Long Shadows of Collaboration Tools

While working with Google Docs, the document went blank! Yes, a white screen within the Google Docs browser window! After initial confusion, we tried to recover the document from the Revision History. To our relief, the document was there, but it had lost its formatting. Formatting was gone not just for the latest revision but for all past revisions, as if the document was never formatted from the beginning. This is a real-life example of two partners learning the benefits and limitations of tools.

Collaboration tools cast long shadows and when people hit a glitch (user error or software bug) it seems to be a bigger setback to the feeling of trust.  This is a good case in point.  Feelings of concern were greater because it affected one other person. Imagine how it might feel when someone crashes a site that 100 people use, especially respected peers!

Update on 24 December 2010 by Lokesh Datta

See Related Posts:

• Security Imperative for Collaborative Cloud Computing
• Spooks Spooked - Intel Sharing Tools Shut
• Open Letter to Collaboration Tool Providers