Workgroup Sites - Part 3 -Windows Live Office Groups

In June 2010, Microsoft revamped its Microsoft Live offerings to make better use of its SkyDrive online file storage system and Microsoft Web Apps platform, and to align Web Apps with the docs.com website, targeted squarely at Facebook users.

Windows Live Office Groups is a free service for the personal use of groups of up to a thousand of your closest peeps. The only catch is that everyone needs a (free) Windows Live ID. Although Groups is free for personal use, every page on the site does includes a sidebar advertisement (annoying, animated advertisements). One other current restriction is that there is a limit on the number of groups one Windows Live account can create or join. You can create up to 20 groups (using one account), and join up to a total of 40.

Meanwhile, the browser list is longer than you might expect. (A clear signal that MS is ready to complete with Google in the online office space.)

• Linux: Firefox 3.5 or later versions, Chrome 3 or later versions
• Mac: Safari 4 or later versions, Firefox 3.5 or later versions, Chrome 3 or later versions

• Windows: Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8, Firefox 3.5 or later versions, and Chrome 3 or later versions.
  Each group has its own set of areas for Discussions, Documents, Photos, Calendar, Membership, and SkyDrive. The navigation is clean and simple. Anyone who understands breadcrumbs should have no trouble bouncing between area. There is also a modest selection of alternative styles dress up the navigation bar.

• Discussions - A simple but effective online forum, making it easy for members to post messages without CC’ing the world. Administrative features including editing and deleting posts, and deleting entire discussions.

• Documents - Any type of file can be uploaded, and you can edit the permission to restrict usage. Office documents can be viewed or edited online, or downloaded and edited locally (if you have the corresponding Office application installed). Editing or uploading a document creates a new version automatically. It’s even easy to flip between versions and restore an older one, if need be.

• Photos - Create albums and upload images to share with the group.

• Calendar - Track key dates on the group’s calendar and integrate with your own calendar and with calendars for other groups. There is also an option for a daily email alert of upcoming events.

• Membership - Each participant can be in one of three security roles: Owner, Co-Owner, and Member. The Owner can be changed, and only the owner can delete a group.

• Group Landing Page - The main page for the group summarizes activity from the other areas, making it easy to see what’s happening.

The group may also have an “Email group” feature which works like a mailing list. The confusing bit is that some messages will end up in the Discussion area and some will end up in email, diluting the effectiveness of both. A third endpoint for discussions is group chat. If enabled, up to forty people in your group members can pile on via Windows Messenger.

The group email feature can be turned off, and individual members can opt out of group email. The missing option is email alerts for discussions. Also missing is a RSS feed of the group’s activities.

For extra credit, you can also create a free website for your group (or other purpose) – but that would be yet another series.

Like Google Apps and Google Sites, Windows Live and Office Live Groups offer a broad platform that can be targeted for specific projects. Next week, we will close up the Workgroup Site series with a look at Open Atrium, another example of narrowing a broad platform.

-Ted.