case that these two tools functioned so similarly, Team 1 recommends
a combined usage of Central Desktop and LiveBinders for anyone seeking to carry out an

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active collaboration project and create resources as an ongoing reference tool. Both of
these products could serve any business or education venue well. However, given that
iManageProject offers a fully functional free version, it is still considered a good option for
individuals or new businesses with small projects or on a shoestring budget.
Product Features
The following chart shows the features of each tool at a glance:
Features Central Desktop iManageProject LiveBinders
Home/Dashboard
File Uploads
Comments/User Forum
Media Storage
Milestones
Tasks
Calendar
People
Time Tracking
Wiki

Database

Blog

Gantt Chart

Reports

How the software works
All three products were simple online sign-ups. Each offered a free version or a trial
version of the paid plans. None of them required downloads, so none took up personal
computer space.

How easy or difficult
All three products were extremely easy to use. The sign-ups were uncomplicated
and straightforward. The only problematic issue was encountered in iManageProject, as

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mentioned above. It was almost impossible to get all group members logged in initially
because invitations to join expired quickly and had to be re-issued when participant were
concurrently online.
As far as product navigation, each was fairly quick to learn. There was a home space
or dashboard, and one could readily see tabs or menus to click in order to access various
features. Central Desktop features were enabled (or not) by the project administrator, then
other users could access them through the dashboard menu. iManageProject had fewer
features to choose between, so all were visible in the dashboard for every user. LiveBinders
offered primarily open space in which to add URLs or file resources, and the interface was
easy to understand and implement.

Price

Number of projects/storage
space
Central Desktop
(250 MB
uploads)
iManageProject
(2 GB uploads)
LiveBinders
(5 MB uploads)
Any number/100 MB space - - Free
1 project/1 GB space - Free -
5 projects/50 GB space $99/month - -
20 projects/10 GB space - $10/month -
Unlimited/100 GB space - $80/month -

Personal experience
Team 1 had a positive experience both as a team and with each of the platforms
being researched. The tools evaluated were actually used in collaboration for this review,
and they were all helpful to that process. Specific details of personal experiences can be
read in detail in the individual research documents below.

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What others are saying
Online reviews for each of these products were positive and can be read in detail in
the individual research documents below.

Comparison criteria
As a team we agreed to evaluate each of the tools according to price, types of users,
product advantages, popular features, ease of use, account limits, and effectiveness of the
product support center.
The following chart gives our findings at a glance:
Criteria Central Desktop iManageProject LiveBinders
Price Expensive Free/Affordable Free
Audience Any collaborators Any collaborators Anyone
Advantages
Central storage,
excellent project
tracking, complete Web
2.0 tools,
connectedness among
team members
Central storage, some
project tracking, some
Web 2.0 tools,
connectedness among
team members

Central storage, some Web
2.0 tools, ability to post
and message among team
members, easy-to-use
reference tool capabilities
Popular
features
Wikis, web meetings,
blogs, messages, time
tracking, reports
Messages, bulletin board
location, time tracking
URL organization, easy file
sharing, functions
similarly to a wiki
Ease of use Easy Easy Easy
Account
limits
250 MB uploads/$99
per month offers 50 GB
space
2 GB uploads/Free version
offers 1 GB space
5 MB uploads/100 MB
space
Support Excellent Obtainable but not
excellent
Excellent

Final recommendations
We greatly enjoyed working together as a team and each of the products we
researched helped to enable the collaboration process. The following comparisons serve as
a final synthesis of our team recommendations:

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iManageProject
Of the three software tools our group reviewed, we would recommend Central Desktop and
LiveBinders over IManageProject. iManageProject is a progressive tool, but we had a few
problems trying to access it and use it. One of our team members commented,
When I did attempt to load [iManageProject], it was hard to do. I took the free
tour of the site and saw many good features. Several of them have the same
interface names as Central Desktop such as Milestones and Dashboard, and
the software looked as if it were very similar to Central Desktop. For
someone like mea digital immigrantwho stumbles through technology,
iManageProject would be a daily challenge to navigate. It is a site that would
appeal to a tech-savvy audience.

