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Is there a webapp I can use to version-track text? I'm a copyeditor, and I'm forever swapping chapters back and forth with author clients.

My ideal app would be able to check documents in and out, and indicate who's working on what. It'd have to play nice with Word and OpenOffice. I know that Sharepoint would do the job (and then some), but it's too expensive. (I also remember it being slow.)

Everything I find out there seems to be geared for either project management (not what I want to do) or is aimed at coders. I'm looking for something more general-purpose for writers.

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10 Answers

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Have you tried Google Docs? They have version tracking and also live editing. The interface is dead simple and it allows for a ton of storage. Also, it will make it über easy to share it with other people.

It does convert files to Doc, PDF, RTF, and OpenOffice formats for extremely easy attachments and downloads.

Another alternative would be to use the new Microsoft Word (not online though) because I'm pretty sure it features most of the features Google Docs features when it comes to sharing but of course it's not online.

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The good thing is, you don't have to check files out. Multiple people can work on the simultaneously. One can easily see what others are working on in real-time. Google Docs are great. And getting better every now and then when they add new features. – Robert Koritnik Oct 5 '10 at 12:44
I think that working on the documents from the online version isn't an option, which is why I want to check documents in and out. Too many people work on paper, and Google Docs, while great, is dead slow. – neilfein Oct 5 '10 at 16:26
...unfortunately, it may be the best option. – neilfein Oct 7 '10 at 4:32
There's also Office online but it's not as great as Google Docs. Just goto officelive.com... – Muhammad Oct 7 '10 at 6:49
I recommend against Google Docs because you don't control when a new version is created vs. a minor change that shouldn't be versioned. Also, the formatting is positively awful and they've moved away from a CSS-based model for formatting. Bleah. Plus, they do things like suddenly move from a CSS-based model to Non-CSS. – Caveatrob Jan 25 '11 at 22:22
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Try Microsoft's SkyDrive. It allows versioning, sharing, and editing Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. And the nice thing - you don't even have to have Office anymore - you can now edit the documents online.

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Git: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software)

or just Google Docs

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Interesting. Also, your link needs an ) on the end to work properly. – neilfein Oct 7 '10 at 4:27
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There are free editions of SharePoint - Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (SharePoint 2007) and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 (SharePoint 2010).

Microsoft (SharePoint Online) as well as other companies (e.g. Rackspace) offer cloud-hosted SharePoint environments.

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These seem to require a server. I clarified the title of this question to include "cloud-hosted". – neilfein Oct 5 '10 at 16:29
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You should look into using MindTouch. They have content moderation, version tracking and are in the cloud. Even attachments like pdfs have version control. You may also enjoy reading the STC article "The Future of Technical Communication Is Socially Enabled".

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Have you looked at DocuVantage OnDemand? This is a hosted document/content management platform and the base product includes document capture, document imaging, document management, OCR/Text search, version control, permission based security, collaboration, alerts and ad-hoc workflow. You can also add rules-based workflow, records management and electronic signature signing. The integrated modules can be purchased separately and it is a subscription service.

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You could check out docUcapture a link texthosted document management system. It is low cost and permits version tracking as well as other more advanced document control capabilities.

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Try HyperOffice. A real simple online document management system for small companies. It works with traditional filetypes like MS Office etc. You get online file storage, check in check out, versioning, comments, notifications, full text search, drag and drop batch uploads, desktop web folder etc.

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up vote 0 down vote

Doesn't get much simplier or easier to use then writeboard: http://writeboard.com/

It sounds an almost perfect match for the use case your asking about.

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Unfortunately, Writeboard doesn't support using Word/Open Office Writer files. – neilfein Oct 18 '10 at 15:03
Thats true - you can export as html from a writeboard, though importing would now be so easy as writeboard use textile markup. – Maks Oct 18 '10 at 22:59
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KnowledgeTree has all the document management features you are looking for in a cloud app and has some integrations for office. http://www.knowledgetree.com

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