Cloud Computing
- 1. MODULE-4
- 2. Collaborating via Web- Based Communication Tools • There are three main categories: – web email services, – Instant messaging services – web conferencing tools. • Groups located anywhere in the world can use these tools to communicate with other group members • Their collaboration on group projects.
- 3. Evaluating Web Mail Services • The type of email program you probably have installed on your PC uses a protocol called the Post Office Protocol (POP). • POP email requires the use of a dedicated email client program, such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, and—at the ISP level— email servers to send and receive messages. • The problem with traditional POP email is that you’re tied to the client program installed on your PC. • The messages you receive are stored on that PC, and you usually can’t access them when you’re travelling or away from that PC.
- 4. • There is a better way to manage your email— in the form of web-based email services, also known as web mail or HTTP email. • Unlike traditional POP email, web mail can be accessed from any PC using any web browser, • All your messages are stored on the web, not locally.
- 5. Gmail • Google’s web mail service is called Gmail (mail.google.com). • First, Gmail doesn’t use folder. • Gmail pushes the search paradigm as the way to find the messages • Gmail “tag” each message with one or more labels. • This has the effect of creating virtual folders, as you can search and sort your messages by any of their labels.
- 6. • Gmail groups together related email messages in what Google calls conversations. • A conversation might be an initial message and all the replies (and replies to replies) to that message;
- 7. • Gmail is a free service; • All you have to do is sign up for an account. • If you already have an account for any other Google service, that account can serve as your Gmail account. • When you sign up for your Gmail account, you get assigned your email address (in the form of name@gmail.com) and • You get access to the Gmail inbox page.
- 8. Yahoo! Mail • Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com) is another web mail service, provided by the popular Yahoo! search site. • The basic Yahoo! Mail is free and can be accessed from any PC, using any web browser. • Yahoo! also offers a paid service called Yahoo! Mail Plus that lets you send larger messages and offers offline access to your messages via POP email clients. • Yahoo! Mail gives you unlimited storage • It means you can effectively use Yahoo! Mail as an online backup or file-storage system. • Yahoo! Mail interface is more functional than that offered by Gmail. • It also offers traditional folder-based organization.
- 9. Windows Live Hotmail • Hotmail was one of the first web-based email services, and it’s still one of the largest. • But it’s not called “Hotmail” anymore; • Microsoft has moved it into its Windows Live suite of online services and now calls it Windows Live Hotmail. • It can be accessed from any web browser on any PC anywhere in the world, for free. • The new Hotmail also integrates with your Windows Live contacts and calendar, as well as other Windows Live services.
- 10. Apple MobileMe Mail • It’s not limited to just computer users; you can also send and receive emails from your Apple iPhone or iPod touch, via Wi-Fi Internet or cellular network. • MobileMe Mail is a web-based service that can also be accessed with your existing Mac or Windows-based email program, including Outlook, OutlookExpress, and Windows Mail. • It has its own native interface on the iPhone and iPod touch.
- 11. OtherWeb Mail Services • AOL Mail (mail.aol.com) • BigString (www.bigstring.com) • Excite Mail (mail.excite.com) • FlashMail (www.flashmail.com) • GMX Mail (www.gmx.com) • Inbox.com (www.inbox.com) • Lycos Mail (mail.lycos.com) • Mail.com (www.mail.com) • Zoho Mail (zoho.mail.com)
- 12. Evaluating Instant Messaging Services • Email is just one way to communicate online. • For many users, instant messaging is a better way to talk; • it’s more immediate, because you can send text messages in real time to your friends and co- workers. • No more waiting for people to respond to your emails—when both parties are online at the same time, • it’s just like having a one-on-one conversation!
- 13. • Instant messaging doesn’t use servers at all. • When you send an instant message to another user, that message goes directly to that user’s PC; • It’s not filtered by or stored on any servers. • The technical name for this type of connection is peer-to-peer (P2P), because the two computers involved are peers to each other.
