Today we release a new version of TextFlow, that introduces an enhanced user interface for document sharing. Share documents just as you would by email with the standard “To:” “CC:” “BCC:” fields.

This change from the previous version is subtle, but profound. Why is mail still the most used collaboration tool? One reason is that it’s so easy with mail to decide exactly who sees what, when sharing a work process. Sometimes you choose to CC:. You might go first for feedback to one group of people (say your colleagues), then to another group (maybe your customer). Maybe you want a lawyer’s opinion, or an accountant’s, before making a suggestion that others would hold you to. Email is great for this, because it’s decentralised. It also can be confusing, for the same reason. The new sharing interface in TextFlow supports the de-centralized approach of email — anyone can invite and exclude anyone — yet gives an overview of the different versions and easy collation of them.

You now have a single unified view of your incoming and outgoing TextFlow e-versions. Here you can quickly select the drafts you are interested in, and compare them.

Sharing a draft within TextFlow is now just like sending e-mail, and it shows up as e-mail. Your colleagues don’t need to install or download any software to be able to help with the document. They just click in your e-mail and they are up and running with TextFlow, right in their browser.

This release takes us one step closer to our goal of decentralised collaboration, where every user is free to collaborate how they like, with whom they like and when they like, and without needing to study a manual on how to categorize their contacts.

Don’t forget, you can always click on the Help button within TextFlow for more information about the new features.

Posted by Mark