Introduction
While applying for a Writeboard program, I have created a collaboration project with my friend whose major is also business and economics. In particular, I have created a product description that will be launched to the market as well as strategies for the product presentation. The product description has been improved and edited by me and my friend as long as the corresponding material has been found for its promotion. My part of the work consisted of searching for theoretical models of marketing and advertising whereas my friend was responsible for defining the threats and challenges of the current market situation.
While working on the collaboration project, I have realized that using Writeboard is much more effective than e-mailing or online conferencing because it is always possible to see any project updates and introduce certain amendments to the project any time I can do that. Also, the program presents the project online to find more effective approaches and share experiences with other people interested in these issues.
Brief Summary of the Collaboration Project
The main strengths of this program lie in free and easy access to a personal account and the possibility to notify a friend if a new idea has been introduced to the project (Chee and Franklin, 2010). Based on the principle of cloud computing, my friend can track any changes I have made via viewing two different versions of Writeboard and see the difference between those. Besides, it is also possible to see what corrections my friend and I have made to the project under consideration. Aside from the program functionality, the Writeboard is available completely for free, meaning that one should not pay for accessing the application. What is more important is that the Writeboard implies all necessary security measures, which is especially vital for cloud computing tools (Schneier, 2009, n. p.). Particularly, the created account and password will not be available to those users who do not have rights to enter a particular discussion and introduce any changes. The access is allowed only to those project members who are invited to the discussion.
Despite the bulk of the advantages of using the Writeboard, there are several limitations as well. First, the program restricts access to other discussions if a person is not invited (Fornes, 2010). Second, because the main purpose of cloud computing application consists in sharing experience and expanding practical and theoretical knowledge on a particular issue, restricted access to other interesting projects hampers exploration. Finally, because the Writeboard is a relatively new cloud computing application, a few people can be engaged in this online communication.
Conclusion
Contrasting collaborative computer-based tools to telephone and face-to-face communication, many benefits and pitfalls of the Writeboard utilization have emerged. Particularly, the online program provides several advantages in terms of greater availability of resources. For instance, if I need to discuss a particular product description and implementation, I may not waste time arranging meetings and disputes; it will be enough to invite people to the discussion online for them to reply as soon as they see the invitation message. Such form of collaboration is quite convenient for viral marketing and product advertising (Babcock, 2010, n. p.). Additionally, it has also been recognized that the introduction of cloud computing technologies is much more beneficial for the deployment and advancement of all human activities, including marketing and business management (Amrhein and Quint, 2009). Finally, the online tool excels in WordO applications in greater security and functionality.
Reference List
Amrhein, D., and Quint, S. (2009) Cloud computing for the enterprise: Part 1: Capturing the cloud. IBM Corporation. Web.
Babcock, C. (2010) Microsoft Pushes Platform As A Service In Cloud. InformationWeek. Web.
Chee, B. and Franklin, C. (2010) Applications for Clouds. Chapter 4 in Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center. CRC Press. Web.
Fornes, D. (2010) The Software as a Service Dilemma. The Software Advice Blog. Web.
Schneier, B. (2009) Cloud Computing. Schneier on Security. Web.