in the end everyone needs to admit that email is still the way most people go
I think this is right. For us, it's collaboration tool and email, not collaboration tool or email.
We're using email + Google Docs -- pretty barebones, but the basic mechanisms work. This is for a loose, geographically distributed, sometimes amorphous group that is very resistant to adopting and converging on new technology tools -- not due to technophobia-- people are too busy doing experiments, writing grants, etc. Every new tool has high activation energy.
[Side comment: One reason I don't like non-email collaboration tools because they make it hard to own my history. With email, I have my own copy of what I was told and what I said. I'll have it after I leave the job; I have it when I'm offline. I can search it. I can do what I want with it. It won't disappear when the hosting company goes offline, or the hosting tool becomes obsolete. I don't think other people care about this as much as I do...]
I think this is right. For us, it's collaboration tool and email, not collaboration tool or email.
We're using email + Google Docs -- pretty barebones, but the basic mechanisms work. This is for a loose, geographically distributed, sometimes amorphous group that is very resistant to adopting and converging on new technology tools -- not due to technophobia-- people are too busy doing experiments, writing grants, etc. Every new tool has high activation energy.
[Side comment: One reason I don't like non-email collaboration tools because they make it hard to own my history. With email, I have my own copy of what I was told and what I said. I'll have it after I leave the job; I have it when I'm offline. I can search it. I can do what I want with it. It won't disappear when the hosting company goes offline, or the hosting tool becomes obsolete. I don't think other people care about this as much as I do...]