Social media platforms can offer themselves as incredible
collaborative tools. Certainly, email has been around for a while, but tools
like Facebook, Google+, and even purely collaborative platforms (without the
social media fuss) like Wiggio make it exceedingly simple to share files, make
collective comments, and pass on tasks from one employee or specialist to the
other.
As a freelance designer, more than half of my work is
conducted over some sort of virtual workspace. However, looking back at all of
these projects, I now see the value of meeting someone vis-à-vis.
About a year ago, I did some identity work for an
entrepreneur overseas and never got paid. The client cut off all communication
and essentially disappeared into a crevice in the vast world of the Internet.
Knowing someone you work with — their mannerisms, the way they dress, the way
they speak, and other personal traits makes collaborative work easier, and even
more successful. Such encounters are made impossible with online collaboration.
There is also a sense of security in working with someone who you know
personally, in a space where both of you are present.
Surely, there are advantages of working online too.
Companies like This Is POP, a game design company) have completely ditched their
physical office space and transferred to an online one. This way, a company can
reduce their office cost tremendously. At POP, everyone checks in online at
9.00 a.m. and checks out at 6.00 p.m. Between those hours, everyone is hard at
work in front of their computers, just like in a real office, and in constant
communication over IM.
In conclusion, social media offers an endless range of
collaborative possibilities, but these tools should perhaps be used as
supplements to a more traditional work ethic. I often find it easier to sketch
something and show it to a peer than to scan and upload it and wait for
comments.
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