- 14. AOL Instant Messenger • The most-used instant messaging program is AOL Instant Messenger (www.aim.com), also known as AIM. • It provides – file sharing, – group chats, – ability to text message to and from mobile phones, – voice chat, – video chat
- 15. Google Talk • Google Talk is the name of both Google’s instant messaging network and its IM client. • You can access Google Talk from a – web-based Google Talk gadget, – a standalone Google Talk client program – or from your Gmail and Google web pages. • Google Talk lets you send and receive both text-based instant messages and Voice over IP (VoIP) Internet phone calls. • If you want increased functionality, such as file transfer, you can download the Google Talk client, which is a separate software program.
- 16. ICQ • ICQ was birthed by a company named Mirabilis back in 1996, but was acquired by America Online in 1998. • Today, AOL maintains ICQ and AIM as separate programs. • ICQ is totally free. • You also get – grouped conversations, – voice messaging, – photo viewing – other state-of-the-art features.
- 17. Windows Live Messenger • Microsoft is a major participant in the instant messaging market. • The program currently known as Windows Live Messenger does all the main things AIM and Yahoo! Messenger do, – including voice chat and – the ability to page a contacts mobile phone.
- 18. Yahoo! Messenger • With more than 90 million users, the most popular instant messenger program today is Yahoo! Messenger. • In addition to traditional text messaging, • Yahoo! Messenger features – voice and video messaging, – PC-to-phone and PC-to-PC calling, – voicemail, – file sharing, and – Chat rooms. – It also lets you receive up-to-the minute stock prices, news headlines, sports scores, weather forecasts, and notification of any waiting Yahoo! Mail
- 19. Evaluating Web Conferencing Tools • WEB CONFERENCE tool is used to conduct live meeting and presentations over the internet • Application sharing, where the presenter and participants can all access and use the same application in real time. This is useful for smaller group meetings, when all participants are collaborating on a project. • Desktop sharing, similar to application sharing, but with the presenter’s entire desktop visible and accessible to participants. • File and document sharing, with individual files and documents open for all to edit, also useful for group collaboration. • PowerPoint presentations, the core component of large presentations; the presenter gives a PowerPoint presentation in real time, complete with slide transitions and animations, using audio conferencing tools to narrate the presentation. • Presenter notes, which let the presenter take notes during the course of the conference for future action
- 20. • Annotation, which lets the presenter mark up the document or presentation being shared or given. • Whiteboard, which is a blank screen on which the presenter or participants can draw or highlight objects. • Text-based chat, which lets participants discuss the presentation with each other in real time. • Audio conferencing, which adds the spoken words of the presenter to a PowerPoint presentation. With two-way audio, all participants can speak—assuming that they all have microphones, of course. • Video conferencing, which puts a picture of the presenter in a corner of the conference webtop, typically generated via webcam. With two way video, conference participants can also show pictures of themselves onscreen. • Polling, which lets the presenter ask questions of the audience. • Quizzes, which lets participants answer test questions, typically with results tabulated in real time.
- 21. Adobe Acrobat Connect • The Adobe Acrobat Connect software and service offers personal online “meeting rooms” for large organizations. • You get audio/video conferencing, screen sharing, whiteboard, and chat functionality. • The main window is the shared application— that is, the live desktop of the presenter.
- 22. Convenos Meeting Center • The Convenos Meeting Center is a web-based conferencing service that starts at $30/month. • For that price, you get – online presentations, – file and document sharing, – whiteboard, – polling – integration with Skype for conference audio
- 23. Genesys Meeting center • The similarly named Genesys Meeting Center offers similar features to that of the Convenos service. • Genesys gives you – Online PowerPoint presentations, – file and document sharing, – chat, – desktop video, – whiteboard, and – polling and – E-Quizzes. – Pricing is by request only.
- 24. Glance • Glance (www.glance.net) is a web-based conferencing service priced from $49.95/month. • Its main focus is easy-to-use screen sharing, with no client software necessary to install.
- 25. IBM Lotus Sametime • IBM’s web conferencing service is dubbed Lotus Sametime • It comes in several different versions: Entry, Standard, Advanced, and Unyte. • The web conferencing service comes complete with – enterprise instant messaging, – multiway chat, – VoIP and point-to-point video, – integration with most major desktop applications. – Pricing varies by size of company.
