Collaborate in Real-Time with Team Members Using Liveminutes

Note: Liveminutes is no longer available. For alternative solutions, check out this article on tools for online collaboration with colleagues.

Managing online or remote meetings can be challenging, especially when most project management tools lack features for group discussions. If you’re looking for a way to keep your team aligned, consider Liveminutes.

Liveminutes offers a unified workspace to ensure everyone is on the same page. Whether you’re hosting a conference or collaborating on a document or sketch, Liveminutes has got you covered. Let’s dive in.

How to Get Started

Signing up is straightforward. You can either use your Facebook account or opt for the traditional registration form, requiring your email, password, and full name. Upon registration, you’ll be directed to a sample workspace and meeting, followed by a guided tour.

Exploring Workspaces

Liveminutes boasts a well-designed and organized interface. Upon logging in, you’ll encounter a tri-section layout: the workspace in the center, recent activities on the right, and a chat sidebar on the left. The chat sidebar prompts you to invite team members via email if none have been added yet.

Depending on your subscription, you can create multiple workspaces. The free plan, for instance, allows you to have two workspaces to kickstart your projects.

At the top of each workspace, you’ll find a variety of useful tools for managing your media:

• Create Note: Opens a comprehensive word editor or allows you to upload a pre-made note from Evernote.
• Upload File: Enables file uploads from your computer.
• Sketch: Lets you draw your ideas or examples collaboratively with your team or clients. (Note: Feature not yet launched at the time of writing)

Collaborate on documents with your team in real-time. The editor provides a log and visually displays edits made by different users, highlighting what has been changed or added.

Additionally, Liveminutes supports Evernote synchronization, allowing you to import existing documents without starting from scratch.

Effective Communication

Apart from conference calls, Liveminutes offers an instant messaging feature located on the left sidebar for quick chats. You can also schedule team meetings through the platform.

One standout feature is the user-friendly conference calling tool. To initiate or join a conference call, simply click the Start Audio button on the left menu, and a conference calling popup will appear.

Within this popup, you have multiple options for joining the call: have the Liveminutes app dial a phone number, use the provided Liveminutes phone number, join via Skype, or participate directly through the Chrome web browser.

Subscription Plans and Costs

Liveminutes offers a range of budget-friendly plans, starting with a free option that includes two workspaces. Users registering with .edu email addresses receive 10 free workspaces.

Pros

• Intuitive and well-designed user interface.
• Conference calling options that support landlines, Skype, in-browser calls, and Chrome with Flash plugin.
• Feature-rich and organized workspaces.
• Integration with Facebook and Evernote, with upcoming support for Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Activity feed displaying recent messages, posts, notes, files, and more.
• Workspace update notifications.

Cons

• As of now, no native browser-based video calling. Requires Skype plugin or desktop apps.
• Lack of individual profiles for users or team members.
• No options for customizing notifications.

Final Thoughts

Liveminutes stands out as a well-organized, aesthetically pleasing, and feature-rich collaboration platform. Finding a versatile and affordable solution for online meetings can be challenging, making Liveminutes a noteworthy option. According to the website, the service is free until October 1, 2013, so it’s worth taking it for a test drive while the offer lasts.