Agilewords Integrates with Box.net for Document Review

I was recently contacted by the makers of Agilewords, saying that their product integrates with Box.net to enable online reviewing and even editing of documents stored on Box.net.

I use Box.net for storage and transfer of files with clients. So I store a lot of software patches, help files, configuration settings, etc. in Box.net folders.  Most similar programs such as Dropbox offer an upload/download model to keep files in synch. The idea of being able to review and edit online was intriguing.

When you install Agilewords to your Box.net account, it takes over some functionality. When you upload a document, you can invite someone to review it. The reviewer is issued an invitation, logs into Box.net/Agilewords and marks up the document online. This is similar to Word’s track changes, but Agilewords uses its own feature set. If the would-be reviewer does not respond to the invite (you can set a due date for review), they are reminded (nagged?) by Agilewords until they do. There is also an approve/reject function. Agilewords lets the owner of the document review and track various reviewer comments and reply to them through a convenient review panel or via a “track changes” view of the document.

This is particularly useful for example if you want a client to review/approve a document but you don’t want to give them the ability to edit or change it – you want to keep control of the document.

There is also an “editor” function in which you can give someone rights to edit the document online, replacing the upload/download scenario. Agilewords charges about $15-19/mo./user for anyone with editor rights (reviewing is free). You would have to examine how you work and collaborate with various people in order to evaluate whether this functionality would be worthwhile.

All in all, Agilewords provides a potentially very useful expansion to Box.net functionality.

Comments

[Ruby Badcoe]

Agilewords' integration with Box.net will finally improve our way of editing precious documents, aside from filing and organizing them. It's suitable for article writers, copywriters, and correspondents who want to make a portfolio along with their resume.