Thoughtslinger FAQ

• Is there a fee for Thoughtslinger?
  
• Who should use Thoughtslinger?
  
• What can I do with Thoughtslinger?
  
• Do my co-workers also need to sign up for Thoughtslinger?
  
• What kinds of documents can Thoughtslinger read and write?
  
• How do I load a Microsoft Word 2000/2002/2003 document (.doc) into Thoughtslinger?
  
• How do I add someone to my contact list?
  
• How do I invite someone to edit a document with me?
  
• Why are Thoughtslinger updates mandatory?
  
• How does Thoughtslinger differ from Google Docs?
  
• How simultaneous is Thoughtslinger's co-editing?
  
• Is Thoughtslinger secure?
  
• What are the Thoughtslinger keyboard shortcuts?
  
• Can I work offline with Thoughtslinger?
  

No, it's free.

Who should use Thoughtslinger?

Groups that want to work together on text documents.

What can I do with Thoughtslinger?

• Create a new document or open an existing document.
• Invite other Thoughtslinger users to co-edit the document.
• Edit at the same time as other invited users. You see their edits and they see yours, in real time.
• Track changes. Accept or reject changes. Freeze completed sections.
• Send text messages back and forth.

Yes, if you want them to be able to simultaneously co-edit your documents.

What kinds of documents can Thoughtslinger read and write?

Thoughtslinger reads and writes text in the following formats:

• Microsoft Word 2007 (docx)
• Open Document Text (odt)
• Rich Text Format (rtf)
• Plain Text (txt)

Download and install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to enable earlier versions of Word to save documents in the new Word 2007 (docx) format. Open the document in Word, save it as a docx file, then load it into Thoughtslinger.

How do I add someone to my contact list?

Select 'Add Contact' from the Contacts menu in the right-hand panel, then enter your contact's Thoughtslinger user name.

How do I invite someone to edit a document with me?

Open a document. When your contact is online (filled green circle), right-click on the name and select 'Invite' from the popup menu.

Why are Thoughtslinger updates mandatory?

Thoughtslinger enables real-time communication between users. At this time, all users must be running the same Thoughtslinger version. If you decline to accept an update, you disable your ability to use the system.

How does Thoughtslinger differ from Google Docs?

• Thoughtslinger propagates every keystroke to your co-workers in real time. With Google Docs, there is a substantial delay before your editing changes are saved 'en masse' and displayed to others who may be editing the same document.
• Thoughtslinger prevents co-editing conflicts before they happen. With Google Docs, if you edit the same section as someone else, you are notified of a conflict after the fact, your changes are discarded and you are given a recovery option.
• Thoughtslinger lets you track changes to highlight insertions and deletions; you can selectively accept or reject changes at any time. Google Docs does not track changes - it stores a revision history. When you roll back to an earlier version, you lose all later changes. Google Docs does not allow you to selectively discard early changes and retain later changes.
• Thoughtslinger lets you freeze completed sections of a document, rendering them uneditable until thawed. Google Docs has no such capability.
• Thoughtslinger lets you read and write documents in the Microsoft Word 2007 (docx) format. Google Docs has no such capability.

Thoughtslinger shares every keystroke with all co-editing participants in real time. Latency is similar to that found with internet telephony applications. Factors affecting performance include:

• the level of data encryption
• the speed of participants' computers
• the speed of participants' Internet connections, both upstream and downstream
• geographic proximity (number of router hops) of participants to each other and our servers
• the load on our servers

Thoughtslinger currently uses 128-bit encryption for all communication. Only those Thoughtslinger users that you invite are able to see your documents, and only during an active co-editing session.

Can I work offline with Thoughtslinger?

No. You and your co-workers must be online and running Thoughtslinger.

What are the Thoughtslinger keyboard shortcuts?