Changing our attitude towards the tools we use and developing a collaborative mentality enables people to work together over the internet. Karl Fogel, an Open Source Specialist at Google, discusses how we are changing the way we think about collaboration, and what tools are allowing us to do so, at the 2006 Open Source Convention.

Various breakthroughs in collaborative software have allowed projects over the internet and inside businesses to expand at a much more rapid rate. Concurrent Versioning Systems, for example, have significantly cut the time spent performing routine tasks. Lowering the level of entry in collaborative projects such as wikis has enabled many more people to participate than was previously possible.

While discussing a collection of software projects which have benefitted from or contributed to collaborative tools, it is apparent that building a cohesive group identity is crucial when developing a solid community that has to work together. Aspects such as division of labor, reducing the amount of time people are effectively wasting and ensuring there is a shared sense of purpose all contribute to increased efficiency of a collaborative project.