As mentioned above, however, iManageProject can be a great option for a budget-conscious
collaboration effort it offers a few, good collaborative features, large upload ability, and a
free version.
Central Desktop
Central Desktop receives our recommendation hands-down. The software is easy to
navigate and easy to use. One very helpful feature is the fact that milestones can be divided
into tasks. As each participant marks off his or her assigned tasks, the percentage of project
completion is available to all users. This is a great feature for tracking time and
accountability as a project unfolds. Other than the price, this product offered the best
collaborative software options by far of those that our team researched.
LiveBinders
LiveBinders, which is also a Web 2.0 tool, is completely different from either
iManageProject or Central Desktop. Whereas it is perfect for collaboration, we primarily
recommend it for educators and companies where its notebook feature would be most

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helpful. It is a great collaborative reference tool for housing documents in a central, virtual
location. LiveBinders is easy to use and can function in-house or be shared publicly.

Back to Table of Contents


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Central Desktop
Researched by Christina Cereghini
The types of collaboration this software can facilitate
Central Desktop is an online, Software as a Service (SAAS), collaboration tool. It is very
easy to access and implement as a Web 2.0 software. There are many features that make Central
Desktop very attractive to a small or medium business. Below is a screen shot of the
collaboration tools the administrator can enable. There are also WebMeetings, but a business
must pay to use that feature. There are milestones and tasks that allow the user to track how the
group is doing.


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The features of the software
The software has many features, as can be seen from the screenshot above. The
homepage of the workspace is very informative, however, other areas of the site are equally
important. The screenshot below is the view from the homepage of my administrators page. I
have some tabs that a regular user would not have, but each user can access just about anything
from this spot. All of the tabs allow for the user to find things easily as they are organized to
make sure things can be found quickly.

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How the software works
When someone wants to create an account they go to http://www.centraldesktop.com. To
obtain a free trial, simply click on Try it Free in the upper right hand corner. Users are then
asked to register, and the form they fill out looks like the picture below. It is simple and easy to
fill out. The part I like most is that it asks for the creator to name the web address and the
workspace so the ball gets rolling quickly.


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Once the account is created, a small window opens and asks if the administrator wants to
go ahead and add members. They simply need to enter the email addresses for the other users. It
also allows the administrator the option to create user names for the other users if they choose.
This is good in a place of business because it ensures that all of the names remain professional.

Once a user is in, they can start setting up discussion boards and information in the
calendar. They start with milestones and within the milestones, tasks can be added. It is very
simple to set up, and specific users can be assigned to each milestone and each task within the
workspace. There is also an option to create a template for the different task lists. This helps if a
project has multiple areas where the same list needs to be used or if multiple projects have the
same tasks.


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Once a task or milestone is completed the user clicks on complete task/milestone or while
they are making a comment there is a box at the bottom that the user can click to say this
task/milestone is complete. The only issue with this is that if there are multiple people assigned
to the task, only one person has to click complete for the task to be marked out. Screenshots
below show milestones and tasks when completed or incomplete.

Above: Milestone that is not complete.
Below: Milestone that is complete.

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Above: An incomplete task list
Below: A completed task list

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There is also a section for files and discussions. Any user can upload files that are
pertinent to the project. Below is a screenshot that shows the area for files and the different
folders they can be arranged in. Users can also add new folders as they see fit. Once a file is
uploaded in one area, the user can click on upload new version to add a new draft of the same
file.

How easy (or difficult) the software is to install and/or use
I found the software extremely easy to use and there was no installation. For the free trial
all I had to do was sign up and send my colleagues an invitation to join. They both thought it
was really simple as well.

