writewith.

FAQ

Q: How do I sign up to use writewith?
A: Sign up on our registration page, or just create a document -- we'll ask for account info when you save for the first time.
You can also invite new users directly to individual documents; read on to find out how.
Q: How do I create a new document?
A: Two ways.
  1. You can upload a document into writewith.com from a variety of formats (text, doc, rtf, odt, or html).
  2. You can write your own new documents directly into writewith.com.

There are 2 places to create a new document:
  1. Before logging in or signing up, you can go to www.writewith.com and follow the directions (we'll ask you to sign in or sign up once you save your new doc).
  2. After logging in or signing up, go to www.writewith.com -- your "Home" page -- and click on "New doc."
Q: Is writewith free?
A: All of writewith is currently free, and there will always be a free version available. At some point, we'll introduce premium services and tiered subscriptions for large organizations.
Q: What can I use writewith for?
A: Anything you write! Writewith is especially useful for documents that involve input from more than one person. You can use writewith for office memos, group projects, news stories or even a letter you are drafting with a friend. To get the most out of writewith, invite one or more people to any document you create.
Q: How do I create a new task?
A: Go to a document page (you need to create a doc before you can add tasks). Click on the gray "Add a task" box:
  • type in a task name (such as "write" or "edit" or "review")
  • type in the email address of the person you want to assign the task to
  • choose a date and time when the task will be due
  • when you're done with a task, just click on the "done" box -- a notification email and/or SMS text message will be sent to the person with the next task
That's right, anyone who has been assigned a task will receive emails and/or SMS text messages notifying them of their task and reminding them of looming (or overdue) deadlines. You can change your email and SMS preferences in "preferences," located in the upper right hand corner of the page directly beneath your username.
Q: How do I invite others to work on a document with me?
A: Two options:
  1. Assign them a task.
  2. Participants: on the far right side of the "participants" list in the upper right corner of the document, click the "invite" button and enter the email address of the person you want to invite.
Q: How can I review changes between versions?
A: On the left-hand side of the document, beneath "Tasks," you'll see 3 tabs. The second tab is called "Revisions" -- click it and you'll see a list of revisions, including the name of the user who made each revision as well as the time the revision was saved. Click on any two revisions to compare changes between them. When comparing, text that has been added in the new revision appears in green, and text that has been removed in the new revision appears in red and crossed out.
Q: How do I know whether a person has reviewed the document? How do I know if they completed their task?
A: "History & Notes" shows you a list of everything that has happened within the document, as well as any notes left about the document.
If you're in the document at the same time as other participants, they'll be instantly notified within the document about your notes and other actions. Another way to see what a person has been working on is to visit the "People" section in the upper right corner of the document. If you click on a person's name you will be able to see all of the changes or notes they made in each of the documents you are both working on.
Q: How do I publish my document or export it into another format?
A: You can publish to blogs (we currently support Wordpress and Typepad).
Or, you can export your document into Word (.doc), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), OpenOffice Writer (.odt), hypertext (.html) or plain text (.txt) formats.
Q: I have been invited to a document. How will I know when it is my turn to work on on it? Can I start editing before it is my turn?
A: The task list is one way to tell. You can actually start editing before it's your turn on the task list, but every change you make will be viewable in "Revisions" and a list of every action you take in the doc will appear in the "History" tab.
Q: How much storage am I allowed?
A: Unlimited storage, for now.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of people I can invite to a document?
A: No, you may invite as many people as you like.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of revisions I can make to a document?
A: No.
Q: Who can access my documents besides me?
A: The other participants shown at the top right of the doc. Anyone you invite or assign a task to is listed there.
Q: What happens if I have already marked my task done and I want to make some more changes?
A: Just uncheck the "done" box for your task and all of the tasks will roll back, so that yours is in progress.
Q: Is it possible to delete a task or unassign a person? Can I delete a whole document?
A: To delete a task, click the trash icon in its upper right corner.

To delete a document, just click on the trashcan icon next to each document on your "Home" page.
Q: The Atom feeds aren't working. What gives?
A: All of our feeds require authentication, to keep your work private. You need to use a feed reader that supports authentication, such as one of these:
Q: Is my data safe?
A: Yes. Everything on our servers is backed up multiple times, and we are constantly watching to make sure nothing goes wrong. We worry about making sure your documents are safe and secure so you don't have to.
Q: How is writewith different from other online word processors?
A: While others focus on duplicating features from desktop word processors (Microsoft Word) on the web, we focus on a set of features that make collaborative writing easier.