Ajax Applications: Jotspot

When I first considered this assignment I thought that AJAX applications were simply other, more current, examples of push technologies such as PointCast. Around the time that PointCast was being bundled with the Internet Explorer browser I set up the system on my PC. Initial intrigue quickly waned, however, as it appeared to simply clutter up the desktop, was loaded with ads, was very slow and was an incredible memory hog. As one article on the demise of this application argued, PointCast built its business around proprietary software but the Web allowed for innovation at a rate that was much greater. (Himmelstein) An inability to keep up with the changing technology (and bad business practices), therefore, resulted in its demise.

On re-examination I have come to recognize that several Ajax applications, unlike PointCast, truly offer useful and potentially time-saving web tools for the average user. Some of the Ajax application that I looked at include the “originals” Gmail and Google Maps as well as Backpack, JotSpot, Writely, Net Vibes, Rallypoint, Digg, iCal and Basecamp. I was hoping to examine Writely for this assignment but the developers have currently closed off new registrations. (If you submit a request to the waiting list they anticipate new account will be made available in early July, 2006) Some of Writely’s features include: the ability to upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML or text and to create new documents from scratch; share documents and edit them online with multiple users (invited through email); see the revision history of the document; publish to Blogs and; download the documents to your desktop.

Ultimately, I opted to look at the collaborative application JotSpot. The application, in the free version, offers a personalized Wiki that allows access to up to 5 contributors, with 20 pages, 5MB attachments and 100MB of storage. Paid upgrades will remove the ads and increase the allowable attachments and the storage memory to 10MB and 10GB respectively. Additionally, the premium packages allow for secure data encryption, and domain mapping.

Immediately, I was struck by the ease of the setup. The registration process took less than two minutes, with confirmation email. After you create an account, JotSpot provides the user with a "yourwikiname.jot.com" address. A person with the most rudimentary skills would find this an easy resource to manage. There is no need to learn the rules of Wiki markup language with this application. The skilled user is given the option to edit using markup but I found it a lot more user-friendly and intuitive with the WYSIWYG. In a library setting, with inexperienced users wishing to share impressions about a book, this would be useful technology.

Following setup you can personalize your page by adding a range of business productivity, collaborative and community applications, selected from about two dozen options. BlogApp allows you to create and publish multiple blogs; Contact Manager enables the user to manage and share contacts with other users; Knowledge Base allows the user to build a database of questions and answers on related topics; Project Manager will facilitate multiple user collaboration with shared to-dos, due dates, discussion, and shared files and; Jotspot Spreadsheets allows users to publish and track spreadsheets on an interactive wiki page.

For this assignment I installed the Forum application, the Contact Manager and the Spreadsheet. The installations of the application templates were straightforward and swift. The learning curve is very shallow for this technology: which is a useful feature for a smaller library with little IT support. Upon selecting the application the program asks if you really want to install the package. The user clicks yes and program takes you to a graphical interface that prompts the input of specific information for that application. The spreadsheet, for example, asks the user to copy rows from your Excel spreadsheet and paste them into a box on the application. Once that simple task is completed you can then share the data with members of the organization. The program, as might be expected, has the look and functionality of an earlier version of Excel. The JotSpot program does not import formulas, although formulas are in the Spreadsheet. The program offers a reasonable means of securely passing Excel files outside of the usual e-mail system.

The JotSpot applications could allow co-workers in a library to securely share information with each other and with patrons. And, as with all of the Ajax applications, JotSpot will work in your browser from any location. However, the appearance and the ease of creating an integrated site, where the Wiki and the other applications appear as a seamless whole, are less than ideal.

Each of the applications within JotSpot offered effective means of communicating within libraries and between libraries and patrons. The public face of the application, however, is a little less appealing. I found that the pages are not very attractive and the navigation from and within areas is not clear and consistent. Once in the Spreadsheet, for example, it is not clear how to exit, short of using the back button. The means for fixing the appearance and creating an intuitive architecture, where users with fewer skills can easily navigate, is not as simple as the initial set-up. (Assistance can be found at JotSpot Developer Connection which is an associated wiki with information for developers along with samples, including the ability to add new features through plugins and themes.) These web interface issues could create a problem for the library if the design skills and resources were inadequate. Notwithstanding these reservations, it appears that JotSpot as a business communications tool offers an excellent resource for creating an intranet, removed from the public. With better public interface the application would be ready for use with the public. At that point the library would have to convince patrons of the value of the technology.

Works Consulted

Garrett, Jesse James. (18 February 2005)"Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications," Adaptive Path, Retrieved July 2, 2006 from <http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000385.php

Himelstein, Linda and Richard Siklos. (1999) PointCast: The Rise and Fall of an Internet Star. BusinessWeek Online Retrieved July 4, 2006 from http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_17/b3626167.htm