Online Collaboration Tools

CliqMeet is a new browser-based collaboration, conferencing and webcasting platform supporting up to 250 attendees without requiring any installation and setup and while integrating:

• Whiteboard
• Presentation sharing
• Screen-sharing
• VoIP
• Video-conferencing
• Dial-up conferencing
• Unlimited recordings
• Text chat

The platform works right out of the box, and you can start your first collaboration session in an instant after landing on CliqMeet home page. Just type the name you want to give to your conferencing room and you are in. Signup is not required to run a meeting.

The interface is very simple and straightforward, and requires zero time to be learned. Swipe your mouse to the left side of the screen and you get all the extra controls you may need.

ClicqMeet offers one of the best solutions for running a webinar or an online event with hundreds of people and with zero configuration and running costs. The key advantage is its simplicity, ease of use and intuitive interface. (It works with the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox).

Definitely worth trying.

Free (ad-supported version).

Try it out now: https://www.cliqmeet.com/en-us

Pricing and features: https://www.cliqmeet.com/pricing

Awesometalk is a new free web service which makes it extremely easy to have a one-to-one or multi-party video-conference without the need to install, setup, register or login anything.

You simply head-on to Awesometalk.com and without needing to click anything you are instantly provided with a link that you can share with anyone to meet and videoconference with you.

You share the link and as soon as someone else joins the specified link the videoconference starts automatically. The UI is basically non-existent with the only two things in view being, the video feed of other callers and a button that appears just in-time to end the call.

Supereasy.

Free to use.

Try it out now:  https://www.awesometalk.com/

Added to my collection of Free Best Videoconferencing Tools 2014

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Scrollback.io is a free web service that allows you to create persistent and professional-looking real-time chat rooms that live online but which can also be embedded on any web site or blog.

Scrollback.io chat rooms can be connect to any existing IRC channel or to specific Twitter hashtags, can be set to be indexed by search engines, and to be open or to require a login depending on your preference.

Excellent tool to create a mini-forum or community chat room easily.  

Free to use. Open-source.

Try it out now: https://scrollback.io/ 

If you like the free large-file sending service WeTransfer, you'll probably like also GetaLink, a new web app which looks exactly like WeTransfer, but which allows you to send files up to 4GB in size.

N.B.: The files you send are stored on the server only 3 days (instead of 7 for WeTransfer) and only 1 person can download the file you have sent (20 emails for WeTransfer and unlimited downloads). 

A useful service with a familiar interface to send large files to anyone.

Free to use.

Try it out now: http://getalink.com/ 

Kollaborate.io is a full-featured real-time collaboration app which allows you to instantly meet with customers, students or teammates without needing to login, install or download anything.

Kollaborate.io integrates video conferencing, VoIP, whiteboarding, document and image sharing, text chat, as well as the ability to auto-archive content and to easily invite other people into a meeting.

Whatever you load, resize or move on the collaboration desktop is also resized and repositioned for everyone else. Everyone sees the same thing.

One unique feature of Kollaborate.io is its clutter-free interface, which completely disappears in the background when it is not needed. 

Definitely worth a try.

Free version available.

Pro versions ($9.99 or $29.99/mo) provide ability to have private and password-protected meetings and with the more expensive plan, to access the archive and schedule meetings.

Pricing info here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/782adzfe036gp2y/arsptu5j.png 

Try it out now: https://www.kollaborate.io/ 

*It's not clear from the web site information how many people are effectively supported in a conference, with or without video.

Appear.in is a new free P2P video group chat and collaboration web app allowing you to instantly create a meeting room where anyone can be invited easily. 

Appear.in leverages WebRTC technology now available via Chrome and Firefox latest browsers. The new technology allows for peer-to-peer direct collaboration with users connecting directly to each other without the need to go through centralized servers.

Screen-sharing, video and audio are all supported (the service is in full beta and it is possible that you will encounter bugs and issues in using it.)

Appear.in requires no registration, login or download. It's click and go from the very first time.

My comment: WebRTC looks very promising for real-time collaboration tools and appear.in is a live demonstration of it. Supereasy video conferencing without any tech hassles.

Free to use

Try it out now: https://appear.in/ 

Check the FAQ(!): https://appear.in/information/about#faq_9 

Added to my free Top Video Conferencing Tools collection: http://www.pinterest.com/robingood/top-20-free-video-conferencing-tools-2013/

Gruveo is a secure and free web app which allows you to easily start a video-conference session with anyone without needing to register, download, install or login anything. 

To start a video session you simply input a numeric code (of three or more digits) of your choice on the Gruveo home page and then communicate that code to anyone you want to video call. That's it. Your computer and the other device will automatically create a direct connection allowing your video conversation to start instantly.

An excellent solution for instant video calls that require zero set-up time and which may benefit from secure encrypted communication and anonymity.

Free to use.

Try it out now: https://www.gruveo.com/ 

FAQ: https://www.gruveo.com/faq/ 

GoToMeeting Free is a new free web-based app (in the form of a Chrome extension for now) which allows you to run video-conferencing meetings for up to three people, without needing to download, install or register anything.

