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Features

This is a wish list of features. Please see the roadmap for a view of features planned for the next release. As features move into implementation we will link design documents.

SPACES

A "Space" represents a topic or a team workspace.

  • Create public spaces on any topic
  • Wiki front page
  • Page versioning
  • Discussion and "Flow". Flow is a series of events that may include discussion, questions, feeds, and edits.
  • Filtering of Flow views to select only the items you want
  • Moderated Flow
  • Attached RSS feeds in to the flow. RSS out.
  • Edit events appear in flow
  • Specify related topics/tags, each representing a different workspace
  • Create new spaces or collaboration spaces and invite exactly the people you want as team members
  • Rely on automated email invitation and introduction processes to bring in new team members
  • Workspaces can be private or publicly visible.
  • Optionally allow non-members to apply to join a private space. This puts them in a list for the owner and allows the owner to see the contact information.
  • Build a private Web - a permission group in a space that can be used as a trusted list by all of the other spaces in the Web.
  • The user view is permissioned so that each user can only see search results and links for workspaces that they are permitted to see.
  • Browse team members and interested users. Send questions, email, IM, Skype, etc. Real-time presence list? Voice / video?
  • Attach documents (Document management tool). Keep versions.

USER

  • Users can create a profile and control the information they reveal to other users
  • The only required information from a user is a valid email address, which will be verified by sending a message to that address
  • Users can select topics/spaces that they "Watch".
  • User aggregate flow page. For every related space, the user can click through to the flow. For every related space, the user can select a flow filter and see the last few items matching that filter. The system will remember the last flow filter from the space flow page.
  • Questions. User can ask a question on any related topic. The question and any answer thread appears in the User Flow, and in the Flow of the related topic.
  • The user receives an expert point every time someone else views one of his postings.
  • Extra credit - filter and color code Flow by the similarity of the author's profile to a user's profile, or by author expert points
  • Extra credit - match users by the profile of related spaces

More WISH LIST

  • Plug-in tools. These optional tools are selected by the space owner, and they appear as links under the tab bar. Tools can be independent applications such as Trac and Subversion, or built-in features such as a document manager or issue manager. The key thing is that a space owner can add them just by checking the box, and the user permissions for the space are applied inside the tool
  • LDAP emulator that allows LDAP-enabled apps (such as those running under Apache) to authenticate and authorize users using space memberships and roles. This opens up a whole new space of pluggable tools.
  • Job postings from any space
  • User profiles include job skills

Professional Networks such will feature extended versions of this basic set of collaboration features. We have planned some additional features for the IT Professional Network, and later for the Investment Professional Network.