What are collaborative tools, and why are they on the rise?

Collaborating with team members on the other side of the world is becoming more common each day. How did this trend start, and who's leading the charge?
March 14, 2019

Collaboration is everything for journalists. And thanks to technology, this doesn't mean teams have to sit on top of each other when working on projects - not just because that would be extremely uncomfortable - and stories from the field can be supported by writers at home. Work lives across geographies in today's age, making the newsroom truly globalized.

And that's not all. In media and journalism, jobs are becoming increasingly fluid as responsibilities widen and become more varied across different disciplines. Writers work with editors on final cuts, producers have their say on interview scripts and everybody (and their cat) wants input on the final piece.

Team collaboration is vital for the journalism ecosystem because there are so many components that keep a newsroom ticking. Journalism must be collaborative, especially as world news fights back against the fake news epidemic - newsrooms must collaborate even with rivals in the quest to provide the truth.

 

What exactly is collaborative technology?

'Collaborative technology' isn't as scary as it sounds. It's the tools that teams in different locations around the world use to work together on a project. Team collaboration software and online services are liberating newsrooms everywhere in the world to collaborate on writing, producing and launching the stories the world needs to hear. Collaboration technology is the driving force behind a team's productivity.

It's not hard to see why team collaboration tools are so popular. Community is essential in media; working together is key to creating the best work. Two heads are better than one when it comes to working creatively, and thanks to collaborative tools your team can work together from all four corners of the world, in real time.

 

Collaboration tools: a few examples

Streamline your team's workflow and optimize productivity with these collaboration software tools:

 

Asana Logo

Asana

You need to track tasks.

The ultimate taskmaster tool - Asana allows your team to collaborate on tasks, breaking down the project into manageable, actionable subtasks. With Asana it's simple to ensure every team member knows what's expected of them at all times, and that everyone's up to date on the status of each task. Tracking work gets results, so use Asana to make sure every stage of each project is actionable - know who's doing what, and when.

 

Trint_Logo-no-padding

Trint

You need to automate your interview transcription.

Trint takes away the pain of transcription by quickly converting audio and video files to text. The Trint Editor is a combination of an audio/video player and a text editor: Trint stitches each word to the original file so it's easy to verify the accuracy of your machine-generated transcript. And it's super easy to share transcripts with others: send a copy, create a public link or embed a video with the Trint Player. Trint Enterprise makes collaborating on transcripts and content production streamlined so it fits into existing workflows.

 

Slack Icon

Slack

You need to chat in real time.

Communication is the key to collaboration. The newsroom is open around the clock, and you don't have time to waste chatting back and forth via email - staying in touch in real-time is essential, and Slack's the place to do it. The modern newsroom often requires your teams out in the field to be connected to those back at base camp, important files and info need to be whizzed back to the newsroom as they're created. Slack lets your team communicate and collaborate all within one simple app, meaning calls, messages and other coordination is just a tap away. It's your secret communication weapon - Slack allows your teams to collaborate both in groups and one-on-one, sharing tips, files and more.

 

Google Drive Logo

Google Drive

You need a place to collaborate on documents in real-time.

The wonder of the Internet means you don't have to sit next to your coworker to collaborate on articles and documents. Thanks to cloud computing, collaboration on documents can be instant. Google Drive is an invaluable cloud platform that allows your team to collaborate on work from across the globe. Make live edits, add comments and review work from across the newsroom - or across the world - with ease, and keep your team's productivity levels at peak.

 

Zoom Logo

Zoom

You need to see each other's faces.

Your news team is now global, and you need a conferencing tool you can rely on for team meetings. Zoom lets you schedule, host and collaborate on the meetings that need more than just an email conversation. Zoom is also useful for interviews, as it lets you video chat with any subject the world over. And with Trint's easy-to-use Zoom integration, you can easily transcribe your meetings to get meeting minutes in moments. Try saying that three times fast.

 

Teamwork Projects

Teamwork Projects

You need tools to manage lots of projects.

You have a lot of different projects all happening at the same time and you need a way to keep track of them all. Enter Teamwork Projects: you and your teams can monitor what's happening with all of your ongoing projects to make sure deadlines are met on time. After you customize Teamwork Projects to the way your team works, you can focus on the important stuff - like delivering results.

 

Give automated transcription by Trint a test drive:  convert audio or video to text with your free trial:

 

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