Real Time Collaborative Writing

One of the most demanded features included in Office 365 is the ability of the users to collaborate on a common document in real time (at the same time). Both users see the document, both users can keyboard simultaneously, and each user see what the other is keyboarding.

Some suggest Office 365 is Microsoft’s answer to Google Docs.

We will assume we have two users – Tom and Dick (Harry has the flu).

TOM

Using the “app launcher”, start Word On-Line

At the top right corner, click [Share]

Keyboard the address of the person (s) to share with

Click [Share]

DICK

Using the “App Launcher”, start Outlook

Open the e-mail invitation and click on the file name

Click [Edit Document] and [Edit with Word On-Line]

Dick will now see a red marker on his screen where Tom’s cursor lies

BOTH

Both people will see the other person’s name at the top right of the screen

TOM

Tom sees a green marker where Dick’s cursor lies

Tom presses [Enter] a few times – then [Up Arrow] to get up to the start of the document.

Tom now starts to keyboard

Page 1 of 3

DICK

Dick presses the [Down Arrow] a few times to move down the screen (away from Tom’s cursor) and starts to keyboard

BOTH

Both can see everything being keyboarded – and – can actually edit each other’s work – since they are both working on the same document at the same time.

NOTE: Since TOM created the document – TOM “owns” the document – and it will only appear in TOM’S [One Drive]. DICK can, however, come back to it later using the previous invitation.

HARRY

Harry just got back from the drug store where he bought some “Advil Cold and Sinus Plus” and is starting to feel more human

Page 2 of 3 Collaborative Writing Exercise

In this exercise we are going to assume there are two Collaborative Writers:  TOM  DICK  (HARRY is still not up to attending class)

TOM is going to initiate the document and invite DICK.

TOM will keyboard a few [ENTER] on the screen to give space for Dick to keyboard.

TOM: Mike Winters was suspended by for the remainder of the regular season on Wednesday because of his confrontation with San Diego's Milton Bradley last weekend.

DICK: The Padres claimed Winters baited Bradley, who has a history of losing his temper. Bradley tore a knee ligament when his manager spun him to the ground while trying to keep him from going after the umpire during Sunday's 7-3 loss to Colorado in San Diego.

TOM: Winters was suspended because the commissioner's office concluded he had used a profanity aimed at Bradley, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the reasoning for the suspension was not announced.

DICK: Padres manager declined to comment.

TOM: "In this case, I think it's best for my position to just stay away from it," he said by phone from San Francisco, where the Padres were to finish a series against the Giants on Wednesday night.

DICK: The 48-year-old Winters became a major league umpire in 1990 and worked the in 2002 and last year.

TOM: Winters became the first umpire suspended since 2003, when Bruce Froemming and John Hirschbeck each were suspended for 10 days. Froemming made an anti-Semitic slur about an umpiring administrator and baseball said Hirschbeck threatened a senior official in the commissioner's office.

DICK: Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, has not decided whether to penalize Bradley, the commissioner's office said.

Page 3 of 3