Mar 13, 20212 min read

Tools for Virtual Collaboration

I'm enrolled in the Certificate in Storytelling & Content Strategy program at the University of Washington, and my fellow classmates and I have to virtually collaborate weekly for school projects. The problem, of course, is we're spread out all over the world, yet we still need a virtual space to brainstorm for our group projects. And what a blessing the 21st century is for virtual collaboration. Here are a few of my favorite tools.

Google Meet versus Zoom

Zoom seems to win the popularity contest when it comes to virtual meeting programs. I use it for my business classes I teach. And while it's suitable for my students, there are limitations and frustrations. For example, the security features still need some work (remember Zoombombing?), and the interface can be confusing for new users. Also, the free version is capped at 40 minutes. You either have to end the call and restart a new meeting, or pay a monthly fee.

On the other hand, Google Meets is slowly becoming my top favorite. The first advantage is it's free. The second advantage is it's easy to use. And if you have a Google account, you can sync meetings with your calendar, email, and Google Drive, which is pretty helpful.

Miro Board

I am obsessed with Miro. Miro is a virtual white board for real-time collaboration. This means that multiple people can brainstorm together simultaneously and see the changes everyone is making as it's happening. This is useful for teams who need a large (virtual) space to brainstorm, organize, and synthesize all types of information.

A few Miro features include unlimited Post-it notes, chat windows, comment threads, emoji reactions, sketch capabilities, and templates for a variety of projects. And you can collaborate for free with up to 6 people.

Example project work with my classmates. We interviewed donors and needed to synthesize our interview results.

Our group used the comment feature to provide feedback and facilitate conversations.

Note.ly

Note.ly is a minimalistic cork board-style canvas. My project management students use Note.ly to manage their own personal projects and goals. Collaborating on Note.ly is a bit tough, so I suggest using Miro instead. Still, this is a simple tool for simple projects.