Patent Application
20140310345
Content processing applications and services, especially textual content, provide a number of controls for selecting, modifying aspects of content such as formatting, grammatical or stylistic corrections, even word replacements through synonym/antonym suggestions. In typical systems, such controls are available individually, sometimes independently or interdependently. Thus, users may be enabled to select and modify aspects of content they create or process, but they have to do it manually.
Content creation or modification in collaborative environments, where content may be created and processed by multiple users simultaneously and/or sequentially, may be specially challenging for authors trying to keep track of their own changes as well as others. True collaboration involves a combined thought process and may be hampered by the sequential nature of conventional systems, where one co-author's comments/edits need to be reviewed by the others and responded to in an orderly fashion. Even if an order is established and the edit/comment exchange process optimized, it may be challenging to create a consistent and coherent voice for the collaborative content.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to exclusively identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments are directed to enabling real-time co-authoring and support for the collaborative process end-to-end by making it easy to initiate a collaborative document, to invite the proper people into the process, to collect existing artifacts, thoughts, and research, and then to divide and track the work to completion across a collaborating group. Naturally integrated real-time or sequential communication means may be provided to enhance the collaboration and optimize the content creation process.
These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory and do not restrict aspects as claimed.
As briefly described above, collaborative document may be initiated; proper people may be invited into the process; existing artifacts, thoughts and research may be collected; and the work divided and tracked to completion across a collaborating group. Unification may be provided on a no-save model across the web applications while integrating modern commenting and communication methods.
In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations specific embodiments or examples. These aspects may be combined, other aspects may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
While the embodiments will be described in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an application program that runs on an operating system on a personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that aspects may also be implemented in combination with other program modules.
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and comparable computing devices. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Embodiments may be implemented as a computer implemented process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program that comprises instructions for causing a computer or computing system to perform example process(es). The computer-readable storage medium is a computer-readable memory device. The computer-readable storage medium can for example be implemented via one or more of a volatile computer memory, a non-volatile memory, a hard drive, a flash drive, a floppy disk, or a compact disk, and comparable hardware media.
Throughout this specification, the term “platform” may be a combination of software and hardware components for content collaboration with scratchpad functionality. Examples of platforms include, but are not limited to, a hosted service executed over a plurality of servers, an application executed on a single computing device, and comparable systems. The term “server” generally refers to a computing device executing one or more software programs typically in a networked environment. However, a server may also be implemented as a virtual server (software programs) executed on one or more computing devices viewed as a server on the network. More detail on these technologies and example operations is provided below.
Referring to
Diagram 100 represents a networked computing environment, where a collaborative authoring application (or service) 110 executed on a server may be accessed by a plurality of authors such as authors 114 to create and process content individually or collaboratively. The collaborative authoring application 110 may be accessed via network 112 by browsers or locally installed client applications on a desktop computer 104, a laptop computer 106, a tablet 108, a smart phone 116, a smart whiteboard 102, and similar devices. The collaborative authoring application may also be part of a hosted service executed on one or more servers.
The collaborative authoring application 110 may enable authors to create and modify content including, but not limited to, text, images, graphics, embedded objects (e.g., audio, video objects, etc.). Authors may create distinct portions of the content to be combined into a single, coherent work, may modify each other's or their own) work, comment on each other's work, provide notes, and reply to comments/changes. Notifications of changes, comments, notes, and replies on the collaborative content (124, 126, 128) may be provided through various communication means, such as email 122, text messages, publication to social/professional networks, blogs, and similar means. The collaborative authoring application 110 may be a word processing application, a presentation application, a spreadsheet application, a note taking application, and comparable ones.
A collaborative authoring application according to embodiments may enable any end-point enabling real-time co-authoring and support the collaborative process end-to-end. In an example scenario, a collaborative document may be initiated; proper people may be invited into the process; existing artifacts, thoughts and research may be collected; and the work divided and tracked to completion across the group. Unification may be provided on a no-save model across the web applications, for example, while integrating modern commenting and communications.
The example systems in
Referring to
In a conventional system, a collaborative authoring project may include face-to-face meeting of collaborators for definition of goals, exchange of email addresses, etc. Meetings and roles may be scheduled/assigned through email or other means, but may prove to be challenging specially if there is lack of coherence among group members. Idea planning may include creation of a repository, a timeline (e.g., a spreadsheet), an outline, and details of goals/objectives/roles. All these activities may also take time and resources before the collaboration project even begins.
The execution of the project may include lot of back and forth among group members, where version management may have an increasing level of difficulty proportional to the number of collaborators since everyone may have differing opinions, styles, etc. Editing (specifically for a single voice) may take even more back and forth. Typically, the formatting/error-checking/fact checking tasks may be assigned to a single group member for efficiency. Thus, while modern communication technologies may enable easier exchange of ideas, real-time collaboration on content creation is still a challenging process.
As shown in diagram 200, a real-time collaborative authoring process according to embodiments may include a number of stages. At the start stage 230, one or more collaborators may access a collaborative authoring service through a thick or thin client (e.g., a browser) from any computing device. The collaboration may be started by inviting others through the collaborative authoring service (e.g., email, text message, or similar invite) or finding a group that already exists.