The price of the software, if any
Click on the Upgrade link and you are taken to:
https://workingwithwriters.centraldesktop.com/home/account/upgrade

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Click on Compare all editions and you will see the following table:

SocialBridge
Professional
SocialBridge for
Enterprise
SocialBridge for
Agencies
Price Starting at $99.00/mo Contact Sales Rep for
pricing
Contact Sales Rep for
pricing
Who should use it Small businesses or
departments
Medium-to-large
companies or
departments
Creative, digital,
interactive and
marketing agencies
What you get Everything you get
with SocialBridge
Personal
+
The convenience of
using one vendor for
documents, projects
and web meetings
instead of hassling with
multiple passwords and
sites
Everything you get
with SocialBridge
Professional
+
More capacity,
automation and
security to get your
employees,
customers and
partners working
together better
Everything you get with
SocialBridge for
Enterprise
+
Tools that streamline
creative approvals and
lighten administrative
overload, so you can
spend more time
wowing, wooing and
winning clients
Popular features Easy collaboration
with third parties
Robust document
management
Ability to assign
tasks and track
projects
One-click web
meetings

Dedicated online
communities for
specific project
teams,
departments and
clients
Deep
customization
and automation
so you can mold
SocialBridge to
fit your business
needs
Rollout advice
from Central
Desktop
collaboration
experts
Review+Approve to
route, track and
mark up creative
files online even
videos
Private online
communities so all
your different
account teams can
manage projects and
communicate with
clients
Preview, share,
revise and discuss
large media files
with people inside
and outside your
agency
Account limits 30 users (20
internal
+ 10 external)
Five workspaces
50 GB file storage
None. Customized to
meet your needs.
Volume discounts
offered.
None. Customized to
meet your needs.
Volume discounts
offered.

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Your personal experience with the software
I personally found this software very easy to use. I only had to play with it for a few
minutes before I figured out the basics. Then, once I started creating, it seemed as though each
step became logical. The interface is extremely accessible and I would recommend this to a
company who was looking for a way to collaborate online.

What other people are saying about this software
Both of my colleagues have said that Central Desktop is a great collaboration tool. There
are so many options with the free trial, and it just expands when you upgrade.
CrunchBase, a site that reviews online tools says that Central Desktop is, "easy to
implement and scalable for small and medium-sized businesses. Central Desktop's collaboration
software solution allows business teams to interact, share and manage their daily work activities
from anywhere at any time."
TechCrunch, a partner with CrunchBase, describes Central Desktop as, "providing the
richest set-of-tools available for business users with ease-of-use at a price-point, leveling the
playing field for small and mid-size companies wishing to do business with enterprise partners
and customers." the site also says that Central Desktop has over 125,000 users. This article was
written by Matt Hickey
Another mention about Central Desktop from TechCrunch, this article by Leena Rao,
says that Central Desktop, as of 2010, "allows users to simultaneously co-author Word, Excel
and PowerPoint documents in real time, as well as open and save files directly into the cloud."
Efren Duarte wrote an article on the website, hubpages, about Central Desktop and he
said, "Central Desktop has made some huge strides and has now even appeared as the only real
SaaS Contender in the Collaboration market for small businesses."
Listio, a website that reviews all types of online tools says, Central Desktop is a
powerful tool for project management, one that all levels of users can benefit from. It is easy to
use and made easier by the how to videos on every page when you set up the account. The
article does mention a few places where Central Desktop could improve, such as the calendar,
adding more settings for priorities, managing contacts and personnel as well as improving the
interface to be more pleasing to the eye.
A review from the website Bright Hub, written by Ronda Levine, says that Central
Desktop is extremely easy to set up and use. It gives a brief overview of what the tool allows you
to do. It takes you step by step through what you see when you first log into the workspace and
some of the options you have. Levine says that Central Desktop is so easy because it does not
require expert technical knowledge to use in fact, if you can fill out forms, you can use Central
Desktop. It is also great for collaboration, and because it runs like an academic bulletin board
system.

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Amanda Milvihill, writing for EContent, says that Central Desktop is always being
innovative and listens to the clients. When the company looks to develop new software it turns
to its existing clients for ideas. This shows that they are really interested in what their clients
needs are.

