Electronic collaboration, on the other hand, connects individuals electronically via the Internet using tools such as email, or through access to sites on the World Wide Web. This Internet-based work allows collaborators to communicate anytime, from anywhere to any place. People from different parts of a building, state, country, or continent can exchange information, collaborate on shared documents and ideas, study together, or reflect on their own practices. These activities are described in more detail in Chapter 2. Collaborating electronically can take many different forms.
Some groups are open-ended and unmoderated, allowing users to solicit information from each other.
Data collection and organization activities use databases and search engines to organize and retrieve data. Users contribute data individually to a shared database and retrieve data from it as needed. Collaborators can display documents online and discuss the contents via email, videoconference, or chat. They can use annotation systems to comment on shared documents and editing tools to co-edit documents online. Videoconferencing is like a conference call with pictures.