Rifflet is the perfect meeting ground for musicians without a muse. The site allows users to upload snippets of music, up to 60 seconds long, and offer them up to the community to do what they want with them.
The 'rifflet' can be as simple as a drum beat or bass line - as long as it gives another musician something to work with. When you find a 'rifflet' that appeals to you - you can finish it off, remix it, slap some lyrics on it - whatever you want. Anything uploaded on Rifflet is under the Creative Commons license, so whatever you come up with. Users can also share the final product since the 60 second limitation isn't enforced on the actual upload size. Not only does Rifflet target musicians, it also targets DJs, who can take the bits and pieces posted on the site and put them together any way they like.
The musical elitists in us thought that, since the site is open to pretty much anyone, it would be strewn with sorry excuses for songs, but we were pleasantly surprised with the quality and variety of music on the site.
Twiddla is an online whiteboard that lets you start collaboratively marking up practically anything: a blank page, your own images, or a website. It was created to solve the hassle of e-mailing design proofs back and forth for comments. With Twiddla, you can do real-time markup in a matter of minutes, without even signing up.
Twiddla does have accounts - it's in public beta, so you can sign up now - but you can start a new meeting without one, and edit your user details on the fly. Once you're in a meeting, you've got all the basic markup tools you would expect: pen, text box, some basic shapes. You can also upload images or browse to a site and start marking it up. Communication during the meeting is supported by a text chat box and an audio chat button.
It might not be as full-featured as some of the more established whiteboard services out there, but it definitely scores points for quick setup and ease of use. There's even a bookmarklet for your browser, so you can "twiddle" any page with one click. Sure, we could find a couple things to complain about -- an eraser and a tool for drawing neat arrows would be nice, for starters -- but we're in a good mood because we just used a functional web service without having to sign up.
Yakkle is a collaboration tool that lets you communicate with friends or colleagues over the web. While there are plenty of free tools that let you chat, make VoIP calls, or send files over the internet, few of those tools pack a screen sharing application. And while there are plenty of commercial collaboration tools like WebEx or GoToMeeting, Yakkle has them all beat in one area: it's free.
For most day to day tasks, Yakkle doesn't offer much that you can't get from Skype, AIM, MSN Messenger, or Google Talk. But the screen sharing application can come in handy if you want to show someone files or running programs on your desktop. For example, if you want to talk someone through a PowerPoint presentation, you can just power up Yakkle, share your desktop and chat at the same time.
While Yakkle works fairly well for sending files, instant messages, or voice chat, it's can be a bit sluggish when it comes to screen sharing if you have a slow computer. We took it for a test spin by setting up a connection between a Toshiba PC with a 1.7MHz dual core processor and an Eee PC with a 900MHz celeron processor. When we used the Eee PC to remotely access the Toshiba, all was well. but when we used the Toshiba to access the underpowered Eee PC, our tiny little laptop pretty much screeched to a halt.
You can register for a Yakkle account for free, but you don't necessarily need one to use the application. You can also login using a Jabber or Gmail user name and ID.
Yakkle is Windows XP and Vista only for now, and requires Java to run.
Google isn't the only company beefing up its collaboration features. Online file storage service Box.net has added a new "invite collaborators" button that lets you share the contents of any folder with other Box.net users.
So if you've got a folder of images, Word documents, and other items that you want to share with a colleague, just right-click and enter the email addresses of people you want to share the folder with. They'll be able to open and edit the contents of the folder. If you just want to let them see the documents, but not edit them, you can grant "viewer" access.
Unlike Google Docs, Box.net does not offer its own applications for editing documents and spreadsheets. But using the OpenBox framework, you can edit any document stored at Box.net using Zoho's online office applications.
While Google's online office suite might not have all the features of Microsoft Office, one area where Google's word processor, spreadsheet, calendar, and IM client excel is in letting you easily collaborate with other users. Want to share a Word document or spreadsheet with other users, just click the share button.
But that only works if the people you want to share with have already registered for Google Apps accounts. Now Google has launched a new version of Google Apps that makes it a whole lot easier to get a group of people registered quickly.
