the world's your office: realtime collaboration: presentation

“The World’s Your Office:” Realtime Collaboration

Internet Collaboration Tools

LIFT ForumSpencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library,University of Utah Health Sciences Center

Sharon Dennis – Sdennis@lib.med.utah.edu

Claire Hamasu– Chamasu@rml4.utah.edu

Susan Roberts– Sroberts@lib.med.utah.edu

Overview

Videoconferencing Voice over IP (VoIP) Instant messaging Group software

The World’s Your Office:Videoconferencing

Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences LibraryUniversity of Utah Health Sciences Center

Videoconferencing Overview

Access Grid demo What is videoconferencing? Uses for videoconferencing Hardware and software VRVS demo

What is Videoconferencing?

Real time interaction (seeing and hearing) with other people located with one or more remote sites

Components:– Viewing equipment (computer or TV)– Camera(s)– Microphone(s)– Network or phone line

Does It Work?

To paraphrase Mae West: “When it’s good, it’s very, very

good.”

Uses for Videoconferencing

Collaboration with colleagues Education

– Distance learning– Collaborative learning with 2 groups of

students at different schools

Telehealth– Patient care– Family support

Types of Videoconferencing

Multi-point– Multiple sites

Point-to-point– One-to-one communication

Hardware Spectrum

WebCam attached to a computer$50

Polycom ViaVideo attached to a computer$500

Polycom ViewStation Standalone unit$5000

Software – Single-Point Systems

•Chat programs•Yahoo, MSN, iChat

•NetMeeting

•Polycom proprietary software•Both users have Polycoms

Software – Multi-Point Systems: Access Grid

Internet II videoconferencing system

Software – Multi-Point Systems: Breeze

•Macromedia Breeze•Commercial product•www.breeze.com•Users access from any Web browser•Audio, video, application sharing, collaboration tools

Software – Multi-Point Systems: Bridge

•Telehealth Bridge•Schedule with telehealth department

Software – Multi-Point Systems: VRVS

•VRVS•Virtual Room Video-conferencing System•www.vrvs.org•Free•Audio, video, application sharing

Demonstrations

VRVS

Resources

Videoconference Cookbook Dale Alverson’s talk at InfoFair See handouts at:

http://medstat.med.utah.edu/collaboration/handouts.html

The World’s Your Office:VoIP

Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences LibraryUniversity of Utah Health Sciences Center

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

– aka Internet Voice, Internet Telephony

– a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.*

* VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone orheadset into a digital signal that travels over the internet then converts it back at the other end so you can speak toanyone with a regular phone number.

What kind of equipment do you need?

A broadband (high speed Internet) connection is required.

– This can be through a cable modem, or high speed services such as DSL or a local area network.

Voice is sent via a:– Microphone attached to your computer and send

your voice through a cable modem – or a phone connected directly to a telephone

adaptor.

Types of VoIP services

Skype: • PC to PC or Phone Anywhere

(Skype is for calling other people on their computers or phones)

• Just need to register with Skype and you can call other Skype registered users online

VoIP: Skype features

Use with a microphone headset Can search for users online IM feature available Conferencing calls (limit 5

participants) SkypeOut:

• Additional service that lets you call traditional landlines or mobile phones anywhere in the world, but with a charge (which is minimal <4 cents/minute)

VoIP: Skype features – cont’d

Supported platforms:• Windows• Mac OS X• Linux• Pocket PC

Demo…

Skype:– http://www.skype.com/

The World’s Your OfficeInstant Messaging

Instant Messaging – What is it?

Software– Two people communicate via text

messaging – Real time

Developer– Mirablis– 1996– ICQ (I seek you)

Instant Messaging—Who offers it?

AIM www.aim.com/

MSN messenger.msn.com/

Yahoo messenger.yahoo.com/

Instant Messaging

Software—free downloads Hardware—any system More immediate than email Presence!

Cross Group Messaging

Trillian http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/

Added Features

Conference Chats Webcam Voice File transfer Games Mobile IM

The World’s Your Office Group Software

Group Software-What is it?

Web based communication technologies that allow interaction of team members as they perform interdependent tasks to accomplish a common purpose—Charles Steinfield, Michigan State University

Asynchronous (calendars, shared files etc) and synchronous (Videoconf, whiteboard etc)

Is it for my Group?

Are members of your project team separated by time and space?

Do you have a core group –actual work team, plus other stakeholders, such a department head or funding agency who wants to occasionally monitor the project’s progress?

Is your team’s email volume overwhelming? Need a private place to hash out questions and answers without playing catch up on email?

Ideal Infrastructure

supports synchronous and asynchronous interactions

provides shared workspaces and archives supplies needed awareness information

(participant availability and activity) enhances distributed activity

– structured workflow - no overwriting– decision support - who “said” what– project management-who is responsible,

deadlines

Products

IBM Lotus Team Workplace (Quickplace)

Yahoo Groups WebCollab

– Open Source

Microsoft SharePoint

Cost

License– Lotus Team Workplace (incl year

maintenance)• $12,735 • Unlimited number of users

– SharePoint 5-25 User/device• $1,000-4,000• With external users up to $8000

– Free

Demo: Lotus Workplace (Quickplace)

Member Access Rooms Creating/Importing documents

– Workflow– Forms

Discussion Calendar Project management

WebCollab

Project management oriented Tasks with deadlines Calendar

About Yahoo! Groups: features

Some features:– Messages– Calendar– Database- contact lists, etc.– Photo albums– Poll– Search Archive– Owner vs. Moderator– News Feeds

Demo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/healprogram/

Our Experience

Beneficial only when all team members use it

Training-in context Access –equal vs hierarchical Room vs Folder vs Page

Summary

Choice of collaboration tools– Integrated Stand alone– High cost Shareware/Open Source

Improving constantly Virtual approaches reality

– Distance– Cost

For more info….

See handouts at:

http://medstat.med.utah.edu/collaboration/handouts.html