REPLY How to promote good work (SD6583)

[SDMAIL Schuette, Wade]

Posted by  "Schuette, Wade" <wschuett at jhsph.edu>

OK, I realize that suggesting we look at more powerful collaborative 
tools instantly generates policy resistance, because surely they are 
too hard to use. 

Nope.  37Signals has done an astoundingly good job of making software 
that's easy to use, as one example.   So,  I set up an account in their 
product "Basecamp" for anyone who wants to to try out. No charge. No 
obligation.  You can't break anything so take it out for a spin.

It has messaging (locally posted, also e-mail if you want, also RSS-feed 
if you want),  file-storage,  live-chat, shared-live-text editing, 
 shared web-based to-do lists, basic project management tools,  etc.   
 It has won numerous awards for being astoundingly easy to use. 

Please try it out.  You need a username and password to sign on, pick either
  username: SD   password: SD
or 
  username SD2    password: SD2
at this URL

https://si689team.updatelog.com

I set this up two years ago when I took Gary Olson's course in "Computer 
Supported Collaborative Work" at the University of Michigan School of 
Information.   The course number was SI689, which is why this has that 
strange URL.   That class did a human-factors assessment of this tool, 
and it got superb ratings.  
( http://www.si.umich.edu/research/area.htm?AreaID=3 )

I have no relationship with 37signals or the School of Information - I 
just think they are both neat and very much on the right track.   And 
I think System Dynamics is too! Go Team! (Well, I can't cheer too much 
for the Michigan Wolverines right now, so I need some other champion.)

Wade Schuette
Ann Arbor, MI
Posted by  "Schuette, Wade" <wschuett at jhsph.edu>
posting date  Thu, 6 Sep 2007 07:30:46 -0400