The COVID19 pandemic closed the doors of everyone - individuals and businesses alike. Every one of us was forced to deal with our own endeavors, whether it was school, work, or business, using virtual set-ups. No matter how integrated we already were with technology before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world still had to adjust exponentially now that everything is taking place online. This “new normal” has shined an even brighter light on our great dependence on technology. Yet, no matter how good our personal devices are, we still rely on each other to do our jobs, and responsibilities cannot be eradicated. Thus, online collaboration took center stage as well. We all had to learn how to still work together even if we were individually in the comforts of our own homes. Today, we will discuss online collaboration, its advantages, disadvantages, and introduce a tool you can use for website collaboration.
What is Online Collaboration?
With the advancement of technology today, online collaboration tools are among the most useful and beneficial tools businesses and other organizations use. Web collaboration is using the online platforms to work together as a team even if you are neither physically present nor together in one place or office. Working together as a team means conducting meetings, coordinating projects, sharing tasks and resources, and communicating every step of the way. Now, no matter how small or big your company is, collaboration is one of the key factors to ensuring success. Online collaboration is the same thing; only this time would you and your team be using online platforms and other technological tools to do so.
Pros and Cons of Online Collaboration
In any new tool or method, there are always both advantages and disadvantages. It cannot be all good, nor can it be all bad. So in this article section, let’s talk about the pros and cons of collaboration. Let’s start off with the negatives or the disadvantages.
∙ Lack of actual collaboration during meetings/conversations. One of the main disadvantages of online collaboration is a communication barrier during meetings and other conversations within the team. There is usually this tendency for only a few voices to take the lead, so others are not heard. This means that there is more limited input from everyone on the team than in face-to-face meetings. If this is not managed properly, it can cause miscommunication and bad blood among the team members. Thus, there is a need for heightened sensitivity and cooperative spirit among the team so that no one gets left behind.
∙ Glitches in technology are inevitable. Another disadvantage of website collaboration comes with the fact that technology has its imperfections. Thus, online collaboration is plagued with glitches and technical difficulties. This means that communications and task management can very well be interrupted at any time and can cause delays in the projects or tasks. While they cannot be avoided, everyone must find ways to improve their own tools. There also have to be contingency plans to avoid extensive delays or loss of progress along the way. Backing up data and files in multiple platforms might be a good idea to mitigate some of this risk.
∙ Personal barriers become blurred lines. Because of the online collaboration setup, everyone in the team can work in the comfort of their own homes. While this may be beneficial too (as discussed below), it can also cause work burnout easily. This is because one has the tendency to disregard the usual working hours and “leave work at the office” since everything is done via web collaboration. This is especially true for workaholics. And while one may argue that this is good for business or for the project, the fact is that in the long run, the team members might very well lose all motivation and energy to work. Thus, safeguards must be in place to ensure that the team members still take the personal time they need as human beings.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Now that we know what to look out for as we heighten this web collaboration, let’s not move on and discuss the advantages of online collaboration.
∙ Productivity time is increased. Since the team members can easily work in their own place, they can use more time to do actual work. The saved time refers to the commute or travel time, the time it takes to prepare for work, and the downtime during work hours. Meetings can be started faster, and conversations can easily be completed - avoiding the usual time waiting for each other. With online collaboration, the team members not only have more time on their hands but also can manage their time better and do tasks that best suit their productivity schedule.
∙ Sharing files and progress reports are made easier and faster. Website collaboration usually involves online platforms where team members can easily share the files they are working on. Finished tasks and projects can easily be collated and shared in a particular platform where anyone in the team can access them when necessary. This also eliminates the excessive printing and photocopying of documents when different people have to check and approve them. Even e-signatures are prevalent in web collaboration, making processes and progress faster and smoother.
∙ Faster communication and coordination. Team members don’t have to wait at each other’s stations or work areas (like they usually do in online setups) to be able to relay messages and important information and notices. Online collaboration allows them to easily converse with each other, saving time and effort for the whole process. Online platforms used in web collaboration also involve the entire team access; thus, they can see updates and progress in real-time. This makes for easier coordination and makes the team work better and accomplish projects faster.
Online Collaboration Made Easy with Strikingly
Building a website has never been an easy task, especially if you’re doing it alone. Hence, Strikingly embraces the power of website collaboration and allows for different team members to work together in building the best websites. Online collaboration has never been easier with Strikingly and its “Team” Feature. Here’s how you can activate yours and have the best web collaboration with your team.
- Log in with Strikingly.
- Open Your Site Editor.
- Go to “Settings”.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Here, you will find domain settings, basic information settings, payment settings, email information, mobile settings, headers, footers, etc. In addition, right below it is where you will find the “Team” Feature Settings.
- Click “Team”
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Upon clicking it, you will be brought to the page you see above. Here is where you can manage your team throughout your online collaboration once you have invited them all in.
- Click “Add Teammate”
Image taken from Strikingly Product
When you click “Add Teammate”, you will see this pop-up window. Here, you should input your teammate's email and select the roles you intend for them to fulfill.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Shown in the photo above are the choices for the team roles you can assign for this online collaboration. You can make them an administrator with almost the same access as you (site owner), except that they cannot delete the site and add/remove teammates. The Editor role can edit everything in the site but cannot access site analytics, settings, form responses, and the Simple Store Feature. The Store Manager can edit only those items in the Simple Store Feature. And finally, the blogger can write blogs and edit but cannot publish them.
- Have Your Teammate Accept the Invitation
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Your teammate should have an active Strikingly account. They will receive this email once you have invited them. Only once they’ve accepted the invitation will they be given access to your site.
Website collaboration has never been easier and more organized. See, not only does Strikingly allow you to add teammates, but it also helps you manage each of their roles and responsibilities. This makes for a smoother workflow because there is no confusion of tasks, even if you all are not seeing each other face-to-face.
Online collaboration gained traction because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the “new normal” that the world was forced into. Nevertheless, even after we have eradicated this threat of the COVID-19 virus, the power of web collaboration remains intact. The advantages of online collaboration won’t really change because the fact is, our technology is truly high-quality enough to facilitate this, especially when it comes to certain workloads and tasks that really do not require face-to-face meetings. The key is to tread carefully, so we don’t forget that we are all still humans interacting with each other despite being in front of a screen most of the time.
Let Strikingly assist you in this online collaboration. Be the best website-building team that you can be. Sign up with Strikingly now!
