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- Reviewed by:
- Elsa Wenzel
- Edited by:
- Robert Vamosi
- Reviewed on:
- 07/25/06
- Updated on:
- 07/25/06
- Click here to see CNET editors' review for JotSpot wiki 2
- Setup and interface:
- 7.0
- Features:
- 8.0
- Service and support:
- 7.0
- Overall score:
- 7.3
We visited jotspot.com and set up our free wiki within a few minutes. With our login and new JotSpot URL ready, we started adding content immediately. Free accounts allow only five users, 10 pages, and 100MB of storage. To maintain a larger wiki and share it with more people, JotSpot offers a range of rates. The four paid plans range from $9.95 per month for 10 users and 100 pages, to as much as $199.95 monthly for unlimited users and pages.
The JotSpot layout is pretty simple, with major functions along the narrow left column and a large pane in the center to display content. You can choose from among several free JotSpot templates, or add your own logo and additional customization with a paid plan. We found that getting started with JotSpot requires about as much savvy as opening a blog with, say, TypePad. Most functions are intuitive; its's easy to double-click section titles, calendar days, and other elements to edit them. Unless you're already familiar with wikis, however, you should spend some time with the Help section before building your JotSpot pages.
The word processor within JotSpot's WikiHome screen includes Microsoft Word-like icons for the basic formatting functions, as well as for adding Web links and images. But if you're looking for an online word processor for personal use, ThinkFree online, Google's Writely beta, or ZohoWriter are better built for that purpose. JotSpot's photo pages were easy to figure out, but we could upload pictures only one at a time. Similarly, JotSpot File Cabinets let you save files--one at a time. And searching the Cabinets will sift through only the file description, not the file name or its text contents.
We like JotSpot's Spreadsheets, which allow you to use some of the same formulas as in Microsoft Excel and should come in handy if you need to crunch numbers with other users. The layout is both minimal and simple, which is a plus as it is with Google Spreadsheets. Unfortunately, JotSpot crashed when we pasted a 310-row text spreadsheet from Microsoft Excel. You can, however, link dynamic maps to chart addresses within your spreadsheets, thanks to JotSpot's integration with Yahoo Maps beta.
JotSpot also allows you to build a minidatabase that can come in handy for a variety of uses, such as creating a bank of Web bookmarks or RSS feeds. Small businesses will appreciate JotSpot's options for adding a knowledge base, group directory, bug reporter, project management tool, and community forums. And you can set viewing and editing permissions to selected content, of course.
JotSpot's revamped calendar now really resembles one, unlike the loose list- appearance of its earlier version. The calendar is built upon the iCal standard, but at this point, you cannot import from or synchronize with other calendars. Unfortunately, if you already live by your appointments within Outlook or an online calendar from, say, Google or Yahoo, you'll have to manually reenter those appointments within JotSpot. We like the calendar's intuitive controls; you can double-click a date to add an appointment. In addition, you can upload files to an event. However, on our first attempt adding a small JPG image to an appointment, JotSpot froze. After several minutes of fumbling with the controls, then choosing Cancel, and then waiting a few more minutes, we had to close that browser window and restart. The second time we uploaded the image, it worked instantly.
JotSpot's online support offerings are thorough, with FAQs, a video tutorial, a community blog, Web seminars, a knowledge base, and resources for developers.
JotSpot's renovation reflects the company's attempt to take wikis out of the realm of geeks and put them into the mainstream. However, we'd still like to see more concessions for wiki newbies, such as an explanation of what the Global Links section is supposed to contain. We'd also like more drag-and-drop functionality in the mold of that offered by personal home pages such as Windows Live. At the same time, despite some occasional technical imperfections, JotSpot provides a wealth of tools that allow you to either get creative--or down to business--with your own wiki.
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