Instant Messenging

I have a compromize that might work.   If ProjectWise could indicate if a user is online and then allow you to right click and start an email to that person based on the email address listed in their user account it could help alot.  Especially if you are working with external users in Europe when your in an office in the USA.  I suggest this since you already have the technology to start the email message and are currnetly storing the address for the user. On a side note, please put the user description in a seprate column so that we can know who  user xxx2233 is without turning on Show Descriptions (instead of names).

Glad to see you understand what and why I am suggesting this John.

To the previous posters, the reason I am suggesting is precisely what most others have mentioned- the current Messenging system is worthless, for same reasons listed. As for another IM client/user account, this should not be the case since you already have a PW account, even if it is tied to AD.

 A large majority of firms use MS OC, but have it locked down to not work with external users/accounts- the reason I have been explained to by such IT leads is because of file transfer capabiltities and security issues. Voice and video capabilities are the ultimate in collaboration, but would easily live without those realizing the additional tasking such could have on network speeds and the infrastructure of the client itself.

My thoughts are that such a PW IM client should  not need to worry about working with other IM clients and the different protocols they use- it would be all encompassing and only inclusive of PW users. It would not need to be started up- it is part of PW Explorer. Presence would be completely tied to PW Exp running.

I'm sorry I can't add more on the infrastructure part of the concept- I just come up with great ideas, not how to implement them ;-)

jumping back to the original question about social collaboration capabilities.  I agree wtih the original poster that it would be potentially pretty valuable to be able perform typical social collaboration type tasks from within ProjectWise Explorer(and even the integrated applications).  ProjectWise Explorer today gives you great visibility into who has a document checked out, but to take that to the next level, what about then being able right there in PW Explorer to tell if that other user is currently on-line, or even whether they are actively working on that file in an integrated design app.  Then again right from PW Explorer send them a IM asking them to check that file back, or update server copy so you can see the latest changes.  Maybe even be able to send an IM to all of the users that currently have the file you are working on open in MS/AutoCAD as a reference file to let them know you just made some change they might care about. 

We would very likely not want to write the infrastructure for this type of capabiliites ourselves, but rather rely on some of the microsoft IM and presence capabilities and integrate that into ProjectWise.

 Thoughts/suggestions?

 John

The generated message can be sent to users as a ProjectWise message (using ProjectWise Messenger)

or as an email.

From http://docs.bentley.com/en/PWAdministrator/pwahelp224.html and

http://docs.bentley.com/en/PWAdministrator/pwahelp225.html >To create a automatic messaging agent... use the Message type "Email" Onceyour agents are set up.With every event messages are sent out through your EMail Client to the Users and Groups defined.

Everybody can also "manually" send out the link to your file via your Email client.  RightClick the file (or several files) >Send To > Mail Recipient as Link.
A Email is created though your mail client with links into PW. Just add your message text and sent out it to anybody who has access rights into your Colloaboration System.

Not IM, but all in your Mail-System.

Just wanted to say that we do not use PW messaging for the same reasons.  I would assume that IM would be the same way. IT does not want to track multiple IM use.  We are restricted to using only one IM client now so having a PW one would not help.

 If you embed PW into Sharepoint with web parts you could have best of both worlds with everyone using communicator. If your IT dept. allows outside contact with IM.

Yes, we've found it to be worthless.  We don't want 2 message stores for project messages, we have some message retention policies we're required to follow and having to apply those rules to projectwise messaging is cumbersome.

We want a messaging system that can send messages directly to e-mail, then all our e-mail tools for archiving and retention can be used.

Additonally to see a message you have to login to the ProjectWise datasource first. Would be nice if a notification system would notify you when to login, rather than wait for you to login first.

 It also doesn't offer IM functionality which Jason asked for.  We would probably have to disable this for our sites at first as we don't currently allow IM.

There is a messaging feature in PW. Tools>Messenger.  Works more like email, but it's there.

Bentley is reworking the messaging system. Not sure if IM is included, but I'd be surprised if it weren't.

As long as I can turn it off for my account.

PW would truly be the ultimate in collaboration if there was an IM client built into it. This gives us the ability to know presence of project teammates, etc, who are working for different firms, agencies, etc.

Please tell me I'm not the first to suggest this and I'm really surprised this doesn't yet exist...