Using Cozimo in conjunction with a project management application is a straightforward process:

1. Create a Cozimo workgroup that includes the people who have access to the project.
2. When you have a set of files that you want reviewed, create a collaboration folder and upload the files (reorder them if desired).
3. Click on the “Collaborate” tab of the folder to access the first file and then click on “Link” to display the URL



4. Copy it and then paste it into the message, task or milestone of your project management application.

When the specified team members receive notification of the new message, they click on the Cozimo link and the Cozimo workspace will open in a new window. They can use the thumbnails to navigate through the files that have been uploaded and leave their comments and markups.

Reviews can also be conducted in real-time by clicking on “Start presentation”. Team members can return at any time to review all the annotations that have been made by themselves and others.

This month we take a more detailed look at one of the more powerful features of Cozimo – the ability to review and annotate video. Cozimo’s system allows any number of remote team members to play and annotate a video from any standard web browser. Members can review videos on their own or you can have online meetings where the playback and annotation are fully synchronized between all participants. To optimize the real-time performance of the system, we recommend that video files posted for review and feedback not be larger than necessary for the type of feedback required (there is a 60 MB per file limit).

Formats and Encoding – Cozimo supports most popular video formats, including QuickTime (.mov), MPEG (.mpg, .mp4), AVI, Windows media (.wmv) and Flash video (.flv). When formats other than .flv are uploaded an .flv proxy is created for the purposes of playback and review. Because the encoding occurs on the fly at upload, there may be a delay between the time that the file uploads and the thumbnail of the file appears in the file tab indicating that it is available for review. This delay is usually a few minutes but it can sometimes take quite a bit longer if the file is large (or the encoding server very busy).

The encoding parameters have been set to preserve the resolution and quality of the original file as much as possible though with any encoding process there can be variations so it’s a good idea to check the result prior to distribution if this can be an issue. You can maintain complete control of the quality by uploading your own .flv files. This way you avoid the encoding delay as well.

Playback  and Annotation – During playback, video files are progressively downloaded to the browser (not streamed). You can start playing the video clip after 20% of the file has downloaded. File download progress is indicated as an orange line in the scrub bar:

Use the buttons or hotkeys to control the playback as shown below:

Click on the label above the controls to toggle between a timecode display or frame count:

Stop on any keyframe to make annotations on it as you would on any image. Frames that have annotations on them are indicated with a blue marker in the timeline. By default, Cozimo inserts a keyframe at every six frames during the encoding process. If you upload your own .flv files you can insert keyframes at any frequency you wish.

To synchronize the playback of the video between multiple collaborators, click on “Presenter Mode”. While in presenter mode you can play the video or scrub to any keyframe and all participants will be synchronized to the same frame. When you stop to annotate all participants can “whiteboard” on the same frame together. If a participant moves off the synchronized playback to view the video independently, the presenter can re-synchronize the participant by pausing and restarting the playback. Any collaborator can click on Presenter Mode at any time to take control of the playback.

Today we introduced a number of improvements to our branding functionality for customers at our Plus level plans (and higher). With our previous version, you were able to replace the Cozimo logo in the upper left corner of the workspace with a custom logo for each workgroup. You had the option of putting your company logo there or a logo to represent the client or project itself. We have now introduced an option for you to upload a default logo that will always be displayed in the top left corner unless you specifically provide one for an individual workgroup to override it. For instructions on how to set up all the branding options that are now available visit our Help page here.

If you’re involved in web site design and development, our new Firefox extension gives you a fast and convenient way to upload and collaborate on any web page. The extension, based on the Screengrab! extension by Andy Mutton, can be used with our “Collaborate Now” tool when you want instant feedback on individual pages, or with your Cozimo account when you want a more structured workgroup environment and have multiple pages you want reviewed together. (To learn about how to use the extension with “Collaborate Now” you can review the tutorial here.)

To use the extension with your Cozimo account follow these steps:

1. Using a Firefox browser, install the Cozimo extension by clicking here.

2. By default, the extension is set to work with the “Collaborate Now” tool. To use it with your Cozimo account, right click in the web browser and select Collaborate Now > Preferences. This will open the Preferences menu:
Click on Cozimo as the Destination. If desired, you can also provide the specific Cozimo subdomain you want to upload the data to (If you login through cozimo.com then leave this blank).

3. Before using the extension with your Cozimo account you have to login to it (make sure you login through the same subdomain indicated in the Preference menu).