- 26. Microsoft Office Live Meeting • Microsoft Office Live Meeting is a hosted service available in two versions (Standard and Professional). • You get – audio/video conferences, – a PowerPoint viewer, – integration with Microsoft Outlook, – application and desktop sharing. – Pricing is on a per user basis
- 27. Persony Web Conferencing • Unlike most other services, Persony Web Conferencing (www.persony.com) doesn’t charge a monthly fee. Instead, you pay once for the software and don’t have any usage fees. • This means, that Persony doesn’t host your web conferences; • You need to host conferences on your company’s own servers. • You get – screen sharing, – presentation sharing, – whiteboard, – picture sharing, – VoIP audio, – file transfer, – chat messaging.
- 28. Pixion PictureTalk • Pixion’s PictureTalk is a hosted conference solution with four different plans. – The Per Minute plan charges you only for time used; – The Personal plan charges you for a single 10-person virtual meeting room; – The Professional Plan is priced by the seat; – Enterprise plan lets you host the whole shebang on your own servers. • All plans feature application and desktop sharing, whiteboard, polling and quizzes, chat and VoIP, audio conferencing and the like.
- 29. WebEx • Cisco’s WebEx (www.webex.com) is perhaps the most-used web conferencing solution today. Various solutions and pricing plans are available, for organizations large and small. • Features include – VoIP support, – integrated audio and video, – application sharing, – on-the-fly annotation, – meeting recording and – playback, and so on.
- 30. Yugma • Yugma (www.yugma.com) offers three different plans, priced from $199.95 to $899.85 per year based on how many people may attend a meeting. • Features include – desktop sharing, – teleconferencing, – public and private chat, – annotations, – whiteboard.
- 31. Zoho Meeting • Zoho Meeting • Last but not least, Zoho Meeting (meeting.zoho.com) is a free web conferencing service. • It includes the expected features, including – application/desktop sharing, – chat, and – Skype integration, – remote PC control.
- 32. Collaborating via Social Networks and Groupware • The social network is a free ,but limited collaborate tool. • Groupware has more functionality , but typically higher price.
- 33. Creating Groups on Social Networks • The typical social network is a hosted site that aims to create a community of users, • each of whom posts his or her own personal profile on the site. • Each user includes enough person information in her profile to enable other users with similar interests to connect as “friends”; • One’s collection of friends helps to build a succession of personal communities.
- 34. • Most profile pages include some form of blog, discussion forum, or chat space so that friends can communicate with the person profiled. • In many instances, individual users also post a running list of their current activities so that their friends always know what they’re up to. • Social networking sites allows you to create groups. • A group is a collection of users who share the same interest; • Group members can communicate via discussion boards, share photos and videos, and even upload and download documents and other files.
- 35. • A social network group is like a virtual meeting or community room. • Instead of posting notices on a physical bulletin board, you post notices on a virtual message board. • Instead of exchanging brochures and papers by hand, you upload photos, documents, and other files for all to share.
- 36. Facebook • Facebook (www.facebook.com) is the most popular social networking site. • Compared to MySpace, Facebook is more of a site for grown-ups; • Features – Recent news – Discussion board – Uploaded photos and videos – Posted web pages – A kind of chat board • Group can be – Open (public), – Closed (description if public, but members have to be approved), – Secret (membership by invitation only).
- 37. MySpace • A group on MySpace (www.myspace.com) is even more limited in functionality than Facebook; • MySpace is more suited for teenagers and preteens. • There’s no file uploading, although members can upload group photos. • There’s a facility for posting group bulletins, and the obligatory discussion board. • You have to put up with advertisements smack in the middle of your group page.
- 38. Other Web Groups • The groups on social networking sites aren’t the only groups you can create on the web. • Google Groups (groups.google.com). • When you create a Google Group, you get the obligatory message forum, also upload and share files, as well as create topic-specific pages within the group; • Group members can be notified of new posts via email. • A Google Group can be – Public (anyone can join, but only members can read messages), – Announcement-Only (anyone can join, but only moderators can post messages), – Restricted(only the people you invite can join).