GoToMeeting Free takes advantage of the new WebRTC protocol which allows new browsers to connect directly to each other in a P2P fashion and to be able to carry out audio-video communications without the need for additional software or plugins.

The interface is minimal, offering only a few buttons to mute video or audio and to invite other persons in your video chat.

My comment: Straightforward, easy-to-use, free video-conferencing tool makes it very easy to video chat in small groups without problems.

Free to use.

Try it out now: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gotomeeting-free/beoeakcnmmgbnjcekadpoiepiapcgihl 

https://free.gotomeeting.com/ 

Added to Best Free Videoconferencing Tools 2014 list.

Feedbag.io is a free web app which allows you to upload any .png, .jpeg, .gif, .pdf, .psd, .eps or .ai set of image files and to share it with another party that wants to review it.

You simply upload one or more images and you are instantly provided with a unique page that shows your uploaded pics on a left column of thumbnails and in the center of the screen, whichever image you have selected. 

The "bag" of images uploaded remains online for you and other to see. 

Supereasy to use. Ideal for sharing and reviewing image sets with people that need maximum ease of use and simplicity.

P.S.: While not officially advertised for this use, Feedbag.io acts as fantastic and quite reliable file converter for any .AI or .EPS file that you cannot view if you don't have access to a copy of Illustrator or Photoshop. You simply upload the .eps or .ai and in a matter of seconds you can see it finely displayed on your screen. From there you can capture it again and save it in your preferred file format. Very handy. 

Free to use.

Try it out now: http://feedbag.io/ 

Magnocall is a new free web app which makes it possible to make unlimited one-to-one video calls from your browser without the need to download or install any software or plugin. 

Magnocall provides you with a dedicated and persistent video-call URL, that you can share with anyone, and it works right out of your Chrome browser utilizing WebRTC technology.

If you are looking for an alternative to Skype and to other downloadable-software based solutions to make video calls that anyone at the other end can easily join without needing to install anything, Magnocall is a definitely a good solution.

Free to use.

Try it out now: https://magnocall.com/ 

FAQ: https://magnocall.com/faq.html 

★ Added to Best Free Videoconferencing Tools 2014 collection. 

vLine is a new free videoconferencing app that allows you to easily video chat with one or more people with no downloads or plugins to install. 

Use is very simple. As soon as you hit the vLine home page you are provided with a link to share with your contacts.Share the link, click GO, set a name for yourself and you are in. (Actually you need to wait at least for another person to join in, before you can see the conferencing room.) 

Invisible UI. Only basic commands, to pause audio, video or the entire call, that show just-in-time, when you need them.

Extremely easy to use. Works out of the box. Offers a simple and immediate foolproof solution to instantly videoconference for anyone having a good ADSL /broadband line. 

Best experience is with up to 4 simultaneous users.

Works only in latest versions of Chrome and Firefox.

Works great with Chrome on Android. iOS app coming.

No download, no registration, no login required.

Free to use. 

Try it out now: https://vline.com/ 

FAQ: https://vline.com/about/faq 


via Camilla Cannarsa

Slack is a real-time private team messaging platform that integrates file-sharing, notifications, searchable archives and information tagging.

You can easily create channels based on topics, tasks or teams that allow you to keep messages and information among team members tidy.

Slack is both browser-based as well as being available on all smartphones (iOS and Android).

Slack wants to be a full be replacement for internal team emails, making it much easier and faster to deal and access internal communications and files.

Fially Slack fully integrates with a wide number of cloud services including Dropbox, Google Drive, Asana and many other useful ones.

A free version allows unlimited users, 5GB of storage, 10,000 messages and up to 5 external app integrations.

The $9/mo plan moves up the limits to unlimited messages, 10GB storage, and unlimited external app integrations. The more expensive plans ($19-99/mo) offer more storage space, stats and better support among other features.

For more info: https://slack.com/ 

Tour: https://slack.com/is 

Sqwiggle is a new real-time collaboration platform which allows you to meet persistently and videoconference easily with your distributed team, as well as to have a group messaging stream that keeps you updated on everything happening.

Sqwiggle has been designed to be a persistent real-time collaboration tool, meaning, that it is ideally used to bring closer, as if they were side-by-side, teammates that work at different locations by remaining always-on and by making extremely easy to switch on the the audio-video communication.

This is why you can turn on Sqwiggle at 9am and switch it off when you go away, as it makes so easy for you to activate a video conversation with anyone of your teammates, while working at a distance.

My comment: I always thought that a persistent always-on collaboration space is the perfect way to work side-by-side when you have a distributed team, and so I wrote back in 2004 a short article entitled: Working side by side. It was 2004. Maybe I was a bit too ahead of my time. Sqwiggle may be much more in sync with the times than I was, and I would certainly recommend it to any team wanting to feel as if they were working at the same table.

N.B.: Sqwiggle comes both as a Mac app and a web-based service. 

Pricing info: https://www.sqwiggle.com/pricing ($9/user/month)

More info: https://www.sqwiggle.com/ 

Help: https://www.sqwiggle.com/help