Whilst collaboration technology is relatively new, we’ve always been collaborating. It’s just human nature. Only now is technology finally catching up, with the introduction of tools that allow online collaboration within our work environments.

For many years, we were limited to collaborating face-to-face or via phone. Then, with the internet came email – another tool for collaboration.

Meetings and phone conversations have been quite effective in that they enable real-time discussion. The advantage of email though is that it allows recipients to take some time to digest and prioritise the information received, before contributing.

But, there are negatives to each of these mediums. Meetings and phone conversations put people on the spot. And, in some cases, they can be unnecessarily time consuming. We’ve all been in those situations where someone goes on and on about a topic that should have been resolved a long time ago! Emails also come with a drawback, in that they are essentially a monologue and therefore not always engaging.

What then makes a good collaboration tool?

Essentially, all of the good and none of the bad. It should facilitate an engaging dialogue (rather than monologue). It should provide real-time communication whilst recognising the need for prioritisation. And, finally, it should help us maximise the use of our time.

CORUS is one such online collaboration tool. Discussions occur within topics, so you can add the right people, engage them and get their input. Hosted online, it delivers real-time communication. Users are also able to prioritise items with a helpful tagging feature. And, because it’s simple to use and runs on your desktop, it allows you to make the best possible use of your time.