<s>
A	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
helps	O
people	O
to	O
collaborate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
purpose	O
of	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
is	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
individuals	O
to	O
accomplish	O
a	O
common	O
goal	O
or	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
either	O
of	O
a	O
non-technological	O
nature	O
such	O
as	O
paper	O
,	O
flipcharts	O
,	O
post-it	O
notes	O
or	O
whiteboards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
can	O
also	O
include	O
software	O
tools	O
and	O
applications	B-Application
such	O
as	O
collaborative	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
idea	O
to	O
use	O
computers	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
was	O
formed	O
in	O
1945	O
when	O
Vannevar	O
Bush	O
shared	O
his	O
thoughts	O
on	O
a	O
system	O
he	O
named	O
"	O
memex	B-General_Concept
"	O
in	O
his	O
article	O
"	O
As	O
We	O
May	O
Think	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Microcomputer	B-Architecture
was	O
invented	O
in	O
1970	O
,	O
everyone	O
learned	O
about	O
office	B-Application
automation	I-Application
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
collaborative	B-Application
software	I-Application
called	O
Electronic	B-Protocol
Information	I-Protocol
Exchange	I-Protocol
System	I-Protocol
(	O
EIES	B-Protocol
)	O
that	O
allowed	O
to	O
do	O
surveys	O
,	O
threaded	O
replies	O
and	O
group-structured	O
approaches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1991	O
educator	O
C	O
.	O
A	O
.	O
Ellis	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
definition	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
groupware	B-Application
"	O
as	O
“	O
computer-based	O
systems	O
that	O
support	O
groups	O
of	O
people	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
common	O
task	O
(	O
or	O
goal	O
)	O
and	O
that	O
provide	O
an	O
interface	O
to	O
a	O
shared	O
environment	O
”	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
Wilson	O
then	O
shaped	O
the	O
term	O
“	O
Computer-Supported	B-Protocol
Cooperative	I-Protocol
Work	I-Protocol
(	O
CSCW	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
laid	O
the	O
foundation	O
to	O
develop	O
further	O
on	O
the	O
ideas	O
of	O
groupware	B-Application
and	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
Lotus	O
Notes	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Exchange	I-Operating_System
Server	I-Operating_System
and	O
Outlook	B-Application
were	O
invented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
aspects	O
of	O
collaboration	O
:	O
communication	O
,	O
coordination	O
and	O
cooperation	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
categorize	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
invention	O
of	O
email	O
as	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
changed	O
the	O
way	O
we	O
used	O
to	O
communicate	O
in	O
the	O
workplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Voicemail	O
as	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
is	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
integrated	O
in	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Voice	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
as	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
we	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
reach	O
people	O
within	O
an	O
organisation	O
in	O
real-time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
future	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
is	O
not	O
a	O
stand-alone	B-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
anymore	O
,	O
but	O
very	O
well	O
integrated	O
in	O
bigger	O
solutions	O
such	O
as	O
Unified	B-Protocol
Communication	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
as	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
has	O
quickly	O
gained	O
popularity	O
among	O
companies	O
and	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
communication	O
portfolio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
report	O
from	O
Eclipse	O
Telecom	O
is	O
pointing	O
out	O
,	O
the	O
VoIP	B-Application
is	O
moving	O
towards	O
the	O
state	O
to	O
totally	O
replace	O
our	O
telephones	O
in	O
our	O
offices	O
and	O
also	O
integrate	O
in	O
existing	O
collaboration	O
service	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
supporting	O
this	O
are	O
the	O
ones	O
who	O
allow	O
a	O
person	O
to	O
set	O
up	O
group	O
activities	O
,	O
schedules	O
and	O
deliverables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Application
calendars	I-Application
are	O
part	O
of	O
professional	O
behaviour	O
at	O
work	O
and	O
fully	O
integrated	O
in	O
other	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
research	O
paper	O
from	O
University	O
of	O
Bath	O
explains	O
,	O
online	B-Application
calendars	I-Application
could	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
be	O
much	O
closely	O
linked	O
to	O
other	O
data	O
such	O
as	O
social	O
media	O
and	O
have	O
even	O
a	O
larger	O
effect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	B-Application
trackers	I-Application
are	O
especially	O
used	O
to	O
measure	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spreadsheets	B-Application
are	O
like	O
emails	O
very	O
popular	O
within	O
the	O
corporate	O
environment	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
essential	O
for	O
financial	O
analysis	O
or	O
modelling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
very	O
popular	O
,	O
several	O
studies	O
found	O
out	O
that	O
many	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
contain	O
inaccurate	O
data	O
and	O
are	O
therefore	O
inefficient	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
most	O
cases	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
overall	O
communication	O
and	O
collaboration	O
strategy	O
of	O
organisations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
longterm	O
vision	O
for	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
lies	O
in	O
the	O
correct	O
usage	O
of	O
computer	O
processing	O
power	O
,	O
data	O
storage	O
or	O
mobile	O
bandwidth	O
speeds	O
to	O
further	O
decrease	O
the	O
obstacles	O
of	O
collaboration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
business	O
environments	O
Teleconferencing	O
is	O
currently	O
used	O
in	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
fields	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
telemedicine	B-Application
,	O
where	O
they	O
contribute	O
enormously	O
to	O
the	O
efficiency	O
and	O
productivity	O
as	O
distance	O
and	O
time	O
are	O
limited	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
