Over the process of the semester, we have had the opportunity to examine many collaborative communication options, most of which were free. Many were great and provided new and awesome ideas. Many had in my opinion questionable value, but may serve a purpose for the right time and place.
Many free options came with their series of glitches and qwerps, that reinforced the idea of "you get what you pay for." In my new job, I have found that many pay options provide similar tools, and often don't carry the same glitches.
However, depending upon the project, there is also value in simplicity. I explored a 30 day trial for a concept mapping tool, but found the free mapping options to be easier to use for my purposes. The pay option carried a lot of interesting options, bells, whistles and extra features, but when push came to shove they served to complicate what was a simple task. It would have taken me hours to sort through how to add images, linking options, etc. The free option I figured out in about three minutes flat.
If I was using the tool more consistently or in a more professional setting, the extra options may have served me well. However, for a quick and dirty, the free choice was the better option.
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