4. After logging in, browse to the page you want to upload. Once displayed, right click on anywhere on the page and select the Cozimo Upload menu item (or click on the Cozimo logo in the status bar).

There are four options for uploading the page:

Image Only – Uploads only the image you are currently clicking on (note that this option will only be visible if you are clicking on an image or web element with a background image).
Complete Page/Frame – Uploads the entire page or frame including portions that are not visible in the current window.
Visible Portion – Uploads only what is visible in the current window.
Selection – Lets you drag out a rectangle to select a specific portion of the page you wish to capture and upload.

5. After making your selection, you will be redirected to a Cozimo page that shows a complete listing of your current workgroups and folders. Click on the folder you wish to upload the screen capture to.

6. Repeat from step 4 for any additional pages you want to upload.

The Cozimo extension is open source, licensed under GPLv2, and the source code can be found here here.

Today we’re launching a new service in our ongoing support of creative collaboration: an online app we’ve dubbed “Collaborate Now”. While our primary Cozimo application is designed specifically to support creative professionals with ongoing projects in private workgroups, the idea behind Collaborate Now is to make image collaboration as easy and convenient as possible. No account is required – just upload an image, share, and collaborate. As with our main application, you can give feedback either individually or work together in real-time. For example, if you use Skype (or another IM/VOIP application) you can upload the image you want to talk about to Collaborate Now, cut and paste the URL into the Skype Chat and immediately start to “whiteboard” on the image to help communicate your discussion points. In addition to images, our new Firefox extension also lets you screengrab and collaborate on any web page – great for web designers.

Our goal with Collaborate Now is to introduce people to the benefits of online collaboration on visual media and the simplicity of using Cozimo by providing a simple, practical (and free!) application. By allowing Collaborate Now to be embeddable, we’re also looking to use it as a way to explore and support new approaches to creative collaboration and education through integration with existing web services and social/professional networks. So check it out at http://collaboratenow.cozimo.com  and let us know what you think. We’re eager to hear your feedback on the functionality as well as the ways in which you use it. As we hear about new ideas we’ll share them here with the community.

1. Use messaging. The integrated messaging system is one of the more powerful features of Cozimo. When you post content that you want reviewed, the easiest way to direct your clients to the content is to use “Post Message”. The client will receive an email with a link that will take them directly to the item in the collaboration workspace. If you want your clients to review a series of items then send a message from the first item in the folder with instructions that they should go through all the items posted, navigation between items is easy with the next and previous arrows.

2. Create the client accounts for them. There are two ways to add a new client to a workgroup. One way is to send them an invitation. If they don’t already have a Cozimo account they will have to create one at the time they accept your invitation. You can streamline this process by creating an account for your client when you add them to the workgroup. They will receive an email with their login information and a link that takes them directly to your login page.

3. Give them an introduction. The first time you use Cozimo with a client, it’s always a good idea to get on the phone and take them through their first experience with the service. Post an image or video and show them how to navigate to it and use the annotation tools. It can make a big difference in their attitude towards using the tool if you help them get started on the right foot.

Account Setup – Most businesses opt to start out with our “Plus” plan that includes a customized “branded” login page and unique URL. This URL can be used in your web page as a private “client login” extranet (for an example see www.tangram3ds.com – “Client Area”). The URL is http://username.cozimo.com, so I recommend using your web or email domain name as the username of your Cozimo company account. People in your organization, however, can use whatever usernames you or they choose.

Cozimo Administrator – It’s a good idea to designate only one or two people to be in charge of administering the company account and setting up workgroups. When a new project comes online, the administrator creates the required workgroup and adds the project staff members. Those staff members can then take over the day-to-day maintenance – adding new people and folders throughout the course of the project.

Adding Workgroup Members – There are two ways: you can send them invitations and let them set up their own accounts, or you can set up the accounts for them. Most people find the latter approach easier – especially when dealing with external clients. In any event, you should let people know in advance of your intention to use Cozimo and follow up to make sure their invitation or new account emails don’t get filtered out as spam.

New workgroup members are automatically placed into a contact list for the company account so adding them to subsequent workgroups takes just a few clicks.

Pilot Project – To give you the chance to explore the full functionality of Cozimo and to learn how it can best integrate with your general project workflow, I recommend starting out with a single pilot project. Once you get this project underway and feel comfortable with the process, it will be much easier to roll it out on a wider scale (and if experience is any indication, once people see it in action, that won’t take long).

