Have you ever tried to plan a big event with friends or family, like a vacation, home renovation, or reunion, and wished you could metaphorically get everyone on the same page?
Thanks to applications that support collaboration, you can bring all parties together on the same whiteboard, calendar, document, or other online file. And you can get started with free software that may already be on your phone, tablet, and computer. Here is an overview.
Starting
Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android systems include free applications that support group participation. They generally work best if you and your cohorts are all on the most recent version of the same platform, using a Apple ID either Google account. But beyond apps, you can collaborate on projects in a web browser with files stored and synced at Apple. iCloud servers or Google Drive.
Starting a collaboration is easy. Just choose your app, create a file, and choose the people to share it with.
blackboards
Some projects benefit from having a place to keep everything, everywhere, all at once, such as photos, sticky notes, web links, documents, and doodles contributed by multiple people. In this case, consider an interactive whiteboard application. Like whiteboards in an office, these digital whiteboards allow people to add, delete, and edit content, but participants using them can contribute and see real-time updates to the whiteboard on almost any device.
of Apple Free form app provides a canvas for great ideas, and the company’s site has detailed instructions for using it in a iphonea iPad and a Mac. after someone start a freeform board and share it with others via Apple Mail, Messages or AirDrop, group work begins; Dashboards can also be exported as PDF files for those without the app. of Apple FaceTime The service is integrated for real-time video calls during a collaboration session.
of Google jam board is another online whiteboard app. works on Android and iOS devices, too like in google chrome and other web browsers (not to mention the face of Google cloud whiteboard hardware). The person starting the file “jam” must have a Google account, but no other collaborators are required. The files are stored in Google Driveand Jamboard allows collaboration in a Google Meet session. Google support site has instructions for using Jamboard anywhere.
Documents, spreadsheets and more
Some projects may not require a whiteboard, such as a schedule for a local softball league. For simpler projects, working together on a shared document, spreadsheet, or presentation can be more efficient.
Apple’s iCloud-based office software suite from Pages, Numbers and Keynote enable collaborationas well as the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides software that stores your files on Google Drive. As with whiteboard apps, participants must be invited and the person who started the file can set permissions for who can do what on it.
You can also share notes and lists online from your phone’s free utility apps. at Apple grades and reminders apps, simply tap the “share” icon (the square with the up arrow) to access the menu for sharing files with others. Through google keep application for Android and iOScan share lists, drawings and notes; just open the item you want to share, tap on the three-dot action menu, and select Contributor.
calendars
Apple’s and Google’s calendar apps let you create and share calendars, which can be used for things like coordinating summer camp schedules, contractor work, and other complex events beyond the default family calendar you might already be using. .
TO set up a new calendar In the iOS Calendar app, select Calendars at the bottom of the screen. Choose the Add Calendars option, give the new calendar a name, and tap Done. TO share it with others, select Calendars at the bottom of the screen again, and tap the circled “i” icon next to the one you want to share. Select the Add person option, enter the email addresses of the people who will share the calendar, and touch Add.
Although Google Calendar for Android and iOS allows you to view and edit shared calendars from apps or a browser; For now, you can only create and share calendars from the browser, not from apps. TO create a new calendar on the web, open google calendar on the web, and in the Other Calendars area on the left side of the screen, click the “+” icon and then click Create New Calendar. Give it a name and click Create Calendar.
to share it, go to the My Calendars area on the left side of the browser, hover over the desired calendar and click the three-dot menu icon. Choose Settings and Sharing, and then scroll to the “Share with specific people or groups” section to add your people.
It may take a few steps to get everyone connected to your calendar or project, but after you do, everyone will literally be on the same page.
