Software for multiple users on 1 document

[NiX]

Looking for software (or maybe a built in Word function? I have 2007) so everyone in my marketing group can work on the same presentation at the same time. I've never heard of a program that does this, google came up with nothing, but I know some of you people here just know these things.

[andar]

Probably not exactly what you're looking for... but docs.google.com has a collaborate button. That probably does something.

[naum]

SubEthaEdit, but it might be Mac only…

[Stephen Zepp]

Probably not exactly what you're looking for... but docs.google.com has a collaborate button. That probably does something.

Google docs are pushing this type of thing pretty extensively--almost like a combination of MS Office and a wiki...you may want to check it out. GG uses it often for exactly this type of thing (although I don't know if they have a powerpoint type doc, if that's what you mean by "presentation").

[Samwise]

What kind of format is the presentation in?  And are all the people modifying a single file at the same time or does each have their own file to work in that gets compiled into a single document?

If each has their own file and there's no danger of people stomping on each other's changes when they save, I'd say just put 'em all on a network drive and call it a day.

If it's one giant PowerPoint file... good luck to ya.  Parallel development on a single file requires that you be able to merge changes in as you work, and I don't think Powerpoint has a merge feature.  I'd recommend having each person do their work in their own file (like one file per slide) and then combine 'em all at the end.

If it's in some sort of text-like format (HTML, XML, plaintext, etc), and you've got 5 or fewer people, I humbly suggest downloading the free version of Perforce.  It's designed mainly for parallel software development, but works just as well for anything else that's in some sort of plaintext format.

[Fabricated]

Office 2007 enables this kind of functionality if I recall. You may need an exchange server for it to work right though.

[Samwise]

Office 2007 enables this kind of functionality if I recall.

O RLY?  I must investigate further.  Being able to do 3-way merges on any Office document would just be dead sexy. 

[Murgos]

I hope it does work in 2007, the old style of pass around the doc and add your changes es no bueno por caca.

[Driakos]

Probably not exactly what you're looking for... but docs.google.com has a collaborate button. That probably does something.

Google docs are pushing this type of thing pretty extensively--almost like a combination of MS Office and a wiki...you may want to check it out. GG uses it often for exactly this type of thing (although I don't know if they have a powerpoint type doc, if that's what you mean by "presentation").

I've used this function.  It's pretty cool.  Like having a whiteboard, but Word-ish.  You can throw up images and whatnot too (2meg limit on individual images).  Microsoft OneNote 2003/2007 has this function as well, with freeform handwriting, and drawing.  But it is more of a pain to set up, and you need separate copies $$.

[Lum]

Microsoft's solution: Sharepoint http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/

Part of Office, requires $$. Probably useful only for MS-centric offices on Exchange servers.

[Krakrok]

There is also groove.net which is owned by Microsoft now and looks like it plugs into Office 2007 somehow. It use to be all in Java.

[squirrel]

There is also groove.net which is owned by Microsoft now and looks like it plugs into Office 2007 somehow. It use to be all in Java.

Groove, along with Microsoft Content Server (was nCompass Labs Resolution) have both been rolled into Sharepoint 2007. And yes, SP2007 requires Exchange 2007 and Office 2007 for alot of the neat features to work properly. We're currently evaluating the suite. I hate MicroSoft sometimes...

EDIT: To clarify, Groove for Office 2007 still allows peer-peer doc synchronization without Sharepoint. But alot of the collaboration and versioning capabilities are now reliant on sharepoint services.