David Roe from CMS Wire has nothing but good things to say about Central Desktop.
His article on this collaboration tool states that Central Desktop, which is sometimes offered as
an economical version of SharePoint, has a robust social collaboration platform that targets the
SMB market where users can create common files, develop blogs and forums, and develop to
wikis in fact, pretty much all you might want from a social collaboration application. That is
pretty high praise indeed.

Overall there are more positive evaluations of this collaboration tool than there are
negative ones. This seems to be a good tool to use for any small or medium sized business
looking for ways to keep in touch and stay on track when they are on the go or have important
deadlines coming up.

The criteria you are using to compare the software
The group discussed the criteria and we decided to evaluate all three tools with the same
criteria:
Price: This tools price is relatively cheap for the amount of usage you can get
out it as well as the tools that are found within.
Who should use it: Any small to medium business that is in marketing or
advertising and possibly entertainment would find this tool useful.
What you get: One place to store files, keep track of projects and elements within
that project that need to be completed. You also are able to connect with other
members of the company no matter where they may be through the discussion
boards, blogs and wikis.
Popular features: Web Meetings are one of the most discussed features that I
found when researching this tool. The ease with which you can collaborate with
all members of the group, internal and external. The amount of storage available
for the paying user is quite large.
Account limits: For those users that go above the initial package there are no
limits to the number of users or the amount of workspace and storage space that
you have. For the users who choose the first package there is still quite a bit of
space for you.
Help Center: The help center for this tool is quite impressive. You can search by
topic or choose one of the options they have listed. They also have resources that
allow you to look at video tutorials that take you through every step of the site as
well as training options should you choose to adopt this collaboration tool for
your company. There is also a user forum where you can look through what other
companies have been having difficulties with and see if their responses help you
in any way. You can also discuss any manner of issue you have with Central
Desktop or any aspect of the workspaces in the forum. There are add-ons through
for your browser and for Microsoft Outlook. There is also a Contact Us section

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where you can ask questions directly or submit suggestions for things you think
need to be improved or changed. Below is a screenshot of the help center.

Your overall evaluation of the software you tested
I am really excited about this particular tool. I found it to be easy to set up and just as
easy to use. I was impressed at the number of ways this tool allows its users to collaborate with
one another. There are so many options that it would take more than just these few days to look
at all of the information found within.

There are some downsides though. One thing that Sarah and I discussed was the lack of
an instant messaging tool. The other is the fact that a regular user cannot see when others are
signed in, only the administrator can see that. The interface is pleasing to the eye but if you
wanted to change the colors you have to know the HEX values for the colors you want to use.
You can look them up online but it would be simpler if there were just colors with the shade
beside the name so you could choose more easily.

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Works Cited

"Central Desktop." Central Desktop. TechCrunch, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 June 2012.
<http://www.crunchbase.com/company/central-desktop>.
Duarte, Efren. "Product Strategy Review: Central Desktop for the Large Enterprise." HubPages.
HugPages Technology, 18 Sept. 2009. Web. 07 June 2012.
<http://avochief.hubpages.com/hub/Product-Strategy-Review-Central-Desktop-for-the-
Large-Enterprise>.
Hickey, Matt. "Central Desktop Takes $7 Million." TechCrunch. WordPress.com, 16 Apr. 2008.
Web. 07 June 2012. <http://techcrunch.com/2008/04/16/central-desktop-takes-7-
million/>.
Levine, Ronda. "Central Desktop - Review." Bright Hub. Bright Hub, Inc., 8 July 2009. Web. 07
June 2012. <http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/reviews/8707.aspx>.
Mulvihill, Amanda. "Central Desktop Establishes Common Ground for Creative Agencies."
EContent Magazine. Information Today, Inc., 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 June 2012.
<http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=74508>.
Rao, Leena. "SharePoint Competitor Central Desktop Launches Microsoft Office
Collaboration Tool." TechCrunch. WordPress.com, 4 May 2010. Web. 07 June 2012.
<http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/04/sharepoint-competitor-central-desktop-launches-
microsoft-office-collaboration-tool/>.
"Review of Central Desktop: Powerful, Centralized Project Management | Web 2.0 Reviews |
Listio for Web 2.0." Review of Central Desktop: Powerful, Centralized Project
Management | Web 2.0 Reviews | Listio for Web 2.0. Boxador, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 07

