eCollaboration

eCollaboration: What is it and how can it be used?
eCollaboration means many things to many people so let's try and define what it is. Type the term into Google and you'll get 105,000 entries. These range from a site that says 'Learning by Web' to one that is concerned with virtual teams.

Ask anyone in the industry and you'll get no clear definition. Vendors and service providers tend to describe eCollaboration in terms limited to their own product offerings.

In our work, we define eCollaboration as being about communicating effectively in our electronic age, using a combination of audio, data and/or video technologies. eCollaboration occurs across time zones and around the world and is critical for today's business operations.

eCollaboration Tools
There are a variety of technologies that support eCollaboration and these are continually evolving and changing. These technologies cover a range of interactivity from real-time collaboration to asynchronous exchange of ideas and information. The common feature is that they enable collaboration between groups of people that are not physically in the same location.

Voice conferencing is well established in most organizations and is the most common of the eCollaboration tools because it's cost effective, reliable and easy to use. It offers instant meeting options in addition to features such as voting/polling response options, sub-conferencing a large group into smaller conference groups and Q&A options that support and improve managing a conference call.

Videoconferencing has been evolving for more than a decade and has been implemented by many organizations It offers vision as well as the exchange of data between parties involved in the connection. The latest developments in videoconferencing are high definition video that brings the picture almost up to television quality and 'telepresence' features that are designed to make people feel as though they are in the same room as each other. Each vendor has their own version of this and it will be interesting to see how this space develops with many non-traditional videoconference manufacturers entering the market.

Web conferencing has evolved from being voice and still images only, to be a rich media environment combining voice, video and data. Video and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) have been integrated into web conferencing by most providers. These vary in their quality at this point in time, but continue to develop and improve. Web conferences can also be recorded for access by those who couldn't attend live.

Social networking tools have evolved from the realm of the early adopters to be mainstream eCollaboration tools. Blogs and wikis enable participants to express ideas, contribute to dialogues and the opportunity to collaborate on projects asynchronously. For teams based around the globe, this means that business can be operating 24 hours a day as team members come online at the start of their working day.

Market Drivers
Costs for eCollaboration services remain relatively high in Australia and when we see price drops we'll see a corresponding increase in usage. The USA has seen web conferencing prices plummet to 3¢ per minute for 'lite' services and voice conferencing drop as low as half a cent per minute. (Source: Elliot Gold, TeleSpan) There is still a vast range of prices in Australia with service providers preferring to offer value-add services as opposed to cheap unsupported calls. But the direction is definitely down.

Video conferencing hardware has plummeted in price both overseas and here. This will continue and you'll see vendors providing value-add services to get your business. Systems are also getting smaller and cheaper – sub-$5000 for compact systems. Although, expect to pay considerably more for the new high definition systems!

Convergence and mobility will also have a major impact on uptake of eCollaboration. Voice, video and web conferencing are already converging onto the one system that is delivered via the desktop computer. This will increase the use of conferencing technologies as they become more ubiquitous and available to a larger range of users.

With wireless solutions we'll become much more mobile and you'll see people attending meetings from cafes, airports and other public places – if you haven't already. There have already been major developments, with most 'road warriors' now able to stay in contact from wherever they may be.

Every conference I've attended in the last two years has provided wireless access to allow delegates to continue business as usual. It is now commonplace to see delegates hunched over laptops in the semi-darkness. A quick scan from the back of the room shows that many are posting live to their blogs, others are going to websites on topics just mentioned by speakers, while others are checking emails.

Use of eCollaboration
Organizations are beginning to understand the value of eCollaboration technologies and the potential they have for increasing productivity and efficiency. They can do this by:

• reducing travel time
• preventing meeting delays
• creating shorter and more structured meetings
• providing faster exchange of information

They also enable greater reach of a message to increased numbers of participants. Individuals can access information at the same time or when it is convenient for them. Co-workers can communicate as if they were in the same room, even if they are located on the other side of the world.

Uptake of eCollaboration has been slow and often done in an ad hoc way. This reflects the development of the industry and its many unfulfilled promises.

In implementing eCollaboration, organizations need to consider:

• why they are implementing these technologies
• how they will use them once they're installed
• what their implementation plan is to ensure that users embrace the technologies
• what their benchmark for success is and how they will measure this

We look forward to an increase in planned implementations so that some concrete examples will be available.

About the Author
Carol Daunt is Founder and CEO of LearnTel Pty Ltd. She has been involved in the design, application and effective use of eCollaboration technologies since 1986. She holds a Dip T; Grad Dip Dist Ed; B Ed & M Ed (Research) – her thesis investigated the nature of interaction in videoconferencing. She has been published in numerous journals and is a frequent speaker at international conferences. Copies of some of her papers and articles can be downloaded at http://www.learntel.com.au