- 39. • Yahoo! Groups (groups.yahoo.com). • Here you also get a message forum (with email notification of new posts) and file uploading, and also a photo library, group calendar, and polls. • You can select – whether your group appears in the Yahoo! Groups directory, – whether anyone can join or if you have to approve all members, and – who can post messages to the group. • Because of the file-uploading and -sharing options, either of these two groups might be more useful to you than a Facebook or MySpace group
- 40. Evaluating Online Groupware • Groupware is a collection of web-based collaborative tools that help your team members not only communicate with each other but also manage their group projects. • File and document uploading and sharing • Web calendar • Task/project manager • Message boards • Text-based chat rooms / instant messaging • Wiki-like collaborative pages • Blogs
- 41. AirSet • AirSet (www.airset.com) provides a cloud-based website for your group. • AirSet site can include group announcements, a web calendar, contact list , task list, instant messaging, wiki for collaborative publishing, blog, file sharing and online storage, photo albums, and music playlists. • And with all these tools, when one person in the group makes a change, everyone else sees the updated information.
- 42. ContactOffice • ContactOffice (www.contactoffice.com) is a web- based data management system that lets you share emails, contacts, tasks, appointments, and documents with other group members. • You can create internal or intercompany groups; • The intercompany groups helps you communicate with customers, suppliers, and other people outside your immediate office. • You also get a web-based calendar, address book, message forum, and real-time chat.
- 43. GOOGLE SITES • Google Sites (sites.google.com), formerly known as Jotspot, • It allows you to create a group web page . • This page is completely customizable with your choice of file uploads, group announcements, task/project management, mailing lists, group calendar, and the like. • Google Sites also integrates with Google’s other online apps, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Talk. • it’s completely free.
- 44. HUDDLE • Huddle (www.huddle.net) is a hosted environment that combines online collaboration, project management, and document sharing, using social networking principles. • You create a network of collaborative team workspaces, managed from a central dashboard. • It provides online file storage, project calendar, RSS and email notifications, whiteboard , wiki, and other collaborative tools.
- 45. NEXO • Nexo (www.nexo.com) lets you create a free personalized group website. • The site can include photos, videos, forums, message boards, interactive calendars, polls, and to-do lists. • Nexo provides its service to family, friend, and community groups • It may also function for some less-demanding business groups.
- 46. OpenTeams • OpenTeams (www.openteams.com) is better suited for larger businesses. • It offers team folders, blogging, and wiki-like collaborative pages, all monitored via a customizable Navigator page. • You can keep track of key team members, organize resources with tags, participate in threaded discussions, and monitor new content posted by team members. • Pricing is on a per-user basis.
- 47. PROJECTSPACES • ProjectSpaces (www.projectspaces.com) provides an online workspace designed especially for group collaboration. • You get an – online document library, – email discussion lists, – task management, – group announcements via email and RSS, – a shared group calendar, – shared group documents.
- 48. teamspace • Our final online groupware application is called teamspace (www.teamspace.com). • This application offers – task and project management, – contact management, – an online calendar, – message forum, – notice board, – file sharing, – text-based chat, – and synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. Pricing is on a per-member basis, with additional fees for storage space used.
- 49. Collaborating via Blogs and Wikis • Blogs and wikis can both be housed in the cloud or on dedicated servers, depending on the service. • They’re both web based and facilitate group collaboration.
- 50. Evaluating Blogs for Collaboration • A blog (short for “web log”) is a kind of online journal that its author updates frequently with new musings and information. • In terms of organization, a blog is a collection of individual posts or messages. • The posts are arranged in reverse chronological order, with the newest posts at the top— which makes it easy to keep track of the • latest developments. • Older posts are relegated to the blog archives, which are generally accessible via a link in the sidebar column. • And, at the end of each post, you’ll find a link to comments; • This is where blog readers can register their own personal comments about any given post.
- 51. • A blog doesn’t have to be the work of a single author; • It can include posts from multiple contributors, as well as comments on each of those posts. • This makes a blog ideal for keeping track of progress on a group project.
- 52. • You create your blog, hosted on your company’s servers or on a popular blogging tool such as Blogger or TypePad. • You make it a private blog and assign authorship status to all the members of your team. • This means that everyone on your team can initiate new posts, as well as comment on the posts of others.
- 53. Blogger • Blogger (www.blogger.com) is Google’s blog- hosting community, and with more than 8 million individual blogs, the largest blog host on the Internet. • All Blogger blogs are free, which contributes to their popularity.
- 54. • The Blogger Dashboard, is where you manage all your blog activity. • From here you can – create new blog posts, – edit comments to your posts, – manage your Blogger account and profile, – access Blogger’s help system. – It’s also where you create a new blog.
