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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Wikinomics Blog declares: "ProtoShare has the potential to revolutionize the process of web design."
Wikinomics Blog declares:
In one of our first posts here at the Interactive Ideas blog, we mentioned seeing best-selling author and collaboration guru Don Tapscott deliver an exciting and insightful presentation on the power of web-based collaboration at Portland's Innotech conference.

His mantra that "mass collaboration changes everything" really resonates with us because ProtoShare was developed with the philosophy of improving and enabling team collaboration. Wikinomics, Tapscott’s latest book, has received accolades from many luminaries of the tech world, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt who said of it, "Wikinomics heralds the biggest change in collaboration to date. Thanks to the Internet, masses of people outside the boundaries of traditional hierarchies can innovate to produce content, goods and services.”

Thus, it’s quite an honor to have our collaborative web development tool featured and discussed on the Wikinomics blog, where there is also an interview with Site9 (developer of ProtoShare) founders Andrew Mottaz and Blake Johnson.

“ProtoShare opens the process up to other stakeholders, such as the marketing team, allowing them to follow the project’s progress over time, and provide timely and effective feedback to developers, “ writes Wikinomics team member Will Dick. “By improving communication and collaboration within the project team, and between them and their clients, ProtoShare has the potential to revolutionize the process of web design.”

Read the interview and explore more on “the cutting edge of mass collaboration” at Wikinomics.com
Posted in Industry News Press at 02:32 PM

Thursday, August 07, 2008

A Faster ProtoShare
A Faster ProtoShare
We know you like speed. We're not saying you were first in line to see Speed Racer or anything, but we know you like things fast. Snappy. Responsive. Speedy. And how do we know this? Because you've told us! You wanted ProtoShare to be faster.

Well, guess what - we have some good news for you. As the members of Kiss might say: "You Wanted the Speed, You Got the Speed!"

Two nights ago, we put the pedal to the metal and upgraded ProtoShare to the current - blazingly fast - version 1.0.3. As part of an ongoing effort to make the tool as good as possible, we continually make performance enhancements to ProtoShare.

For example, in version 1.0.2, ProtoShare served 94% of data in half a second. In the new release, it serves 99.5% of data in half a second or less. For those counting, that reduces slow responses by a whopping 93%. The end result: a more responsive application that increases your productivity and communication. That translates into less waiting around for pages to load, and more opportunities for you to quickly build and discuss stunning interactive prototypes for your project.
 
So, strap yourself in and log on for a fast ride. And be sure to keep sending us your feedback on how we can make ProtoShare even better. In the meantime, drive safely.
Posted in Product / Release Info at 03:16 PM

Monday, August 04, 2008

Summer School
Summer School
Laptop? Check. Sketch pad? Check. Website prototyping tool? Check! This summer, students at the Art Institute of Portland are adding another essential tool to their arsenal: ProtoShare. The entire Touchscreen Development class will use ProtoShare as part of their in-class development process. Touchscreen Development is for Web Design/Interactive Media majors, as part of the Flash Development course. Students must submit resumes and work samples for acceptance into one of the 10 spots.
 
Instructor Dan Chapman told us that ProtoShare's collaboration features are ideal for his class. "The entire class is completely collaborating on one project. We wanted them to share comps and wireframes," said Chapman. "Our clients are the program director and admissions department. We wanted them to comment on the process, and it's hard to get everyone on the project into the classroom at the same time.”
 
For the project, each student will take a specific role: experience designer, flash developer, asset manager, animator, and an information designer who is responsible for the wireframes. The information designer will build the interactive wireframe using ProtoShare, and then present it to the rest of class for comments and suggestions in ProtoShare's Review section. As the project develops, they will invite the “clients” - the admissions department and program director - to collaborate with feedback early in the process.
 
While he noted that his students are sophisticated users who are demanding of their tools and software, Chapman said, "The class was quite impressed with the tool, and they are tough customers.” We'll check back with the class at the end of the session to see if ProtoShare made the grade at the Art Institute.
Posted in Prototyping at 11:45 AM

Friday, July 25, 2008

Start the Presses
Start the Presses
It's official. We sent out the press release, began the conversation with industry bloggers, and put out the word on ProtoShare. We've been getting a lot of interest in the product, and we'll follow up here in the next several weeks with some of the reviews and posts. You can check out the full press release at Site9.com, but here's a brief preview:

"ProtoShare revolutionizes the way the industry will prototype and develop websites," said Andrew Mottaz, co-founder and CEO. "Our goal is to bring true collaboration to this critical stage of website development. When you get the beginning right, the rest flows faster and with realistic expectation."

"We see the potential of ProtoShare," said Steve Gray, Technology Director at Avenue A | Razorfish, the leading interactive agency worldwide. "Web prototyping can be cumbersome and expensive. ProtoShare is a smart way for the team to collaborate with clients."

"ProtoShare enables us to rapidly 'show and tell' our clients how a Web experience will work, rather than simply explaining it in text-based requirements documents," said Adam Lavelle, Chief Strategy Officer at iCrossing, a leading digital marketing company. "It also allows us to manage critical feedback from clients and the team."
Posted in Press ProtoShare / Site9 News at 11:05 AM

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Summit Summation
Summit Summation
We had a great time at the Internet Strategy Forum Summit, which was held in Portland on Thursday and Friday of last week. We were excited to be a partner sponsor of the event and the turnout was impressive. Just like our visit to the Innotech conference, collaboration was the buzzword of the day.

Peter Weiss
, SVP of Sales & Marketing (pictured) spoke briefly about the history of Site9 and the future of ProtoShare™. CEO and co-founder Andrew Mottaz was featured on a panel discussion and spoke on how online marketers can be more involved in the web development process by using ProtoShare. His message on the benefits of using collaboration to get involved earlier and easier with clients was warmly received.

We sent Sylvia, our intrepid intern, along to document it all. You can see the results below:

Posted in Industry News ProtoShare / Site9 News at 01:51 PM

Must Reads

  • Origins of Online Website Prototyping & Collaboration
  • Griping About Website Prototyping?
  • The Jury is In: Online Collaboration Works.

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Previous Posts

  • August

    • Summer School
    • A Faster ProtoShare
    • Wikinomics Blog declares: "ProtoShare has the potential to revolutionize the process of web design."
  • July

    • Start the Presses
    • Summit Summation
    • Navigation Vacation
    • See you at the Summit
  • June

    • The Tip Jar
    • Introducing ProtoShare version 1.0.1
    • Status Symbols
    • This Web - It's Apparently Worldwide
    • The Jury is In: Online Collaboration Works.
  • May

    • One Man's Love for Templates
    • Griping About Website Prototyping?
    • Agency Future Shock
    • Origins of Online Website Prototyping & Collaboration