A superb list of software tools and platforms for web based collaboration from Popwuping curated by Clark MacLeod.
Popwuping is a guide to design and the culture of mobility. Art, design, technology, trends, fashion, places to work/stay/visit, travel and accessories are the themes I follow. I try to make sense of an increasingly mobile society and share what inspires me.
The following is a highlight of a competitive analysis I did earlier this year when I was involved in designing software that would allow remote research teams to work together. While software is still a long way from replacing all in-person collaboration it's becoming easier for remote or mobile workers to stay productive and communicative with their team. Certainly the tools we have available today are a vast improvement over what I used when I first tried telecommuting 12 years ago!
There are many articles out there covering similar if not exactly the same ground. Hopefully you will find some gems in mine.
Collaborative Project Management
5pm
Project management, task organizer, team collaboration and time tracking software.
Action Method Online
Action Method is touted as a radical approach to productivity and project management.
activeCollab
Project Management and Collaboration Tool with iPhone version.
Basecamp
The gold standard for small group project management and collaboration.
GetSignOff
Work with your clients. Getsignoff is best for web designers to help them manage client feedback
Goplan Online
Manage your team's calendar (and sync it with your mobile devices, like your iPhone), assign tasks and tickets, manage files and assets and discuss in a centralized location.
Huddle
Online Project Management, live conferencing and document sharing.
Joyent Connector
They offer a free version that delivers Office 2.0 functionality such as team email, calendar, contacts, files, and bookmarks.
Lighthouse
Simple hosted issue tracking, bug tracking, and project management software.
Mindquarry
Collaboration, Teamwork, Productivity
Ning
Create your own social network for anything. Allows you to get up and running in an amazingly short period of time. Great for causes too.
OpenGoo
An open source web office focused on improving productivity, collaboration, communication and management of your teams.
Project2Manage
Online project management system that allows you to stay up-to-date, on task and connected with your team.
ProjectPier
Free, open-source, self-hosted PHP application for managing tasks, projects and teams through an intuitive web interface.
Redmine
A flexible project management web application which includes a gantt chart, calendar, wiki, forums, multiple roles, and email notification.
Tasks Pro
Group task management and calendar. I used this for years.
Tine 2.0
Combines groupware, CRM and ERP into one system.
Wiggio
Makes it easy to work in groups.
Brainstorming
bubbl.us
Free web application for brainstorming online.
Dabbleboard
Online whiteboard for drawing & team collaboration
Octopz
Advanced online collaboration for creative professionals
Stixy
For Flexible Online Creation Collaboration and Sharing
Thinkature
Real-time collaboration for the web
Writeboard
Free hosted whiteboard by 37 signals.
Twiddla
Team whiteBoarding. Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas.
Conferencing
Campfire
Another product by 37 signals. Business group chat, file sharing, group decision making.
Co-op
Allows you to stay in tune with your co-workers. Twitter for business.
Dimdim
Web conferencing for everyone. Dimdim provides free, open source collaboration for online meetings, eLearning, desktop sharing, education, unified collaboration, webinar, web meetings and more.
Jaikuengine
JaikuEngine is a social microblogging platform that runs on AppEngine.
Jott
Voice to text notes & to dos. Email & text message reminders. Hands-free email & text messaging. Group messaging.
Status (Formerly Laconica)
An open source microblogging service.
Lussumo Vanilla
Vanilla is an open-source, standards-compliant, multi-lingual, theme-able, pluggable discussion forum for the web.
Present.ly
The constant awareness communication tool - private microblogging for your business
Slashcode: Slash Open Source Project
Twitter
Not just for spammers this can be an excellent tool for team based conferencing and information discovery.
Yammer
ANother Twitter clone with a focus on the enterprise.
Idea Management / Research
2collab
A social bookmarking site where you can store and organize your favorite internet resources. Then, in private or public groups you can share your bookmarks with others - your colleagues, distributed research team, or the wider pool of experts in your field. Members of groups can evaluate these resources (by adding ratings and comments) and add their own bookmarks.
Delicious
The original social bookmarking site. Using it's api this becomes an excellent tool for teams to share and reuse their online research.
diggClone
Idea discussion and rating. Site is constantly down but this is an excellent start on a tool for rating and sharing ideas.
Diigo
Web highlighter and sticky notes, social bookmarking and annotation, social information network.
Evernote
Collaborative only in the sense that other can see but an amazing idea capture tool.
Kindling Idea Management and Collaboration
Phandy Photo sharing
Twitter for imagery. A service for co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you seeing?
Scuttle Web-based social bookmarking system.
Allows multiple users to store, share and tag their favourite links online.
WebNotes
Highlighter and sticky note tool for online research.
Zotero
Delicious for academics.
MyStickies
MyStickies allows you to place little yellow squares of digital paper anywhere and everywhere you feel like in the whole wide web.
Others
Croquet Project
Collaborative virtual environment.
GitHub
Secure Git hosting and collaborative development
info.tw.o
Tiki is the perfect tool for you to build and maintain your Website/Wiki/Groupware/CMS/Forum/Blog/Bug Tracker or any other project you can imagine running in your browser window.
PBworks
Used to be simple and free, now it's largely an enterprise product.
Nutshell
Easy to-do list, online notes and a search box on steroids
You might also be interested in: 12 alternatives to Basecamp and 10 Best Mobile Applications (Non-iPhone),