At planning stage 232, a team coordinator may communicate with co-authors about the project, coordinate their time with others, determine assigned work portions and see where they stand in regards to goals set for the project. Content may be placed at a location (e.g., a dedicated storage area for the collaboration group), where it can be easily accessed.
At the main collaboration stage 234 (“Do It”), the team coordinator may control access by others to information about him/her as well as each other, collaborate on portions of the content, find ideas on how to create content, for example, by leveraging work that has already been done. In creating the content, existing content may be incorporated into what the authors are doing. Co-authors may be provided up-to-date information on each other's contributions such as newly created content, edits, comments on each other's work, etc. Collaborators may be enabled to initiate communication with each other individually or groups) such as email exchange, text message sessions, video chats, and comparable ones. The service may provide information to the collaborators on significant items related to the project, allow them to catch up on things they may have missed (e.g., comments/edits since they have accessed the service last time), a enable merging of multiple communications channels into one (a user interface panel showing summaries of emails, text messages, and other communication related to the collaboration). Collaborators may also review past communications, compare content versions, and annotate content (notes, etc.).
At formatting s age 236, the created content may be checked for errors (grammatical, formatting, style), factual accuracy, and consistency. A single voice may be achieved through automated suggestions based on collaborative environment, type of content, organizational norms, others' usage, and similar factors. In some scenarios, content may be changed to accommodate issues discovered with any of the above-listed items. The collaboration team may also be enabled to control how others may consume the content. For example, restrictions may be placed on splitting the created content. Different versions (style, language, formatting) may be created for different consuming audiences, and so on.
At share and archive stage 238, the content may be placed at a location (e.g., a cloud) for others to have access to it. The access may be controlled through restrictions based on permissions or similar means. The system may maintain an integrity of the content wherever it is consumed and enable the collaborators to define update schedules and roles (who is supposed to update which portion of the content when).
In the example screenshot 300, a sociology paper is being collaboratively created by a team. The user interface presents the created content 340 with editing controls 342. In a complementary user interface adjacent to the presented content, a list of collaborators and their respective changes, comments, and/or status may be provided. For example, an image or representative icon of a collaborator may be shown along with what that collaborator did (e.g., comment 346) and a timing of the action. In another example, a status 350 of another collaborator may be presented in the same complementary user interface such as typing or viewing the created content. This way, the collaborators may determine who is online, who is available and initiate a conversation with the available collaborators. A control 354 may enable the user 344 to switch to a private working mode, where the user may be able to create or edit content without the others seeing immediately. Thus, the collaborative authoring service may provide a scratchpad to the collaborators that can be a private scratchpad and converted to a shared scratchpad through a single action (356). This ease of transition may enable collaborators to share ideas without prolonged back and forth exchanges.
The listed collaborator actions may also be tied to a highlighted portion 348 of the content associated with the action (change, edit, creation, comment, etc.). Through a two-way interaction between the main user interface and the complementary user interface, a user may be enabled to select a portion of the content on the main user interface and see a list of collaborator actions associated with that portion on the complementary user interface. Alternatively, the user may select one of the, for example chronologically presented, collaborators on the complimentary user interface and see the related portion of the content highlighted.
A collaborative authoring application user interface may also present additional controls 352, which may be activated by touch or gesture input, for example, to switch between different modes or user interfaces, providing a comment, editing the content, publishing the content or an author's edits, etc. The information associated with the collaborators and modified content may be hidden/presented based on current user's choice (e.g., toggling of a control on the user interface).
The browser user interface shown in the screenshot 300 is for illustration purposes. In addition to standard elements such as an address of the current web page, a search box, command menus, and a tab indicating the web page, other elements may be provided in various locations and in any order using the principles described herein. A collaborative authoring application user interface may also include custom elements like in a locally installed and executed application.
Screenshot 400 shows the main user interface of the collaborative authoring service with the created content 440 and edit controls 442 for user 444. Upon activation of the private working mode control discussed above, the complementary user interface presenting the collaborators may be hidden and an indication 464 displayed informing the user that he is in private working mode. The user may be able to edit the content through a variety of input mechanisms such as touch 462. When the user is done working in private mode, he may be enabled to switch to the collaboration mode by merging his edits to the shared content through the merge control 466.
In screenshot 500A, a notification user interface of a collaborative authoring application is shown for a particular author 544 (Mike Jones). While viewing the created content 540 on a main user interface along with edit controls 542, the author may be presented a complementary user interface displaying a list of existing conversations 570 associated with the collaborative content. The list may include, for example, images or representative icons of participating collaborators along with their names and a timing of the conversation (e.g., conversations 572 and 574). Other formats and styles of presenting available conversations may also be used. In some example embodiments, the author may be enabled to select a listed conversation and view the contents of the conversation or join the conversation if it is still going on. In other embodiments, a conversation starting control 576 may be provided to initiate a new conversation. The conversations may be tied to specific portions of the content such that the relationship between a conversation and specific portion(s) of the content can be preserved for subsequent viewing by the collaborators.
