When you first create a document, you can follow the directions in the Knowledge Tip to upload it into the NewWorkSpaces.

Make sure you upload your document into the right topic area -- one where you and your colleagues have agreed to work on this particular project. Your online learning community may be working in several different areas including the Commons, Discover, Invent, and Influence. If you are following this approach, you'll see those topics in the Topic Explorer. Upload the document to the topic where your team will find it.

When another member of your group comes along to work on this document with your team, they will click on the topic where the document is housed. There they will see the three section buttons, like this:

Click on Knowledge and a list of documents and other materials will appear. Locate the document you're working on from the list, and click on it. A page will open with an abstract of the document, a link to the file containing the document, and you may see more than the document title. You may see either, or both of these images:

The image on the left is a lock. When you pass your cursor over the lock, it will tell you who has the document locked. While the document is locked you can read it -- but you cannot edit the document.

The image on the right, over the file name, tells you that work has been done on the document and there are different versions. Click on the logo with the v and a window like this will appear:

This tells you who has been working on the document, when (adjusted to your time zone), and any comments they left on their work. In other words, you get an immediate up-to-date summary of where joint work on this document stands.

To continue your own work on the document (if it is not currently locked), first, download the current version to your computer and then simply click on the edit button from the top navigation bar. You'll see a window like this:

As soon as you do this, the document is locked, and no one else can edit it, for 30 minutes. . If 30 minutes is long enough for you to do your work, you don't need to do anything else. If, however, you anticipate working on the document for a longer period of time, just click on the "Keep locked"button and select any time period from 1 hour to 3 days to keep the document locked for your use. When you're finished, upload your changes, click the "Unlock" and others will have access in 30 minutes.

When you are uploading changes, be sure to check the "Add a new version - Comment" box and tell your group what you've been doing -- just like in the example above.

All in all, this is a very tidy way to work together. And, remember, if you need to talk with your group about the document you are working on, just begin a http://newworkspaces.net/tools/commons_tool5.html with them.