Thanks to the web, the other parts of the world are becoming more accessible for everything from sharing your family pictures, to having employees scattered all over the globe. One of the challenges of having a remote workforce is – how the heck can you organize even the most basic meeting?

When collaborating with multiple people geographically spread out, things like a digital whiteboard, file sharing, and training can be very difficult. ShowDocument is a creative way to address this problem.

What ShowDocument can do for you

The main feature that separates ShowDocument from others like Yuuguu is the digital whiteboard. Being able to have everyone collaborate on one screen is a huge help. Many businesses struggle with collaboration day in and day out.

Meeting room

Each registered account will have a dedicated meeting room. I know it sounds a little fancier than you may need. Think of it like your own personal chat room. People can come and go as needed, but will all congregate in one spot.

The number you are given for the meeting room is also your invite code for people who are attending the meetings.

Markup live web pages

The Shared Browser feature is pretty neat. If you are designing a web site for a client who isn’t local, ShowDocument lets you upload a document saved as a URL. This lets everyone mark up the page to add or eliminate aspects of the page the next round of approvals.

Markup Google Maps

At first when I saw this feature, I wondered how this would be helpful for a freelancer or small business owner.

My first thought is if you are planning an outdoor event. You can use the map to have an aerial view of the venue. You can mark where stands will go, entrance and exits, stages…

The second idea would be to plot a new location if you wanted to move or expand your business. Being able to see where major roads and other businesses are in relation to where you want to move.

Online document sharing

If you have everyone in one place for the meeting, it stands to reason that you would want to be able to have everyone access the documents you are talking about. Sure you can display it for everyone to see, but there is probably a need for everyone to have a copy for later reference.

You can upload 10 documents to be stored on the server if you are a registered user. This isnt a lot, but if you remove them after the meeting is over, you should be fine.

Why register

The majority of the features are free to use. However, if you register there are a few perks. All of them will make the digital meeting process a bit better.

  • Longer sessions
  • Uploading documents
  • Dedicated meeting rooms

If you plan on holding more than a couple short meetings, it is a good idea to sign up for a free account. In addition to the features above, chat, collaborating on text files, marking up Youtube videos, screen sharing and a lot more make ShowDocument worth trying out.

What are your tips for collaborating with people abroad?

Image credit: Stephen Cummings

Trevor is a freelance writer covering topics ranging from the Android OS to free web and desktop applications. When he is not writing about mobile productivity, He is coaching and playing the world’s greatest game… Soccer.

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