New collaboration features: appointment scheduling and multi-user text editing
Two new features are now available in our PREMIUM and STANDARD price plans. With "Framadate" users can easily coordinate appointments and create polls, share a link to these with others, and evaluate the results. Our new "Etherpad" offers a web-based text editing tool that several people can use at the same time to edit documents and collaborate with each other.
Like all our other services, these new features are also hosted in our German data centres, free of advertising and tracking, and fully meeting the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Of course they are also open source – just the way we like it. The Framadate and Etherpad features are part of the mailbox.org Online Office and can be accessed directly in the menu bar at the top.
Framadate at mailbox.org
The Framadate tool has two basic functions: "Schedule an event" and "Standard poll". They will save you time by making it easy to conduct polls among small and large groups of people. These additional options are also available:
- Invitations by link or e-mail address
- Password protection
- Assigning an expiry date to a poll
- Display of poll results
- Customisable URLs
Etherpad at mailbox.org
Etherpad is our new service for collaborative text processing. Any changes made by a user will be immediately visible to all other editors who are working on the same text, and the individual contributions can be distinguished by colour. In addition, there is an integrated chat that can be used to coordinate the editing work. See below a summary of what the Etherpad feature has to offer:
- Collaborative writing
- Import/export (Etherpad file, HTML, TXT)
- Text processing (Rich Text)
- Editing history
- Colours for individual authors
- Comment function
- Integrated chat
- Administration of existing Etherpads
Practically speaking – an example use case
How can our new features help to make your everyday life easier? Whether it's about organising a family reunion, a meeting with your parents or a holiday trip with friends: Finding a date that suits everyone or getting a quick idea about what people think or want to do can quickly become complicated and laborious to do via e-mail. The it is good to have a useful tool at hand that help you get things done while also protecting your privacy at the same time.
Framadate helps you coordinate activities and dates with multiple people and make decisions together with everyone. For example, what would be a good date for a trip with your friends, and where to go?
You can use the "Schedule an event" button to create a poll with a selection of dates, and then send e-mail invitations to anyone involved.
When you need to make a decision about something, use the standard poll of Framadate. Images can be attached here for illustration and so, your friends get a much better idea of what the different travel destinations have to offer.
Now that there is a basic plan for your holiday with friends, it's time to sort out the finer details. Perhaps do a video call using our new OpenTalk solution? You can also use Etherpad to jot down some notes and ideas about planned holiday activities and the places to visit on your trip.
Have fun and work well together,
Your mailbox.org team
New: OpenTalk at mailbox.org
OpenTalk is a new video conferencing solution with many interesting features, such as breakout rooms, a lobby and waiting room, polls, moderation roles, chat, telephone dial-in, and straightforward conference scheduling. OpenTalk runs directly in your browser.
Learn more about our new video conferencing solution OpenTalk ->
