Draw and Collaborate at Scriblink


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Online drawing and collaboration at Scriblink Scriblink is a new online collaboration tool where you can draw and collaborate with others over graphics.

You can do freehand drawing. Or you can draw circles, ovals, squares and rectangles with standard shapes. You can add text, too.

If you have a need to collaborate with someone else located in a different location, over graphics, this tool can help. It could be used, for instance, for brainstorming logo ideas, for scientific collaboration, and even for distance learning.

It was built by Jordan Adler, who is a senior at New York University’s Stern Business School. Jordan responded to some questions via email about his new product:

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Scriblink?

  • A: I first came up with the idea when I was studying chemistry with a friend over the phone. In chemistry some of the molecules are extremely complex, and to describe them over the phone is virtually impossible. I ended up having to draw the different shapes in Microsoft Paint, save them to my hard drive, and then email the image over to my friend. He then had to draw on top of my image and send it back to me through email. I knew there had to be a better way, and that’s when I came up with the idea for Scriblink — an online whiteboard where you can sketch, plan, collaborate, or just have fun.

Q: Who do you see as the target users?

  • A: I purposely created Scriblink to be as broad as possible when it came to customer base. I think there are kids that would have a lot of fun scribbling with friends, college students that could use it to study together, or even graphic designers and business executives who may want to discuss an interesting layout or a new product design. One of the great features with Scriblink is that it requires no installation or registration. This means that within a few seconds after logging into the site you already can have your own personal board.

Q: I found two other collaboration drawing sites online, Imagination Cubed and Skrbl. How does Scriblink differ from these two sites?

  • A: Skrbl charges $10 a month for what I give for free. I also think the overall experience on my site is a lot more enjoyable. It is easier to use and also has more features (Scriblink offers more colors, more line thicknesses, you can change the board background, in-screen chat with phone conferencing, grid feature, and print, save, email options.)Imagination Cubed is a beautifully done website. The interface is nice and easy to use. A noticeable difference is Scriblink’s ability to invite up to 5 users (as compared with IC’s 2) with the option to phone conference. Another main difference is that Scriblink does not run out of ink (On IC there is an ink bar in the top right corner. When this runs out a user is forced to clear the board. Scriblink has no such limitation).However, I feel the real differentiation between Scriblink and IC is the overall objective of the site. When logging onto IC the first thing you’ll notice is its flashy interface (the 3D marker) and its fun features (there are stamps that draw smiley faces and swirls). Although this may be entertaining, it isn’t necessarily practical. Scriblink gets rid of the flashy marker and drop-down lists to focus on the main goal: online collaboration. The site gives you everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

Q: Where do you plan to go with Scriblink (growth size, features)? Were there any difficult decisions you had to make along the way?

  • A: There are a few features I would ultimately like to see in the site. One of the main ones would be a way to load images onto the board and be able to draw on top of them. Another idea is to create a gallery on the site where users can post their drawings and designs. These changes will come as the site evolves.One of the main things I have been struggling with is the site’s inability to lock in users. I really pushed for the site to be as quick and easy as possible, and not having to make users register accomplishes this goal. A big drawback to this strategy is that there is nothing forcing my users to come back. I think the beauty of the most successful websites is their ability to lock in their customer base (ebay, Faceboook, etc.), and this is one issue I keep coming back to.

Visit Scriblink, try it out, and send some feedback to a young entrepreneur.

4 Comments ▼

Anita Campbell Anita Campbell is the Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.

4 Reactions
  1. scriblink did not work on my computer, apparently I do not have the correct version of Java. I don’t want to upgrade just for trying out this site as I don’t know how that will affect other programs. No such problems with the other 2 sites you mentioned skrbl & imaginationcubed both are cool BTW skrbl has a cool free version you should check out.

  2. Worked great for me. I like how it came up instantly without needing to download any applications.

  3. this was a very cool site. it had all the features i needed and it was fun drawing with my friends.