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June 2012. <http://www.listio.com/reviews/2008/08/central-desktop-powerful-
centralized-project-management/>.
Roe, David. "Central Desktop Offers Social Collaboration Edition for Marketing." Central
Desktop Offers Social Collaboration Edition for Marketing. Simpler Media Group, Inc.,
25 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 June 2012. <http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-
collaboration/central-desktop-offers-social-collaboration-edition-for-marketing-
010649.php>.


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LiveBinders
Researched by Teddi Johnson
I was introduced to LiveBinders last year while attending the Arkansas Teacher Leadership
Academy. Our technology facilitator would send information on the Professional Learning
Network (PLN) blog site about Web 2.0 tools to experiment with. As I scrolled through the list I
was drawn to this site because at the time our leadership team was researching e-portfolio sites
for the students at our school to use. LiveBinders looked like the perfect fit for what we wanted.
After experimenting with it, I liked it! In fact, upon returning from the academy, I presented the
software to the leadership team as a tool to store our actions and documentation for the school
year. The team has used the binder to save documents from all the school improvements and
collaboration meetings. I have created a personal binder for all of my graduate school documents
and a binder for my thesis portfolio. For this group project, I also created a binder for our group
to test. I hope the information in this report will convince many of the members in this class to
catch on to this environmental wonder.
LiveBinders is a Web 2.0 tool for sharing and collaboration that is basically an online 3-
ring binder. It allows users to store information, such as website URLs, PDFs, Word
documents, and images in an online digital binder. In addition, by using LiveBinders, the user
can share the web-binders with anyone he or she likes, and the user can search for other public
binders that have already been created (Plano, 2012). LiveBinders is easy to access, its free, and
it does not require a download. The user only has to go to the site at LiveBinders.com, set up a
user name and password, and go to work. The instructions are as follows: sign up to create an
account so you can store your livebinders right away. Add the LiveBinder It bookmark tool to
your browser toolbar. Start browsing the web. Find a link you want to save then click on the

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LiveBinder It to automatically add the link to a new binder. Edit your LiveBinder with the edit
tool to re-title tabs and upload files to the tabs (LiveBinders, 2011).
Some of the perks of the LiveBinder software, other than the ease of logging on and
setting up an account, are how easy it is to navigate and build the binder. The following screen
shot shows what the home page looks like:

I included the text boxes to show the link to sign up, and the link to log on after you have signed
up. Each one of the tabs serves as guides to lead the user to an information page that explains
that particular facet of the site. For example, this particular tab Featured Binders opens the
page with public binders that can be viewed to show how documents are stored in the software.
The links on the right are more binders that can be accessed for viewing and use.
Collaborating with LiveBinders

Although LiveBinders is traditionally considered an educational tool for teachers and
students, it can also be used for business collaboration. I found the following letter that
introduces this new addition to the software:
Use this link
to log In
after
signing up
Use this link to
sign up. Just
create a user
name and
password.

