Image via CrunchBase

Just tried using the ‘collaboration’ feature in Adobe Reader I have a free version and not the commercial. It took me a while to find it because it was hidden under the File Menu.   If you want to read on please do, but I can summarize this review with just a short sentence.  It was a disaster.  The product is not user friendly nor intuitive and Buzzword doesn’t work with PDF files!

Here’s my experience and please feel free to share your own:

1. After selecting collaborate from the file menu, the program asked me for my Username and Password.  Since I had an account it found me, but said I needed to update my information.
2. The program then went to a screen that didn’t load properly and I had to do the process again.  Finally it sent me to an Adobe website URL where I updated my information.
3. Supposedly the file had been uploaded at this point.  Yet after I updated my information the document had disappeared.
4. I then used the Acrobat collaboration site to upload it from my hard drive. It was a very slow process. 
5. Once uploaded, I didn’t know what to do with the document.  It certainly wasn’t collaboration.  I could zoom in and out, scroll, but no redlining, comments or anything collaborative. 
6. I then thought to click the New Buzzword button which simply opened a blank document screen.  I thought OK, here is the collaborative aspect of the program.   
7. However, Buzzword would not upload my PDF file (this is Adobe isn’t it?). Alas, they only accept Word Documents.  How crazy is that?

Review Summary

I liked the flash interface, but the collaboration functionality is non-existent.  It’s basically a PDF repository where you can share the document with your friends.  They should have one-click upload collaboration with an “out of box” experience that gets you working on the document with your work associates.  They should wait until after you complete work on the document for updated info.  Asking me to update it prior to uploading it disrupted my process and caused me to want to quit. 

I’d pass on this “collaborative” tool until they work out the kinks and user experience.  Adobe’s claim of it being collaborative is a big stretch.