Stay in Touch – As I mentioned above, every company has their own particular issues to deal with and we want to make sure that you get the most out of Cozimo. So please feel free to contact us regarding any questions you have. We’re happy to help you get started and we’re always interested to hear new ideas that can make Cozimo even better for you as we move forward.

It’s interesting how many of the people we speak with about Cozimo start out by asking how we differ from a web conferencing application like Webex. Understandably, the idea that you can make a presentation online to a group of people with both applications sparks the comparison. But in reality the two applications are completely different beasts and it’s important to understand these differences when considering your collaboration requirements:

Broadcast Quality vs. High Quality

When web conferencing “broadcasts” a video screen capture of the presenter’s computer, there is typically a high degree of image compression required to optimize bandwidth. As a result the quality and resolution of the work you’re presenting can be severely degraded and there can be significant latency in presenting dynamic content such as video. With Cozimo everyone works directly from the content itself so you see the full resolution and quality of the media. PDF files maintain all vector information so that people can zoom into graphics and text without degradation. Videos are played back fully synchronized with frame accurate timing. The visual quality of the work is naturally of utmost importance for creative professionals and Cozimo provides presentation and online collaboration without having to compromise.

“Here and Now” vs. “Anytime, Anywhere”

Web conferencing is all about the “here and now”. It’s sufficient for collaborating on content as long as everyone is together in a session but once the session is over that’s it. With Cozimo you have the option to let people review and annotate your content at their convenience so you can review it at a later time. Or you can be online together with any number of team members for real-time review sessions. In addition, web-conferencing solutions often require the installation of specialized software that is not always supported on all platforms while Cozimo can be administered and accessed pretty much any web browser on any OS.

Persistence and Tracking

The annotations and drawings that are made during a web conference are not persistent so it’s hard for any team member to return and review any comments that were made. While it’s usually possible to record a video of a web-conference session, you can imagine how difficult it would be to go back and locate some specific comment or note at some future date. With Cozimo all the comments, drawings and messages are persistent and you can easily reference them at any time. In addition, you have a complete history available of the review activity for any item.

In the end, it really boils down to process. Today, people use a wide variety of means for distributing and collaborating on digital content: email, FTP, web conferencing, faxes, couriers, live meetings, etc. Using all these tools typically result in disjointed feedback and an awful lot of wasted time trying to keep it all circulating and organized. The real value of Cozimo is that, unlike the immediacy of a web conference, it provides a fully integrated suite of tools for supporting digital content review and collaboration throughout an ongoing design or production process.

Today we are happy to announce the public beta release of our latest collaborative experiment: a Cozimo WordPress plugin! That’s right – now rather than just displaying an image or a video as a static participant in your blog posts, you can use the plugin to enable a dynamic media experience where readers can chat, draw and comment directly on your images and videos. You can even use the plugin to collaborate in real-time with others and to synchronize the playback of a video so that everyone is watching the same frame at the same time.

We hope this functionality will open new opportunities for how blogs can be used in professional, educational, creative or just plain fun applications. Try it out for yourself! The beta plugin is available free of charge for installed versions of WordPress.org. You can get all the information you need to download and install it here.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

During his keynote address for Enterprise 2.0 last June, Andrew McAffee, a professor at Harvard made the interesting observation that “Email is virtually everyone’s current endowment of collaboration software.” Email, of course, was originally designed for sending and receiving messages and for that common task it’s an unprecedented success. Today, over 90% of Internet users use email. And with email so ubiquitous – especially in business – it’s easy to understand why we try wrangle it into doing tasks that it was not really designed to support – including review and collaboration. But as the Google Docs video above so nicely illustrates, when it comes to working on content together with a team, email alone can have a lot of drawbacks:

• Sending attachments makes it difficult to track versions over time and ensure that everyone is always working with the latest content.
• Email does not let you hold a conversation with more than one person at a time.
• Email does not provide a convenient record. Any markups made on visual content like images and video cannot be searched for from an email.
• Email is not generally integrated with project content.

Today project managers have a wide variety of communication tools to take advantage of in running a project (email, IM, VoIP) and all have their role to play in a collaborative workflow. The challenge arises in trying to coordinate and track communication as it relates to the content being developed. Google Docs represents a new apprach to the problem by integrating documents with various modes of communication from one easily-accessible web-based service. Cozimo takes the approach further for creative and design professionals by supporting rich media content like images, video and PDF files and letting you collaborate together with your team directly on the content itself when the needs arises. Old habits die hard, but as one of our customers so aptly put it “until you start using it (Cozimo) on a project it’s hard to appreciate just how much smarter the approach really is.”