Collaborating Online

As the Web migrates towards online applications (Web 2.0), collaboration is becoming a vital aspect of content development. Wikis, CMS, documentation repositories (Documentum) and other distributed platforms enable multiple authors to contribute to a single project. As part of the MS-PTC program at NJIT, I often rely on Wiki collaboration, forums/chats and general collaboration to finalize program projects.

Wikispaces is a shared environment for content development that was used successfully throughout the MS-PTC program, especially for PTC 605. Classmates and I set up a Wikispace that allowed us to collaborate on individual HTML pages, each of which describes a visual design element. Each classmate staked ownership to a specific design element and then developed an initial version of the page. After the initial development phase, other students edited/modified the pages to generate a united Wikispace with consistent font choices, layouts, color schemes and page headings. The process worked and even though the pages initially looked different, they eventually had a similar look and feel. This consistency could not have been accomplished without collaborative editing. The initial version of each page used vastly different layouts, but subsequent edits standardized each page. The end result was that each page looked like parts contributing to a consistent whole, namely a Wiki on visual design.

I think the process of collaborative Wikispace editing worked well and the instructions to make each initial page look like the home page were helpful. Without top-down, ‘template-like’ parameters, the collaboration would have been much more difficult and the unity of the Wikispace would of suffered. I think some initial parameters about how individual pages should be laid out, typography, headings etc. are required at the beginning of any collaborative project. You may argue that such requirements defeat the purpose of an open-source, collaborative environment, but some rules must be in place to ensure a uniform look and feel to the individual pages. Otherwise many cycles are spent wrestling with formatting issues instead of focusing on content.

I didn’t have any issues working with the Wikispaces software, but formatting text and image loading were rather problematic. For some reason, I had trouble enforcing consistency in the headings of my page. I did manage to set my page up within the suggested guidelines (e.g. make it look like the home page) and made some significant textual and layout edits to other pages (copyediting, clarifying/rewriting content, resizing/repositioning graphics).

The end result of the PTC 605 collaboration is a Wikispace that provides a readers with thorough descriptions of numerous visual design elements. The page is http://605.wikispaces.com/.

Moodle is a popular online forum for virtual classrooms. After adjusting some its less-than-user-friendly default settings, I was able to follow coursework and assignments without a problem. Although the Moodle homepage is too busy for my tastes, I was able to follow and participate in course-related discussions. Due to schedule constraints, I did not use Moodle’s chat option, but found that I was able to get all of the information I needed through bulletin board and assignment postings.

For final project collaboration, I relied on the kr3c Wikispace and the Moodle bulletin board. I posted early versions of my project, but haven’t received feedback from classmates. As we close in on the final project due date, I will take a more active role in collaborating/getting feedback on my project and submitting feedback on the projects of other students.