Screenshot 500B of
Screenshot 5000 of
Diagram 500D in
Referring to
A shared scratchpad in some embodiments may provide a shared canvas to use for co-authoring, a place to keep different versions of portions of the content (e.g., paragraphs), and a place to share ideas. The scratchpad may be a place where collaborators place their content until it is final. Collaborators may receive feedback from each other, access the scratchpad from the outside world, and easily import content into the scratchpad.
In the example embodiment shown in diagram 600, options provided to the user upon highlighting of a portion 616 of the displayed content in an options menu 618 are illustrated. For example, an author my be enabled to comment on the highlighted portion, insert a note (e.g., for the collaborators) associated with the highlighted portion, or assign the highlighted portion to a collaborator. Additional information may also be presented such as which collaborator last edited the highlighted portion. The author may also be enabled to view a complete history of edits on the highlighted portion 616 of the displayed content. In some embodiments, color/highlighting, shading, and/or textual schemes may be employed to emphasize the changes/comments.
Additional aspects shown in user interface 610 include controls for selecting changes and/or comments by going through them one-by-one (614) or selecting the latest change/comment (612).
Authors employing a collaborative authoring application according to embodiments may determine easily who—if anyone—changed their content and if they made a suggestion, what happened, etc. Communication may be through a variety of modes including comments and/or email. Changes may be edited and submitted. Notifications may be provided in a configurable manner about changes. Private editing may be enabled in co-authoring, and authors may be enabled to re-join a thread, which may be per section or for the whole document. Furthermore, a time line summary for the changes may be provided.
The examples in
Client applications executed on any of the client devices may facilitate communications with hosted content processing applications executed on servers 706, or on individual server 704. A collaborative authoring application executed on one of the servers may facilitate collaboration with scratchpad functionality as discussed above. The collaborative authoring application may retrieve relevant data from data store(s) 716 directly or through database server 702, and provide requested services to the user(s) through the client devices.
Network(s) 714 may comprise any topology of servers, clients, Internet service providers, and communication media. A system according to embodiments may have a static or dynamic topology. Network(s) 714 may include secure networks such as an enterprise network, an unsecure network such as a wireless open network, or the Internet, Network(s) 714 may also coordinate communication over other networks such as Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or cellular networks. Furthermore, network(s) 714 may include short range wireless networks such as Bluetooth or similar ones. Network(s) 714 provide communication between the nodes described herein. By way of example, and not limitation, network(s) 714 may include wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
Many other configurations of computing devices, applications, data sources, and data distribution systems may be employed to implement a platform providing a collaborative authoring environment with scratchpad functionality. Furthermore, the networked environments discussed in
The collaborative authoring application 822 may enable creation and editing of content by multiple authors. The collaborative authoring application 822 through the authoring module 824 and communication nodule 826 may enabled authors to create/edit content, communicate about the content creation/edit process, notify authors about changes that affect a particular author, notify about co-authors of changes, restore or compare versions and/or notes, and/or provide a pivot history by author. The collaborative authoring application 822, the authoring module 824, and the communication module 826 may be separate applications or integrated modules of a hosted service. This basic configuration is illustrated in
The computing device 800 may have additional features or functionality. For example, the computing device 800 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in
Some embodiments may be implemented in a computing device that includes a communication module, a memory device, and a processor, where the processor executes a method as described above or comparable ones in conjunction with instructions stored in the memory device. Other embodiments may be implemented as a computer readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for executing a method as described above or similar ones. Examples of memory devices as various implementations of hardware are discussed above.
The computing device 800 may also contain communication connections 822 that allow the device to communicate with other devices 826, such as over a wired or wireless network in a distributed computing environment, a satellite link, a cellular link, a short range network, and comparable mechanisms. Other devices 826 may include computer device(s) that execute communication applications, web servers and the comparable device 108. Communication connection(s) 822 is one example of communication media. Communication media can include therein computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
Example embodiments also include methods. These methods can be implemented in any number of ways, including the structures described in this document. One such way is by machine operations, of devices of the type described in this document.
Another optional way is for one or more of the individual operations of the methods to be performed in conjunction with one or more human operators performing some. These human operators need not be collocated with each other, but each can be only with a machine that performs a portion of the program.
The process 900 begins with an operation 902, where a scratchpad may be provided through a collaborative authoring service for initiation of content collaboration with a plurality of collaborators. At operation 904, a team coordinator (and other collaborators) may be enabled to identify and invite other collaborators through various communication means.
At operation 906, the collaborators may be enabled to author and edit portions of the content through the scratchpad employing a no-save model across one or more hosted applications. At operation 908, communication over one or more modalities may be enabled in relation to the created content. The communications may include email, text messaging, video chat, audio chat, publishing to a blog/professional network, social network, and similar forms, and enable commenting and replying on edits and existing comments associated with the content.
The operations included in the process 900 are for illustration purposes. Providing a collaborative authoring environment with scratch pad functionality may be implemented by similar processes with fewer or additional steps, as well as in different order of operations using the principles described herein.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the embodiments. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims and embodiments.