Google Apps Team Edition packs all the basic features like Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Talk. But when you sign up for Team Edition, Google Apps will automatically recognize your company or school email address and locate other users affiliated with the same organization and add them to your contact list. Now when you want to share a document or send a message, you should have a list of all the other people who have registered for Google Apps with email addresses from the same domain.
For example, if your email address is address@domain.com, you can share documents with any other uses who has a @domain.com address. Alternately, you can choose to share your documents with everyone that has a @domain.com address. While Google Apps Team Edition doesn't offer any features that you can't get with a basic account, the move should help Google grow its user base by making signup much easier.
That said, we've tried to sign up several times today, and we keep getting a server error message from Google. Hopefully that problem will be fixed soon.
KonoLive is launching a new "instant collaboration" service at DEMO this week. The company's application looks a lot like an instant messaging client built on Adobe AIR. But while most IM clients allow you to do a few things besides chatting (like sharing files, images, and even video), KonoLive takes things to a whole new level.
Users will be able to share Office documents, PDF files, and digital media files with contacts without opening a web browser. Users can also comment on media, and keep track of various versions of a document.
The application is geared more toward business users than casual computer users. Most folks don't really need yet another IM client littering their desktop. But if you're looking for a way to collaborate with a team of people scattered across the globe, or even a typical office space KonoLive looks like an interesting option. The service is expected to launch in private beta on Wednesday.
Google has added a collaboration feature to the My Maps section of Google Maps. What does that mean? Essentially you can create a custom map, and then open it up for other people to edit.
Say, for example you're planning a trip to Chicago with friends. You want to use Google Maps to plot the places you should visit when you're there. You can find a few destinations and add them to the map and then add your friends as collaborators and they can each add more points to the map.
You can also create a map that anyone can edit by selecting "allow anyone to edit this map." This feature could come in handy for conspiracy nuts plotting UFO sightings or recreational runners looking for good running paths.
Forget about Google Maps mashups, why not enter the new world of book mashups.
Mixbook is an online tool that allows friends to collaborate and create pages for a book, then mash them up all together and create one loving publication. Layouts and backgrounds can be put together with images and text to create these 8x8" books that can be both printed and viewed online.
Nothing is more meaningful than giving a book, let alone a custom one. Book prices start at $9.99, and get increased August 15th to $12.99.
Put your thinking caps on, today's Invite-a-palooza featured site is all about brainstorming. Mindquarry GO is a new Web-based collaboration tool that's perfect for groups working on The Next Big Thing. Currently under development, Mindquarry GO is a pretty slick variation of Basecamp and similar services. It has a wiki, file sharing and storing options, and an assortment of tools to help you manage team, team members, and entire projects.
Today we're offering private invitations to the first 10 people who leave us a note in the comment section (be sure to activate it if you get an email confirmation). If you weren't quick enough to snag an invite, you can still head over to the Website and get access to the unhosted version of Mindquarry.
If you know of a site you'd like us to consider for the Invite-a-palooza, drop us a note.
UPDATE: We've given away all 10 invitations for today's featured site but check back tomorrow to see who's up next!
Social networking sites have become an increasingly popular way for people to connect professionally but, once you've added someone to your contact list, what then? 8apps is one of the first sites we've seen that answers that question. It goes beyond just connecting people and actually gives them tools to develop whatever brainstorms happen to come up once they get to know each other.
Like other social networking sites, 8apps brings like-minded people together, but then it takes the concept a step further by offering tools to help shape the ideas that take root between members. Wikis offer the same collaborative tools as 8apps but start from the premise that all the users already know each other. 8apps puts the horse before the cart and helps you meet people, then develop a project together.
After completing the very simple sign-up process, find members by searching for groups or individuals in the Handshake section of the site. Map out your big idea in Blueprint, a virtual whiteboard that works a bit like a mind-mapping tool. Next, break down projects and assign tasks with Orchestrate. If your group decides that a face-to-face meeting is in order, use the Pinpoint map and scheduling tool to find your real-world middle ground.
While the four remaining applications are still under wraps, this new site is still useful even though it's technically under development.* It also has an outstanding, beautiful, and intuitive interface that makes navigation easy and painless.
