It is very satisfying to be appreciated.... "I really appreciate the high level of professional support you guys give."

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 14:49

PopG's Blended Groove service is accesible from most Internet Cafe's. If you visit an IC and try to access PopG's service we would be interested to hear from you as to the IC you tried. We want to build a feeling for Blended Groove hotspots.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 3:10

Mysterian's Radiology Manager works with PopG...

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 3:35

In http://www.groove.net/support/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=17&threadid=9497&STARTPAGE=1 alcad asked about how a single user might back up their account and spaces.

This is a benefit of using our service. By uploading your account(s) to PopG and then fetching any spaces these will automatically be backed up a) because accounts and spaces will co-exist on your computer and as part of our service and b) because we backup all data every night.

And bear in mind that just one account from PopG could be used for several Groove accounts, thereby backing up your whole companies data for just one PopG account!

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 3:10

Groove tip: An underused feature of groove is its ability to remember windows from one session to another. What is underused is not that people do not understand this - they just don't know how to make use of it. The answer is simple, right click on a tab and "Open Tool in New Window". That's it. In http://www.groove.net/support/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=9507 john.morris complained about this. His second point "LINEAR VISUAL INTERFACE" reports how well the humble maximizer does in this area. It is true that Maximizer excels in this arena: it is a mature product that worked hard on using screen real-estate.
Groove is getting better but the "Open Tool in New Window" has been around for a long time. Use it for key tabs and I am sure your Groove productivity will seriously improve.


posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 2:53

Is the NSA is listening? Of course it is listening - to everything, whether this be in Groove or not. In http://vowe.net/archives/004379.html it is suggested that spurious Groove deltas are something to do with some kind of Internet cop. This simply has to be a joke. Why would a program put a message on the screen reporting internet traffic which was somehow going to the NSA? Surely if someone wanted to listen covertly the last thing they would do is advertise it!

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 2:42

When someone creates a new piece of information in a computer they must make some fundamental decisions. They might have to decide which computer they use, PDA, laptop, theirs or someone else's. That decision will probably be based on ease of use.

Having made that decision they then need to decide which program to use. Again people go for the familiar as the default. So since a large part of the information society is wedded to Word, therefore I would guess most information is dropped into a Word document.

That's the easy bit. Creating a new piece of information is easy. Deciding what to do with it is different. Problems start with saving. You have to give it a name. A name? Why do I need to give it a name? Microsoft have clued into this problem - so they default the name of new information according to the first line of text. Subtle, simple and effective.

But let's go back to that name. For someone who has been around computers for many years the need for a name is obvious. But for the novice this is a hurdle.

The next problem is this name is called something like a filename. Sorry? A what? A filename. Filenames are unique the novice is told. And the novice is thinking, "do I care about this?" All I want to do is create another piece of information, or go home.

Then life gets difficult. Sooner or later having accepted this non-human concept of unique filenames some swears - they utter the word directory. At that point our novice goes into palpitations with beads of sweat dropping from their furrowed brow, thinking I am never going to touch a computer every again.

---

What's all this got to do with Groove? Ok, perhaps I am being too melodramatic. But such emotions I have seen on people's faces over the years. And now comes the rub.

If someone is creating a peice of information why should they create it in Groove? That's the million dollar question.

I think is that a mindset for most people is that they divorce the notion of information creation away from the notion of the consequesces of that information existing. This is exacerbated by people being used to doing something in private initially. It is exacerbated by the momentum of how they have done things before. It is exacerbated by the fear and uncertainty of doing something different. It is exacerbated by a lack of comprehension of the notion of sharing.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 2:20

Today my better half, Les and myself celebrate 25 years of marriage. Our greatest achievement is our two children. My love goes to Les - thanks for putting up with me! XX

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:59

Today my better half, Les and myself celebrate 25 years of marriage. Our greatest achievement is our two children.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:46

To me good collaboration NEEDS heart, it needs that pulse. Sanitised market-speak that appears on many/most collaboration websites just doesn't cut it: it is the antithesis of good collaboration.

Good web site communication is personal, one-to-one. If that is true for wbesites in general, then it is doubly-important for those pretending to deal in collaboration.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 2:21

We are beginning to produce a a wide range of technical notes and other marketing materials on PopG's Blended Groove solution. If you are interested and have a specific requirement please let us know.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 2:12

Why doesn't my brother get Groove? He is Internet savvy. He ran bulletin boards when everyone came in over dialup. He runs a few successful websites. But try as I may he does not get Groove.

We are close - a bit like Niles and Frasier, perhaps - we understand each other, where everyone else, even life partners, struggle. So why am I convinced that I understand Groove - and he don't get it.

It is not that I have not tried. Ever since I "got it" around 3 years agoI have been plugging away.

Answers on a postcard please...

Btw, if you want to get an idea of him - visit www.lawindexpro.co.uk

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:56

Fools rush out a new release of software... As a business partner I really feel a lot happier about Groove's current approach to release of new versions. It used to be they would commit to a fixed dat, and come what may that date was enshrined in stone. Well that leads to problems, puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on project teams for example. Worst of all it leads to the risk of a a dodgy product being released. Groove has learnt from those problems fortunately and that era seems to be a fading memory.

Right now the philosophy seems to be when they feel the product is right begin to go to release and make sure no major bugs appear. If none appear - go for it. This makes me happy. It gives me a tremendous confidence that recent and future releases are serious improvements with very few bad backward steps. That confidence has been echoed by experience.

And so I look forward to the up and coming 3.0 and feel confidence in the product being a landmark release.

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:43

What is e-collaboration. I have lokoed around the web and found it seriously lacking in a useful definition. Following my experience of Groove I would like to offer bullet points from my ivory tower. What follows is off the cuff, I hope to expand and clarify in further posting. Successful e-collaboration is:

- time/user stamped creation and sharing of information
- easy
- dynamically and inherently improves processes by natural best-practice self-creating models
- flexible and adaptable
- intimate & secure
- operates in the middle, at edge, and beyond
- is not dogmatic - (we should be talking about human processes not about whether p2p is better than sbc or vice versa)
- strongly encourages swarming
- open and free-thinking
- thrilling, absolutely thrilling - "better than sex?"
- builds irrevocable human bonds
- task oriented (which Groove is not)
- extensible
- encourages meritocratic structures - and vice-versa
- different
- the only way forward
- one tool
- fully configurable for you and your team - which groove is not


posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:35

Are VoIP enabled? I reckon the wasted space in the bottom LHS of Groove under 2.5 regime is going to become very hot property when 3.0 goes live. Go and buy yourself a headset with microphone now, before the shops sell out, :-)

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:26

"Ray Ozzie And Howard Rheingold On The Future Of Online Collaboration: Kolabora Live! The Competitive Edge" is an on-line conference hosted by Robin Good. Register your interest at http://www.kolabora.com/news/2004/06/21/ray_ozzie_and_howard_rheingold.htm

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 1:23

?

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 17:57

PopG Blog recreated!

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 17:56

another try

posted by Andy Swarbrick/PopG at 17:48