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May 13, 2010

Threadbox – The Effortless Collaboration Tool

Threadbox is a project management application that uses conversation threading to make working together easier for small to medium size groups. Rather than forward emails, attaching documents, and leaving urgent voicemail messages when immediate feedback is needed, Threadbox lets users handle all of their communication issues within one web-based platform. The concept of Threadbox revolves around the use of threaded messages, which work similarly to the comments that readers type underneath online article and blog posts. Users can leave all types of messages within a single group thread, to be read in chronological order by any other member of the particular workgroup at any time.

Signing up for Threadbox is free, and within 30 seconds you’ll be ready to start your very own thread. Create a subject and list the email addresses of anyone you’d like to invite to contribute. As the people you’ve invited join your new thread, their names will appear along the right hand side of the thread screen. The next step in using your thread is to start leaving messages and uploading documents. Instead of sending group emails or text messages to let everyone know what’s going on with a project, just type a message on the screen and press ‘post.’ Your message will post on the thread in reverse chronological order, with the newest messages appearing at the top of the page. When your collaborators view your message, they can comment on it directly or leave a new message of their own at the top of the thread.

Beyond just basic commenting, Threadbox includes an array of unique features such as the ability to upload all types of documents, manage to-do lists, and even start group conference calls right from within the platform. Although threads include all the information about a single project, you can narrow down the messages that you’re looking at by clicking on any user’s name to see only the comments that he or she has left. And because there’s no limit to the number of threads that each user can have going at once, you can create separate threads for each team project you’ve got going on. Threadbox simplifies communication and ensures that groups are on the same page when they’re working together on a project, which is why it’s a tool that any group would be well advised to check out.

Practical Uses:

  • Keep track of communication when working with a big team
  • Stop sending bulk emails to everyone working on a project
  • Catch up on what you missed after you’ve been absent by reading the thread
  • Ensure everyone in the group has access to important documents

Insider Tips:

  • Use email notifications to remind people to view the thread for new information
  • Click to view only the messages added by a particular group member
  • Responses to email notifications will be updated directly onto the thread for everyone to see
  • Start a new thread without entering the site by emailing start@threadbox.com with the thread subject

What we liked:

  • Threads work similarly to comments on a blog, which makes the system easy to understand for new users
  • New threaded messages appear in real time without any page refreshing needed
  • Only thread “initiators” can remove current users from a particular thread
  • Setting up conference calls is easy with Threadbox

What we didn’t like:

  • Because the site is still new, a number of premium features still haven’t debuted

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: April 2010 (Public Beta)
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
  • Founded by: Michael Cerda and Ben Dean
  • Web site: http://threadbox.com

Costs:

  • Free for 1G of storage
  • Premium accounts with additional storage will be available in the future

Comments

  1. Thkans for sharing. What a pleasure to read!

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