Vertabase 4 project management software was launched last week.

So far, the reception from clients and the press has been very good!

With Vertabase 4, we’ve focused on the eco-system of applications users work with to create and share information. It continues on in our approach of making it easy for people to track, manage and collaborate on projects regardless of their technical background.

Feature highlights include:

• Rapid project set-up
• Import from MS Excel and Google Spreadsheets (along with MS Project and Vertabase templates)
• Export to MS Outlook and Google Calendar
• Generate PDF reports and integration with Adobe Acrobat.

If you have any comments or questions on the new release, let us know.

Thank you to the kind people at Handshaw. They put on a successful conference on e-learning, learning management systems and general instructional design.  I was fortunate enough to attend and meet some of the impressive people behind their Lumenix product and the creative people who use it.

For those not familiar with e-learning, its more than moving content and tests onto a computer. It encompasses an understanding of how adults learn, a mastery of technical tools, project management to get e-learning projects produced and organizational politics to secure budgets and manage expectations. 

An oft discussed topic was how instructional designers and e-learning technologists work with subject matter experts. There is a delicate balance between keeping the SME involved in a project while the ID or e-learning technologist maintain their role as the trained professional in e-learning. 

Interestingly, its something I hear all the time from designers and developers with respect to clients.  It seems that in both worlds, there is a management art to building a process where everyone recognizes and respects the value each person brings to a project.

Thank you, as well to an informative presentation from Bryan Chapman on Rapid Content Development for e-learning.

Its a week past due but thank you to the Charlotte Adobe Users Group.  Had a great time with great people and lots of good conversation (both during and after the meeting). 

We talked about everything from software design, user adoption and project management to where is Adobe and ColdFusion going, and what technologies will stand the test of time.

Thank you to Sutton for putting it all together, to Lodestone Digital to hosting and to everyone who attended.

I’ll have the pleasure of speaking at the Charlotte, North Carolina Adobe Users’ Group (Adobe Charlotte) on Thursday, September 20th.

The topic will be on how design, technology and feature choices affect usability -using examples and feedback from Vertabase project management.

The meeting will take place at 6PM at Lodestone Digital, 5605 Seventy-Seven Center Dr., Suite 285, Charlotte, NC. For more information, please visit http://www.adobecharlotte.com.