is	O
asynchronous	O
when	O
its	O
users	O
are	O
collaborating	O
at	O
a	O
different	O
time	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
E-Mail	O
is	O
the	O
best	O
known	O
asynchronous	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
and	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
used	O
-	O
it	O
offers	O
intuitive	O
features	O
for	O
forwarding	O
messages	O
,	O
creating	O
mailing	O
groups	O
and	O
attaching	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
information	O
can	O
be	O
automatically	O
chronologically	O
sorted	O
and	O
assigned	O
to	O
tasks	O
or	O
calendar	B-Application
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
group	O
calendars	B-Application
meetings	O
can	O
be	O
scheduled	O
,	O
projects	O
managed	O
and	O
people	O
coordinated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
group	B-Application
calendar	I-Application
includes	O
functions	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
detection	O
of	O
conflicting	O
schedules	O
with	O
other	O
people	O
in	O
a	O
team	O
or	O
organization	O
or	O
coordination	O
of	O
meeting	O
times	O
that	O
suit	O
everybody	O
in	O
a	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
positive	O
effects	O
of	O
group	B-Application
calendar	I-Application
there	O
is	O
also	O
controversy	O
about	O
privacy	O
and	O
control	O
that	O
might	O
influence	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
productivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tool	I-Protocol
is	O
synchronous	O
,	O
when	O
its	O
users	O
are	O
collaborating	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Shared	B-Protocol
whiteboards	I-Protocol
give	O
its	O
users	O
the	O
capability	O
to	O
work	O
efficiently	O
on	O
a	O
task	O
through	O
a	O
web-based	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-Application
communication	I-Application
systems	I-Application
offer	O
two-way	O
or	O
multi-way	O
calling	O
with	O
a	O
live	O
videostream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chat	B-Protocol
systems	I-Protocol
allow	O
people	O
to	O
write	O
and	O
send	O
messages	O
in	O
real-time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
usually	O
structured	O
in	O
chat	B-Protocol
rooms	O
which	O
show	O
usernames	O
,	O
number	O
of	O
people	O
,	O
location	O
,	O
discussion	O
topic	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Decision	B-Application
support	I-Application
systems	I-Application
support	O
groups	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
decision	O
making	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
constantly	O
developed	O
and	O
expanded	O
with	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
chat	B-Protocol
and	O
video	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
are	O
web-based	O
applications	B-Application
that	O
offer	O
basic	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
for	O
groups	O
,	O
mechanisms	O
for	O
file	O
sharing	O
and	O
collaborative	O
search	O
engines	O
(	O
CSE	O
)	O
to	O
find	O
information	O
distributed	O
within	O
the	O
system	O
of	O
the	O
organization	O
,	O
community	O
or	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
functionality	O
is	O
sometimes	O
further	O
expanded	O
by	O
providing	O
for	O
example	O
integrated	O
online	B-Application
calendars	I-Application
,	O
shared	O
online-whiteboards	B-Protocol
to	O
organize	O
tasks	O
and	O
ideas	O
or	O
internet	O
teleconferencing	O
integrations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
focus	O
of	O
online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
ranges	O
from	O
simple	O
to	O
complex	O
,	O
inexpensive	O
to	O
expensive	O
,	O
locally	O
installed	O
to	O
remotely	O
hosted	O
and	O
from	O
commercial	O
to	O
open	B-Application
source	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
currently	O
try	O
to	O
tackle	O
problems	O
like	O
these	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
tools	O
such	O
as	O
Skype	O
or	O
FaceTime	O
connect	O
us	O
with	O
everyone	O
,	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
always	O
give	O
us	O
all	O
the	O
contextual	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
why	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
looks	O
for	O
models	O
that	O
allow	O
companies	O
to	O
collaborate	O
in	O
a	O
focused	O
and	O
structured	O
manner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eight	O
years	O
later	O
Usenet	B-Application
,	O
a	O
multi-network	O
online	O
forum	O
,	O
changed	O
the	O
way	O
how	O
we	O
exchange	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
IRC	B-Protocol
in	O
1986	O
,	O
instant-messaging	O
and	O
group	O
chatting	B-Protocol
became	O
accessible	O
for	O
non-technical	O
users	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
and	O
after	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
AOL/AIM	B-Protocol
in	O
1992	O
we	O
already	O
faced	O
the	O
first	O
global	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
invention	O
of	O
Wikipedia	O
in	O
2001	O
and	O
various	O
social	O
networks	O
(	O
MySpace	B-Application
,	O
Linkedin	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
)	O
forms	O
a	O
community	O
that	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
digital	O
world	O
,	O
globally	O
oriented	O
and	O
willing	O
to	O
use	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
not	O
only	O
for	O
social	O
interaction	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
enhance	O
the	O
efficiency	O
at	O
the	O
workplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
enhancing	O
our	O
efficiency	O
,	O
online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
face	O
the	O
change	O
that	O
organizations	O
operate	O
globally	O
and	O
the	O
application	O
of	O
flexible	O
working	O
becomes	O
even	O
more	O
important	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
therefore	O
enable	O
companies	O
to	O
survive	O
in	O
their	O
globally	O
oriented	O
industries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
these	O
points	O
are	O
stressing	O
the	O
importance	O
of	O
collaboration	O
and	O
define	O
certain	O
requirements	O
for	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
in	O
order	O
to	O
consistently	O
enable	O
a	O
wide	O
business	O
collaboration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
collaboration	B-Protocol
tools	I-Protocol
such	O
as	O
social	O
networking	O
websites	O
and	O
web	O
conferencing	O
are	O
demonstrating	O
how	O
fast	O
the	O
environment	O
is	O
changing	O
–	O
“	O
by	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
average	O
salaried	O
worker	O
will	O
actively	O
participate	O
in	O
at	O
least	O
five	O
different	O
ad	O
hoc	O
teams	O
simultaneously	O
”	O
.	O
</s>
