web worker daily has some fantastic tips for starting a virtual project team (or as they say, a remote team).

while it is a short piece it includes some very smart tips!!! they talk about preparation a lot! deciding on a tool to use (basecamp, mindmapping, etc), making sure both the client and team members know how to use the tool, buying webcams & getting everyone setup and comfortable with them, plus making sure everyone is on IM. this is something i feel isn’t done enough. how often do we say ‘oh yeah, we have email. that will work’ and that’s the extent of the planning. in my thesis research, barely anyone used progressive technology such as blogging, wikis, mindmapping, etc. the bulk of communication was via phone and email.

they also mention being alert to people’s different communication styles – some people will love the video cam while others will hate IM (those that type slow might not be the biggest IM fan, especially when paired with someone who does type fast!) – and setting expectations around when communication will occur.

i think these are all very important tips. frequently not enough time is allocated to get people up to speed on their required toolkit and it will negatively impact the group. taking these early steps, making mistakes together (oops, i guess i do have to plug in the camera’s usb!) will assist in fostering trust amongst the group.

business week has several articles about working virtually (as part of their special report: virtual life) the virtual meeting room touches on companies who let their employees and partners meet as avatars in virtual worlds. companies like qwaq provide second life style avatars & spaces where you can share documents while getting the visual aspects virtual teams are missing out on (the bulk of the way we communicate) . (disclaimer: i haven’t tried qwaq) this is an exciting new area i will probably get addicted to.

fyi, biz week also has some screen shots of leo burnett’s SL area and how it’s being used in house with players in 3d collaboration such as qwaq & tixeo.

a couple new tools i’ve found recently

skrbl is a within your browser whiteboard. you can sketch or do text in a limited range of colors and print or email it. i couldnt figure out how to erase a scribble which was annoying. good for when you need to share a quick sketch.

a new GTD tool, nozbe lets you run 5 projects for free, list your to-dos & next stops and categorize them. nice ajax interface.

several times i’ve had a look at ning and while i knew there was something there, i just wasn’t getting it. either i didn’t have enough time or my very rough programming skills had deteriorated so badly that i wasn’t seeing it. well that’s changed. today i had a look at this screencast on creating a pix ning application in 6 minutes.

of course the 6 minutes thing is pushing it… no one can type that fast or find the snippets of code they want that quickly but what it does do illustrate very well how powerful ning is. i cloned an existing app for my brautigan site and was feeling frustrated til i watched this. now i’ve confirmed to myself that any knowledge of php i had is hidden somewhere in my brain and that’s why i’m frustrated… not with ning or the cloned app. what a powerful little website/tool to help new programmers learn as well as let experienced folks create stuff quicker and easier.