- 56. • Creating a new Blogger blog is as easy as filling in a few forms. • After you click the Create a Blog link in the Blogger Dashboard, you’re asked to enter a title for your blog and a corresponding blog address (the part of the URL that goes before Blogger’s blogspot.com domain). • Next, you get to choose a template for your blog—a predesigned combination of page layout, colors, and • fonts. • Blogger now creates your blog—and you’re ready to start posting.
- 57. • By default, a Blogger blog is completely public, and anyone on the Internet can read it. • There’s a way to make your blog private so that only invited guests can view it; • Just go to the Blogger Dashboard, click the Manage: Settings link, and then click the Permissions link. • When the next page appears, go to the Blog Readers section and select who can view your blog: – Anybody (keeps the blog public), – Only People I Choose, or – Only Blog Authors.
- 58. TypePad • TypePad (www.typepad.com) is quite similar to Blogger. • You can customize your blog with a number of different designs and widgets, and • You can select multiple co-authors for your blog. • TypePad isn’t free; • You pay anywhere from $4.95 to $89.95 per month, depending on the features you want.
- 59. Wordpress • WordPress (www.wordpress.com) is another popular blog-hosting community. • It’s a lot like both Blogger and TypePad, but perhaps a bit more customizable. • You get lots of themes to choose from, sidebar widgets, and a private members- only option. • You also can create multiple blogs and assign multiple authors. • And, like Blogger, a WordPress blog is completely free
- 60. Evaluating Wikis for Collaboration • Our final method of group collaboration is the wiki. • Wikipedia is a giant online encyclopedia. • Wikipedia’s content is created solely by the site’s users, resulting in the world’s largest online collaboration. • Wikipedia articles are written, edited, and elaborated on by people of all types, from students, to subject-matter experts and professional researchers, to interested amateurs. • It’s a true group collaboration.
- 61. • Wiki is—a collection of web pages where any users can contribute or modify content. • The first wiki was WikiWikiWeb, a website founded in 1995 to facilitate the exchange of ideas between computer programmers. • Wikis enable all users not only to write new articles, but also to comment on and edit existing articles.
- 62. • Today, many organizations use wikis as collaborative applications. • A group wiki can be public (open to all users), or private— which is ideal for project groups, businesses, and other organizations. • A private wiki invites all group members to create new pages on the wiki site or to edit any existing page. • All writing and editing is done within the web browser, no extra software or tools necessary. • In most instances, there is no review of the articles or edits before they’re accepted. • The result is a collection of articles or documents, written collaboratively.
- 63. PBwiki • PBwiki (www.pbwiki.com) offers various levels of wiki hosting. • Small wikis (one to three users) are free; • larger ones are priced as low as $4 per user per month. • Wiki creation is easy. • You also get online file storage to help you organize your other documents as part of your wiki.
- 64. Versionate • Versionate (www.versionate.com) offers hosted wikis designed for group collaboration. • A Versionate wiki is business friendly; • You can also import Word, Excel,PowerPoint, and PDF documents into your wiki. • The company offers several different plans: – Free (500MB storage), – Personal (2GB storage for $2/month), – Business (unlimited storage for $25/month), – Enterprise(unlimited storage for $2/user/month).
- 65. wikihost.org • The wikihost.org site (www.wikihost.org) provides free wiki hosting. • Wiki creation is via the GeboBebo engine, which offers a – local database structure, – user and rights management, – RSS feeds and email notification for new and updated articles, – image and file uploading
- 66. Wikispaces • Wikispaces (www.wikispaces.com) claims to host more than 450,000 individual wikis. • Standard features include – image and file uploading, – widget and media embedding, – RSS feeds and email notifications, – discussion areas, – detailed user statistics. • A variety of hosting plans are available, from Basic (free) to Private Label Premium ($800/month).
- 67. Zoho Wiki • Finally, from our friends at Zoho, comes their wiki application, Zoho Wiki (wiki.zoho.com). • They offer free wiki hosting complete with WYSIWYG editing, versioning of wiki pages, and the ability to make your wiki public or private—all for free. • Your wiki is managed from a Dashboard page, just click the New Page icon to add a new page to the wiki.
Editor's Notes
- #68: Whatyou seeis what you get