While the world might not need Yet Another Social Networking Site, it does need a way to corral all those brainstorms between members so the ideas have a chance to grow up and become -- who knows? -- Yet Another Social Media Tool. 8apps is just the ticket. *Note: As we were preparing this post for publication, we learned that the creators of 8apps have just put the site up for sale. Although further development has been temporarily put on hold, the site is still fully functional, and there are still private invites available. Want to know how you can score one? Stay tuned.
Collaborating with a team in an online space has its challenges, Mindquarry wants to make it as simple as possible, yet keeps the productive functionality.
Mindquarry is an online space that allows for the sharing of documents, management of products, and collaboration with team members wherever they might be located. Its four main collaboration tools consist of Teams, Files, Wiki, and Tasks and it works totally in a browser window.
Teams and team members can be analyzed and managed.
Files can be shared and stored online, with a history of change record.
Wiki's can be used to share information or creative ideas, think of it as a blackboard.
Tasks can be assigned to team members, and to-do lists can be checked.
The rich text editing environment provides a space where users can work both online and offline, syncing documents when complete or back online. There are two parts to this application, the online Server, and the Client application. The Server is the collaboration hub that ties everything together and gives a strategic overview of everything that is happening. While the Client is the tool that team members use to connect them to the Server and sync up files and tasks when complete and online.
The free downloadable Mindquarry Go software is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX users. It is available in beta only for now. For a more in depth look at the software, take a look at the User Guide, or this quick video demonstration.
The program lets up to 15 users connect to your computer over the internet and see what's on your screen. You can also grant other users control over your screen, which is useful for collaborating on projects or presentations. You regain control of your screen with a click of your mouse should someone start to get naughty with your PC.
You can also share files, and a future release will include audio, chat, and generally have a good old fashioned office meeting (without the office).
There haven't been many major changes since the initial release, but the new version does feature some interface tweaks. SharedView requires Windows XP or Vista.
It's been a while since we've mentionedFreshBooks, the web 2.0 project tracking and invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses alike, but an upcoming v3.8 release is a great excuse for a refresher. FreshBooks is already pretty packed with features like creating, sending (via mail or email) and managing invoices, tracking time on projects, accepting payments and even sending late notices, so this v3.8 upate is more about refining features. Specifically:
You can easily add staff members to any or all projects, making it far easier to bring on new personnel.
Items can now be inserted into the middle of invoices, with AJAX goodness for updating the page and not interrupting your workflow.
Timesheet details can be filtered by project or client, allowing you to track down just what you need.
The 'what's coming' list offers a bit more to sink one's teeth into, however, with features like quotes and estimates, future revenue reports and account statements to display all money owed and paid for a client.
FreshBooks version 3.8 lands Tuesday, April 17th 2007, and the actual update is scheduled to occur between 6:30 am and 8:00 am EDT.
Microsoft has launched a new program that allows you to share what's on your display with up to 15 other users over the internet. The program, code-named Tahiti is in a private, invitation-only beta at the moment. Here's how it works:
You login using your Windows Live information. Then you can invite users to see applications running on your computer. You can also selectively grant control of those applications, enabling long distance collaboration on projects. If a problem arises, you can click on your mouse or press a button on your keyboard and you regain control.
If you're working on a Word document with other users, Tahiti will track changes and assign a name and color to the changes made by each user.
Tahiti also allows file sharing, so you can send files and documents to other members of your team without using email, FTP or any other external application. Tahiti runs on Windows XP and Vista.
Ficlets spills some Web 2.0-coolness into a cup of collaborative fiction. Users submit super-short fiction stories -- really short. No, like really, incredibly short. All the fiction you can squeeze into 1024 characters short. -- which are then available for others to build upon with "sequels" (or build up to with prequels). They even provide you with inspiration for your stories, in the form of photos, themes, suggested beginnings and endings, and of course other ficlets.
All the Ficlets are licensed under the Creative Commons, giving the content a solid foundation for everyone to play fair and share upon. It's fun, creative and mildly addictive if you're into writing.
Social networking sites have become an increasingly popular way for people to connect professionally but, once you've added someone to your contact list, what then? 
It's been a while since 
