Benefits of Collaboration
Working and learning in groups is more fun, and you get more done.
Complex problems are often more easily solved by a team, than an
individual, especially when the team is made up of people with diverse
points of view. People maintain the expertise they bring to teams, by
associating with others who share their expertise. Work is more fun and
interesting when you have people to swap notes, and toss ideas around
with.
Benefits of Collaborating Online
It's hard to beat collaborating in the same place at the same time,
especially when you want to hear from everyone in the group. It's
often difficult, however, to meet face-to-face. People may have to
travel, but even if they don't, it's often hard to find a time when
everyone is available. And face-to-face, each person can only
participate in one conversation at a time. The larger the group, the
worse these problems get.
The obvious benefit of collaborating online is that you can
participate from wherever you like. There is no travelling required.
Collaborating online, however, also means that people don't have to
participate at the same time.
- No scheduling problems or interruptions
- Each person can participate at the time that suits them.
- Hold concurrent conversations
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People can participate in multiple conversations at the same time.
- Take your time
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People can take the time they want to reflect on and add to
conversations.
- Meet in larger groups
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By breaking into sub-groups, large groups can easily meet online.
- In-built record-keeping
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All conversations online form a searchable archive that can be
accessed at any time in the future.
Online collaboration does have disadvantages compared with
face-to-face. There is no voice tone or body language, making it
much less immediate and dynamic. These disadvantages cannot be
overcome, but they can be mitigated by effective participation.