Granular Collaboration in IBM Innovation Labs at Lotusphere 2009

by Clint Boulton

No, it’s not that sandwich spread, but IBM hopes Vegemite will one day stick in Lotus as an application that lets users mash up data on multiple Web sites by pointing and clicking to move data from a Web page to a type of spreadsheet. Sounds a little like Blist, no?

InSight is a Web tool that lets users attach microtags and tags anywhere in a video timeline so that users can pinpoint parts of the video that are relevant to them. Others can come in and add metadata to the tags, enhancing collaboration. It could be useful for business managers picking over training videos.

A microwiki of sorts, Dandelion lets users grab content components, called “docseeds,” from several sources and put them in one document. Great for team document collaboration. A future feature in IBM Lotus Quickr, perhaps?

Short for Social Networks and Discovery, SaND integrates the relationships between people, documents and tags from IBM’s Lotus Connections social networking suite and other social networks. Users can use it to build search and recommendation engines.

This Web-based decision support tool recommends the proper visualization map and captures users’ actions as they analyze the data map in an “action trail.” These then can be shared with colleagues.

This “Web office editor” is a nifty little notes editor for smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone or T-Mobile’s G1. Users simply touch the screen with a finger or stylus to edit, bookmark and annotate content in real time.

As the name implies, this platform lets business users mash up Web services or create applications that let people communicate via e-mail. This platform serves as the foundation piece for IBM’s LotusLive Engage, a social networking and collaboration platform IBM will roll out to partners later in 2009.

A social tool for planning business travel, Voyage lets workers see where their colleagues are traveling and lets users collaborate on travel plans or set up meetings. Think Rearden Commerce’s personal Web assistant for IBM partners.

It wouldn’t be a Lotusphere without IBM avatars and virtual reality. Olympus focuses on greater awareness for Web-based meetings.

This application runs on a mobile phone to let users see social context for, and specific information on, consumer products. Users aim the phone camera at a product’s two-dimensional bar code to learn more about that item.