Groove Workspace
http://www.groove.net
= breakthrough tool
Software (Win)
FREE + paid options

Groove Workspace is a technology that has been available for at least two years and that only now, with the recent release of version 2.1 has reached a maturity level that makes it a fantastic proposition for any geographically dispersed team, collaborative and participatory work, and not least for online presentations and meetings.

Groove Workspace has really impressed me and nonetheless by aggressive testing of all of its features it has performed admirably even under adverse conditions. I have reviewed in depth this technology along 15 others in my upcoming dossier on web conferencing tools and technologies that is going to be available in a couple of weeks.

Though the tool requires some serious computing power under your hood, it is extremely effective in allowing collaboration, knowledge sharing and creation workflows through its many well thought out tools.

Groove Workspace is a P2P technology, that is, it employs a peer-to-peer technology scheme to distribute information to members of a workspace. There is no central server on which information resides, and there is no online subscription to pay.

Once you buy this product you can work online with your teams for the rest of your life.

Groove Workspace build its main approach on the creation of different "workspaces", which you can create and define at will. A "workspace" is a virtual networked facility where you and your selected team members can access a number of tools, communicate, chat, talk, and attend meetings or presentations.

Groove Workspace is completely customizable and it allows you to populate your "workspace" with the tools and facilities that are most appropriate. While Groove Networks provides a set of 10 basic tools to work with at the beginning, there exist several companies already who provide custom modules for specialized collaborative tasks (I have seen one that allows architects to work collaboratively at a distance by being able to share and view together CAD drawings.).

See all of the tools available at:
http://www.groove.net/downloads/ tools/index.html

The basic Groove tools, which you can integrate selectively in each "workspace" you create are:

a) File Sharing
b) Project Management
c) Discussion Threaded area
d) Whiteboard
e) Pictures area
f) Text chat
g) Forms and database
h) Meetings Manager
i) Document Review
l) Group Calendar

In addition to this Groove is capable of facilitating co-surfing sessions, online live presentations and voice conference facilities.

Groove Workspace updates in the background your "workspace" colleagues by sharing with them through the network the changes and additions you have done in your common "workspace". All documents, files shared through Groove are always available locally to each user in that workspace and they are always updated to the last revision.

Groove Workspace has email and instant messaging features which allow you to easily invite colleagues or friends to join you in one particular workspace. Groove plugs in and extends the power and reach of Microsoft Exchange/Sharepoint and of the Lotus Domino enterprise systems.

Groove Workspace offers such an array of impressive features and functionalities that facilitate online collaboration and exchange in new and highly effective ways.

No other tool or online service comes even close to the benefits that can be gained by adopting and gradually integrating the power of this technology in your collaborative workflow.

Download a free Personal version of Groove Workspace which you can use for personal use for up to 90 days at:
http://www.groove.net/downloads/ groove/

Standard version is USD $ 49!!! with unlimited "workspaces" to be created.

The Professional version, USD $ 99 adds the ability to:
a) aggregate view of members' projects
b) import and export Microsoft project files
c) import and export forms
d) add scripts, macros, buttons and objects to forms.

My only word is: impressive.

Very, very recommended.