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Happy New Year everyone!
In response to many requests, we are very excited to announce the
addition of collaboration features to LiveBinders. You can use collaboration for
activities such as:
1. Students working on group projects in your class or with a
school across the country
2. Teachers collaborating on lesson plans
3. Teachers and students working in the same binder
4. Districts or schools collecting shared resources
5. Collaborative classrooms
6. Curriculum Alignment planning
Dawn Wall, Technology Coordinator from Kansas State University, was
one of our early testers of the collaboration feature. Here is how she is using it:

This collaboration functionality is really awesome. For example,
we have created a private binder to share information regarding a
complicated program transition. This allows us to have select staff
update the binder in a timely manner while all interested parties
have access to view the binder and have up-to-date information. I
also think it has great potential for K-12 and post-secondary
education project collaboration.
Please see this binder to find out more about how to use the collaboration
features: LiveBinders Collaboration
Thank you to the LiveBinders users who reported bugs and requested
features. Please continue to let us know how to make LiveBinders better for you.
Sincerely,
Tina and Barbara
http://www.livebinders.com(Collaborating with LiveBinders)

The letter serves as a worthy review of the collaboration tool from an outside source. There is
also an overview of how to collaborate with LiveBinders. The abbreviated overview lists the
following steps:
First, make sure that all parties have LiveBinders accounts. Only one person will
be the binder owner and the rest will be collaborators. The binder owner needs to
do the following:

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1. Have email addresses for all the collaborators
2. Create the binder that will be shared
3. Edit the properties so that they reflect the desired name, category, access, etc.
NOTE: the binder owner will be the only one who can change the binder properties.

There is additional information as to how to add and/or remove collaborators and how to give
them access to the notebook by emailing them the URL using the standard email system. It will
also be possible to find shared binders if the user is designated as a collaborator.
Various types of collaboration this software can facilitate is listed in the binder examples below
(Collaborating with LiveBinders):
Collaborize Classroom
Planning/teaching log
Livebinders Collaboration
Collaborative Sheets
Collaborative Forms (Texas)
Collaborative Handouts & Sheets (MN)
Power Tools Recharged
Toni Buzzeo Books
Data-Driven Practice: Toni Buzzeo
School Library Monthly
Information Skills Toolkit
Improve Academic Achievement
Collaborative Units that Work
Library Research with Emergent Readers
CollaborativeComprehension
Destination Collaboration
PBL (Grades 9-12)
Smart Schools
Harmony Curriculum Mapping examples

A Walk-Through of a LiveBinder

To give the other groups who may not be familiar with the software an idea of how
LiveBinders works, I have compiled a tutorial of sorts to allow the groups to take a walk-through
of an actual binder. During the walk-through, I will also be giving directions as to how to
navigate the software.
First, after logging on to the site, the user should click on the desired binder that he or she
wants to see as in the next screenshot. For this walkthrough I chose a business binder to show
that the software is not limited to education uses only. I chose to use the binder called Product
Presentation as is indicated by the arrow in the screenshot below.


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Clicking on the desired binder will open the binders cover page. The tabs at the top of the page
are the documents that can be read for study or collaboration discussion.

.
Clicking on the tabI chose Using Mind Mappingwill open the document to be read.

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This screenshot gives a glimpse of the tabbed document. Any time you wish to see a different
document just click on the tab to open that document.
Features
One of the features that I love about this software is how easy it is to use. Other features
that others have evaluated are these:
Users can
Curate and present their resources quickly and simply
Take control of information
View links like pages in a book instead of URLs on a page
Combine uploaded PDFs and Word docs with links in one binder
Save Time
Update information conveniently without having to resend links
Avoid layout issues all documents are organized by tabs and subtabs
Edit LiveBinders anytime, any place
Make an Impression
For environmentalists, the site allows users to go paperless one LiveBinder at a time
Share all your documents in an easy presentable format
Use LiveBinders for Smartboard and laptop presentations
Build a library of binders and become a valuable resource for others (Awesome
Education Technology, 2011).


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Testimonials about the features come from these two teachers:

By Kristen Paino
June 8, 2012
Livebinders allows you to store websites, PDFs, word documents, and images in a convenient
digital binder that is stored online. Best of all, you can share these web-binders, with anyone you
like, and you can search for other public binders that have already been created. Putting a
LiveBinder together is pretty easy. It is a great way to share information online in an easy and
organized way. The possibilities to teachers are pretty amazing!

