Google+ as a Collaboration System?

Thanks to Chris Long, I’ve recently been using Google+, the new social network created by the Overlords of the Internet. Google+ has received a lot of tech press lately, (use Google to google Google+), but most of this commentary seems to revolve around the presumed battle royale between Facebook and Google. This is an understandable frame for reporters; after all, who really wants to sustain two completely discrete social networking systems? One has to come out on top, right? What are you going to do, reserve one for your family and old high school friends and the other for your professional colleagues?

Huh. . . well . . . now that I mention it . . .

But anyway, that’s not really my point. I’m beginning to wonder if Google+ could become a powerful system for academic collaboration. An example is in order.

In June, three of my national colleagues and I ran a workshop on critical methodologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. To prepare for this week-long seminar, we used Skype for multi-person video chat, Google Documents for the ToDo list, the agenda, and our seminar schedule. We used Dropbox to share the 60+ PDFs that constituted the readings for that week, and email to discuss, monitor, and archive our progress. How many of these systems could we have eliminated by using Google+?

We would have started with two Google+ Circles–one for the seminar planners (numbering 4) and one for every seminar participant (26 total). Using the circles to post messages to the relevant individuals, we might have curtailed email by sending out messages and announcements to targeted groups. Each post would remain discrete from the others, but each post would also have threaded comments and discussion that we could examine at our leisure. Result? Email eliminated or at least drastically reduced.

Implementing the right version of Skype on each planner’s computer, across Windows and Mac platforms, was a task in and of itself. The “Hangouts” feature of Google+ seems more intuitive, and the setup is browser based rather than requiring application installations and updates. I haven’t played with the multi-person video chat yet, but supposedly the one to one video is pretty solid. So, Skype is eliminated (secret happy dance ensues).

As far as I can tell, no hooks seem to exist between Google Documents and Google+, but one can imagine a situation in which the two systems are intertwined effectively. Imagine that every new version or major update of a shared document is automatically posted to the circle of those who have access to that document. You could then be notified when your colleague has completed her section or revision of the collaborative document. Links to that document, from the Google+ wall or news feed, would help make sure that everyone is looking at the right document and not the document started two days ago that is now defunct.

Could Google+ or perhaps another google service replace Dropbox? Maybe someday, but to be honest I’m not sure that I would go that far. Integration is a wonderful thing, but sometimes a secondary system is a prudent investment in time and effort. Having a shared Dropbox for session planners and participants might be a wise choice just in case Google+ fails at some point.

Conclusion? Using Google+ as a collaboration tool for research and teaching seems like a path worth exploring. I certainly can’t imagine trying to do the same thing with my Facebook account. Grandma simply doesn’t need to know what one of my colleagues thinks about the Foucault reading I’ve recommended.

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2 Responses to Google+ as a Collaboration System?

  1. Kate Miffitt says:

    So far, I’ve enjoyed Google+ because of its ease of use from Gmail and, well, because it will be a few years before Grandma joins. But your example illustrates the collaboration potential the system has – nice post.

  2. John Dolan says:

    We have now used the Google Hangout twice and I can see how it would add a lot of value to collaboration, in particular when those involved are geographically dispersed. I was using it via wireless in my home yesterday and it was a bit choppy, but that could have just been my spotty connection.

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