As we move forward into 2010, we should nonetheless look back into 2009 and ponder on the things we’ve done and how to make that better this year.
No doubt we been busy. And since returning back into Draftfcb KL, I’ve asked a lot if some of the processes we undertook was done well enough and if not, how to make them better.
What struck hard was how some things worked well on it’s own, but not with others. And even more, that some items were very much done the way traditional advertising agencies do. In a traditional world. With traditional tools. Like any traditional agency would.
But ‘traditional’ we’re not. We are in a state where most our campaigns will be centered around Digital. Or at least, have a digital component to it. So let’s move forward. Let’s take a step up. Because as much as we would like our clients to have the brevity to jump into digital, we as an agency should play the vanguard and be trailblazers in this world. Especially in the areas of ideas, tools and services.
Let’s face it. If we are to conceptualise digital solutions for clients, we should first be proponents of them. Why preach the merits of social media and power of the hive if we ourselves have not gotten wet with online collaboration tools and how these trigger user behaviours? I’ve faith some of you are using them already. But some is not enough. I’d like all of you to use it.
So in 2010, we will change how we do things. We will now be the hive. And leverage off the power of the others to create, conceptualise, ideate, design, produce, track, manage and deliver projects better.
Here are the online collaboration tools that I recommend you to use now on.
Your own Blog. Just like this one; brainiacsatwork.com
A blog does not have to be complex. It can be as simple as a image based portfolio site. As a digital creative, it would show the exact opposite of how good you are if your book is in the outdated portfolio case. A blog also shows that you are passionate about digital. You and I will never be a top notch blogger with millions of visitors. But having one shows that you understand how the basic ecosystem of social media works. It does not have to be self-hosted. There are many blog services out there. Blogger, Posterous and Tumblr are some top options.
Wordpress
There are many blog engines out there. I recommend Wordpress. It works for the most basic to the most advanced user. It can be a simple one image per page photo gallery (a portfolio site) or the media giants like CNN. Thousands of modules expand wordpress into a powerful social media engine. It connects to everything your digital content will ever need. Alternatives are MovableType, Joomla and Drupal.
Shared Online Calendar
This is a must for everyone in the team to use. Simple, easy and fast way to update staff movement and availability. So for team members not already subscribed to it, please do so.
ActiveCollab
So far, the best self-hosted Project Management and Tracking tool. This will be installed on the upcoming draftfcb.com.my website and will be central to all of our project creation, tracking and delivery activities. Clients will also be given access so all change requests can be listed and added on as tasks. Alternative to this is 37Signals Basecamp.
Box.net
Must use for file sharing between group members. One of the best and most simplest free file sharing services accessible via online or mobile. Each user get a free 2gb shared drive which probably won’t be used up if managed smartly. Folders can be private or shared and sharing can be control to groups or individuals. Group members can also collaborate in the management and file synchronisation. A log screen shows the activities that has taken place in files or folders. Alternative to this is dropbox.
DimDim
Web meeting and conferencing made easy and free. With screen and/or presentation sharing. As good as Skype with benefit that it does not require an account. Not a must but strongly recommended for virtual meetings.
Skype
Without doubt, the best web to web conferencing software. Now also with screen sharing so presentations can be shared to entire group. Drawback is that it requires a unique Skype login and some clients do not have these. However, this is a must for internal staff and members. Alternative is Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger.
TickSpot
Bonus! This is more reporting than collaboration. TickSpot is a very good way to update and enter your timesheets. Free for individuals. You create an account and enter from anywhere. When ready, export them into CSV format so these can be inserted into the Excel timesheet entry sheets. It’s the enter from anywhere that makes TickSpot a service that I use often.
Conclusion
So there you go. A full set of online and web services that can be immediately used to make 2010 a more productive year through better collaboration and ways to share ideas. In no way are the above services we will use from now onwards are the best in class but they are all hand-selected after comparing and using many of the alternative and or complementary options.
hello, this may be relevant to the readers here …
The Marathon List of Project Management & Collaboration Tools
http://blog.decode10.com/2009/12/13/the-marathon-list-of-project-management-collaboration-tools/
I would like to add LiquidPlanner to the Project Management/Collaboration/Time Tracking tool list!
LiquidPlanner is an excellent web based project management system, that was built on the idea that it ’s critical to include some level of uncertainty in the project schedule, and this uncertainty will get smaller and smaller as the project progresses. LiquidPlanner allows you to estimate tasks in ranges, more about that here:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-manager/?p=2688&tag=main;wideContent
As for collaboration, LP has a very full collaboration system, with document sharing, discussions, detailed notes and links. All these types of collaboration can be done on all levels of the project and workspace, but is always attached to some element of the project or workspace. I find this much more valuable than Basecamp, where by the time you’ve gotten far into the project, all of the message threads can easily turn into a big mess and finding important details and documents can be difficult. LiquidPlanner prevents this by organizing collaboration with project tasks, folders, or root level for the client.
More on LiquidPlanner’s features here: http://www.liquidplanner.com/tour
This is a great list with big pictures that make it very helpful. We keep track of collaboration software categorized by Focuses. For example, Focus on Blogs, Focus on Large Company Collaboration etc. etc.
http://collaborationking.com/collaboration-software/
Great lists! Thank you. Especially enjoyed the very comprehensive ones on collaborationking.com.
It’s essential that i’ve found this article on google , keep up the good work mate …I’ve just subscribed to your feeds. Cheers!
Great post! I am all for looking at the past and working out ways to make results better.
I’d like to add another feature to the list if I may – OnePlace is an online business organization solution that utilizes team collaboration features to increase the connectivity and communication between team members, clients, customers and freelancers. OnePlace focuses on making the people in the business successful, which in turn increases the success of the business overall. You can check out OnePlace at http://www.oneplacehome.com and check out the collaboration features we offer.
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The design for your blog is a bit off in iCab. All The Same I like your blog. I may have to install a “normal” browser just to enjoy it. :)
Thanks. I agree. Will be upgrading the theme in few weeks to come.
Great list of collab tools! Let me also add small business crm http://www.worketc.com as it is a project management, collaboration tool, crm and invocing software all-in-one. No, it’s not overkill with features as it still maintains a user friendly interface, very efficient but cost-effective, see their packages.