By Kelly Little
April 28, 2012

Collaborate, collect, create units of instruction with multimedia functionality. Present to class
from the binder, or embed to your class site as resource!
My favorite way to organize, yellow folders are often chaos!
How do you use this tool? Cancel comment
We'd love to know! Please log in or create an account to share your wisdom (Plano, 2012).

Two other LiveBinders features of merit are that there is a privacy clause. It can be
read at the link http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/privacy. There is also an upcoming
option for professional users and organizations who need more to apply for a Subscription
Service. It will include greater storage capacity, larger file upload sizes, and other premium
features. More information about the subscription service can be found at the same link as
above, only instead of privacy, you will need to type upgrade (LiveBinders, 2011).
As shown in the screenshot below, Livebinders can be used with 37 collections.
They are all listed and categorized for ease of use (LiveBinders, 2011).


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Overall Evaluation

My overall evaluation of the software is that it is a great option offered by Web 2.0. It is free, it
is easy to use, and it is accessible to users for collaboration or for personal use. After comparing
LiveBinders with the other software our group investigated, I would say it is one of the easiest to
use. There are not as many steps to get to the main workstations or as much to navigate in order
to complete a task.
LiveBinders is a valuable tool for any collaborator to have in his or her virtual toolbox.


30

Works Cited
Awesome Education Technology. (2011, January 4). Retrieved June 7, 2012, from Wordpress.
Collaborating with LiveBinders. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2012, from LiveBinders.com.
LiveBinders. (2011). Retrieved June 5, 2012, from LiveBinders.com.
Plano, K. a. (2012, April 28). EdShelf. Retrieved June 6, 2012


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iManageProject
Researched by Sarah Moore
How iManageProject works

iManageProject is an online, Software as a Service (SAAS), collaboration tool of the
simplest nature. It is quite readily accessed and implemented as Web 2.0 software. In other
words, there is nothing to download or fill up your personal computer space. It is very easy
to install, as the user merely creates an account, and iManageProject provides a central
location and virtual space to address any type of collaborative project. iManageProject is
also very user-intuitive to operate. Part of this is due to its streamlined design, and part is
due to its minimal features.
Features
iManageProject includes four specific features that are easy to use; essentially, the
program offers a decent level of collaboration in an online bulletin board fashion. Features
first include a Dashboard area. The screenshot below shows the clean desktop interface.

Project
title
Feature tabs
Housekeeping
tabs

32
As can be seen in the screenshot above, there are four tabs on the top left of the screen that
access the included collaborative features (to-do, milestones, and time), as well as
housekeeping tabs (settings, template creation, account, search, people) on the right.
Within the dashboard, to access the actual collaboration project, the user must click in the
right sidebar on the project title (Collaborative Software Reviews in this case), to access
the home area for the project.
The overview page for the actual project home appears as follows:

As briefly mentioned, besides the Overview dashboard-style page within your project,
features within the project area (top tabs on the left of the screenshot) include an option
for Messages that are similar to email within the site; a To-do option that offers creation
of lists of tasks to be done; Milestones that can be set up within a date framework,
Writeboards that are similar to an online, but editable, bulletin board; a Time log for

33
keeping track of personal project activity; and a location for Files to be uploaded and
shared. Each of these options is very straightforward and user-friendly.
Pricing
iManageProject pricing is quite reasonable and is shown in the chart below:

As can be seen in the pricing chart, iManageProject offers the same tools in the free version
as in the paid versions; only the number of projects and storage size increases. In reviewing
the product, since the iManageProject lacks some significant features that other SaaS
programs offer, the pricing scheme is inexpensive but less than optimal at any level but the
free one.
Personal experience and what others are saying
Except for issues with the invitation feature, my personal experience was very
positive. However, overall the program offered limited features, and that was definitely a
shortcoming. As you will see from this teams other reviews, we were much more
impressed with Central Desktop, a similar SaaS offering that provided much greater depth
in its features. The online reviews of what others are saying about iManageProject were
solely found in magazine or technology reviews, rather than by users. Several of these
reviews were insightful. GetApp.com stated that
iManageProject is an online (SaaS) project management software that makes
team collaboration very easy. iManageProject features integrated to-do lists,
dashboards, milestones and time tracking. With iManageProject, users can

34
share files, work on online collaboration tools, communicate through
writeboards and message boards.

