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Finding sites with the best news and latest trends for online collaboration software
July 28, 2006
By: Alice Osborn
Finding accurate information for online collaboration
software is a challenge because the search may lead you to
multiple sites, without providing you with the answers you
need. But thanks to online collaboration guru Robin Good's
reporting on online collaborative information sites, the
search is a lot easier. In his article, "Online
Collaboration News: Where Do You Go To Get the Best News?,"
Good discusses six sites that feature information on web
based collaboration tools and their effectiveness in getting
news, trend and tool information to the public.
The need for RSS feeds on online collaboration sites
Good emphasizes the need for RSS (Really Simple
Syndication) feeds on the collaboration sites. RSS groups
web content into an XML file and allows users to view
updates. If you sign up for RSS feeds from your favorite
sites, then you can sort through the online slush pile
yourself and pick out online collaboration news that is
useful for your work. You can even set up your computer with
a newsreader or aggregator to have the feeds delivered to
your email box, handheld device or web browser. But,
wouldn't it be easier if someone else did the work for you?
That's where the need for RSS/news radar feeds can save time
for the busy online collaborator who can go to a specific
site to check on all of the latest news and trends.
RSS ensures that the news isn't outdated, which Good
found to be in case in many of his reviewed sites. He also
notes how many of the reviewed sites are only for industry
professionals who aren't interested in the latest tools and
technology. Good is also frustrated by many sites that only
offer press releases on company mergers without providing
any information on the online collaboration tools
themselves.
A short review of online collaboration sites
-
eWeek -- This site's home page is filled with top
stories, breaking news, the best podcasts, video casts and
blogs, and the most read stories. There's also industry
news, product reviews, opinions, case studies, and a great
number of white papers to download. Robin Good recommends
eWeek because of its RSS feed and news subscription
service, as well as its up-to-the-minute news. He states
that the site's only downside is that it does a better job
of reviewing enterprise online collaboration news than
conferencing services for smaller companies. I also
recommend this site.
-
ConferencingNews -- This audio, web, and video
conferencing site is more focused on conferencing industry
news than on new product reviews. It offers conferencing
news headlines that are provided from various sources such
as InformationWeek, the Motley Fool, Business Wire, and
several others, and from this site's staff. While it does
have a daily e-mail alert of the top headlines,
ConferencingNews doesn't have an RSS feed.
-
CollaborationLoop -- This blog has all originally
written posts from industry professionals and focuses more
on the enterprise market and on web conferencing. It has a
breaking news section which comprises its RSS news feed, but
it doesn't have an RSS feed that digs deeper into the
stories of the online collaboration industry. This site has
the potential to be better since the stories are well
written by insiders.
-
ConferZone -- This site offers breaking news, but all
of the stories were four days older than the other sites I
reviewed. The posts are from other sources, but the sources
aren't cited. An RSS feed is available, but it's from old
news stories, and even these are industry press releases.
- Thinkofit is David Woolley's brainchild and it contains
plenty of valuable information on web conferencing and
online collaboration technologies on its "Web Conferencing
Guide" page. Unfortunately, there isn't an RSS feed that
ties its information on new product additions to what's
going in the industry.
-
Wainhouse Research and
WR Platinum offer valuable
big-picture news and information for the online
collaboration industry, targeting enterprise firms who need
to stay up to date with the Wainhouse RSS news feed, called
the Wainhouse Research Bulletin. This is a solid site
featuring quality reporting, but is not as focused on
smaller firms or product reviews.
Good also lists his site,
Kolabora, which is the only
online collaboration site featuring his RSS/news radars that
are located on the top banner of the home page and focus on
particular topics, such as web conferencing, virtual teams,
and web presentations. Says, Will Roberts, editor of
Web-Conferencing-Zone.com, "In my opinion, these new Kolabora news radars provide one of the best places online
to research the software and tools related to the online
collaboration field." I agree with Roberts' assessment since
Good merges the strong points of all of his reviewed sites
by placing timesaving information at the fingertips of his
visitors.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See: [
Free web
conferencing software solutions that are truly free ]
[ Group
collaboration software & groupware applications for
collaborative teams ]
[ PowerPoint
presentation tips for effective PowerPoint presentations ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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