Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools (Wordware Applications Library)

Virtual collaborative team environments face unique challenges because co–workers are not able to interact in person. Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools provides practical advice for managers of distributed teams who must design the internal systems and meet deadlines with a diverse team, and for team members who want to develop and maintain professional relationships. To address these needs, this book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the basics of team and project management, including team dynamics, communication, and project evaluation, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges of virtual teams. Part II covers the types of tools currently available for collaboration, such as wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, and more, and describes the different feature sets of each, as well as their differences and similarities. As part of their collaborative effort, the authors used a wiki, which they have opened to give readers an opportunity to see an example of a real–life wiki at work and participate in a community with the authors and other readers.

M. Katherine Brown–Comgenesis, LLC

M. Katherine (Kit) Brown (Comgenesis, LLC) is an award–winning writer and consultant with 16 years of experience in the technical communication field as a consultant, writer, and manager. She provides consulting services and training to clients on documentation processes and strategies, internationalization, and other technical communication issues.

Brenda Huettner

Brenda Huettner is a technical writer, author, speaker, and consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the technical communication field. She has written manuals, Help systems, procedures, proposals, and training materials for a variety of corporate clients, authored Macromedia Captivate: The Definitive Guide and co–authored RoboHelp for the Web and Managing Virtual Teams from Wordware Publishing, and is the publisher of Harry A. Franck‘s WWII narrative, Winter Journey through the Ninth. She is a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, a member of the IEEE Professional Communication Society, and a member of the Usability Professionals Association. Brenda is a regular presenter at conferences across the country where she speaks on documentation, management, and career issues.

Charlene James–Tanny–JTF Associates, Inc.

Char James–Tanny (JTF Associates, Inc.) has 25 years of experience as a technical writer and is well known for her knowledge of online Help tools and concepts. The author of two books, she speaks frequently at meetings and conferences around the world on Help topics, cross–browser issues and web standards, and tool–specific functionality.