In comments about iManageProjects uncluttered interface, Web-based Software
evaluates,

Generally speaking, iManageProject's interface is very minimalist, and so are
several features (time tracking being a good example). For lots of small
businesses, time tracking requires a date, a number of hours and a
description only. However, for organizations with complex processes, time
tracking in iManageProject lacks several things, including a time clock, a
couple of time entry fields (such as time type) and integration with third-
party accounting solutions. File management is also very minimalist but in
this case, it is a plus.

Another application evaluation site, MakeUseOf.com, points out, The tool borrows a lot of
from the popular Basecamp while offering free and much cheaper premium packages
including the most useful features like Messages, To-dos, Milestones, Files, and even
Writeboards. There was really nothing extremely negative in any of the online reviews,
but the flaw in iManageProject is not in its user interface but in its feature provision. If it
were the only online collaborative software tool that I had ever used, it would appear on
the surface to be a good product. But therein lies the problem it is a good product rather
than a great product. However, that comparative fact would remain unknown unless one
takes specific time to compare it against other similar products such as Central Desktop.
Comparison criteria
In carrying out such a comparison, our team applied the criteria of
Who might use the product?
What features does the product provide?
How effective and easy-to-use are those features?
What account limits does the product set?
How effective is the product support or help center?

In the case of iManageProject, it could be utilized within any collaborative setting because it

35
is very general in nature. The features are easy to use but not always effective, as it lacks
certain features. For example, it fails to tie the To Do list to Milestones, so there is no
ability to track percentage of a job as its being done. The product account limits are fine for
each offered level; the file upload capability is excellent. However, a simple thing like the
iManageProject help center was a problem. I never found it within the website and actually
had to search online via Bing to locate the help center. (Later I also discovered it on the
company home page it just didnt seem to exist inside of my project once I was logged in.)
Once I found the support area, it actually was helpful, but only in a general sense. It offered
FAQs and information about each general feature of the site. But for a specific example, I
could not find any place that explained why my invitations to other team members expired
so quickly (as mentioned previously and explained in depth below).
Overall evaluation of the software tested
In a final analysis, iManageProject worked readily and easily at set up. My
experience with iManageProject was positive in the features that are offered. This software
is truly extremely easy to learn and begin using instantly. However, it was difficult to invite
others to join the project site. The invitations expired quickly and had to be reissued as
many as three times before others were able to catch the invitation in time to log in.
Furthermore, it is not a full suite because it doesnt offer web meetings, wiki setup, instant
messaging, and perhaps other multimedia options that some of the more expansive
collaborative software sites offer. The scaled back time tracking feature and lack of
integration of tasks with milestone completion was also less than perfect. Therefore,
iManageProject is limited in its scope of application its a suitable option for a very simple
collaborative project, but complicated business models may require greater technological

36
ability than iManageProject offers. The fact that the free version is limited to one project
and one gigabyte of space suggests that paying customers would prefer to look elsewhere.
To be absolutely honest, iManageProject speaks to my personal experience as if it were a
lite version that ought to be offered solely as freeware.


37
Works Cited
Editors Software Review iManageProject. Web-based Software. 2012. 8 Jun. 2012.
http://www.web-based-software.com/imanageproject/review/.
iManageProject. GetApp.com. 2012. 8 Jun. 2012.
<http://www.getapp.com/imanageproject-com-application>.
iManageProject Plans and Pricing Info. iManageProject. 2012. 7 Jun 2012.
http://imanageproject.com/en-US/signup.
iManageProject: Project management tool like Basecamp. MakeUseOf.com. 2012. 7 Jun.
2012. < http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/imanageproject-project-management-
tools-like-basecamp/>.


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