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How to brainstorm and plan events with friends and family

    Have you ever tried to plan a big event with friends or family — like a vacation, home renovation, or reunion — and wished you could get everyone on the same metaphorical page?

    Thanks to apps that support collaboration, you can bring all parties together in the same online whiteboard, agenda, document or other file. And you can get started with free software that may already be on your phone, tablet and computer. Here’s an overview.

    Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android systems include free apps that support group participation. These generally work best if you and your cohorts are all on the most recent version of the same platform and using a free Apple ID or Google account. But in addition to apps, you can also collaborate on projects in a web browser where the files are stored and synced on Apple’s iCloud servers or Google Drive.

    In Google Jamboard and other apps with sharing options, you can select your collaborators and the level of access they have to the file.Credit…Google

    Starting a collaboration is easy. Just pick your app, create a file, and choose the people to share it with.

    Some projects benefit from having one place to store everything, anywhere, all at once, such as photos, sticky notes, web links, documents, and scribbles contributed by multiple people. In this case, consider an interactive digital whiteboard app. Like whiteboards in an office, these digital whiteboards allow people to add, erase, and edit content, but participants using them can contribute and see real-time updates from the board on virtually any device.

    Users on iPhones can edit and share files with Apple’s Freeform app — and even export the collaboration as a PDF file.Credit…Apple

    Apple’s Freeform app provides a canvas for big ideas, and the company’s website has detailed instructions on how to use it on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. After someone starts a Freeform board and shares it with others via Apple Mail, Messages, or AirDrop, the group work begins; boards can also be exported as PDF files for those without the app. Apple’s FaceTime service is integrated for real-time video calls during a collaborative session.

    Jamboard by Google is another online whiteboard app. It works on Android and iOS devices, as well as Google Chrome and other web browsers (not to mention Google’s expensive cloud-based whiteboard hardware). The person launching the “jam” file must have a Google account, but this is not required for other contributors. Files are stored in Google Drive and Jamboard allows collaboration through a Google Meet session. Google’s support site has instructions for using Jamboard anywhere.

    Some projects may not require a whiteboard, such as the schedule for a local softball league. For simpler projects, it can be more efficient to collaborate on a shared document, spreadsheet, or presentation.

    In Apple’s Numbers app, on the far left, or Google Docs, near the left, sharing the file with collaborators is just a few taps away.Credit…Apple; Google

    Apple’s iCloud-based office software suite of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote enables collaboration, as does the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides software that stores your files on Google Drive. As with whiteboard apps, participants must be invited and the person who started the file can set permissions for who can do what with it.

    Apple’s Notes for iPhone can also share files with others, and you can invite collaborators in several ways, including through a message.Credit…Apple

    You can also share notes and lists online from your phone’s free utility apps. In Apple’s Notes and Reminders apps, tap the action icon (the square with the up arrow) to access the menu to share the files with others. You can share lists, drawings, and notes through the Google Keep app for Android and iOS; just open the item you want to share, tap the three-dot action menu and select Collaborator.

    The calendar apps from Apple and Google let you create and share calendars, which can be used for things like coordinating summer camp schedules, contractor work, and other complex events beyond the standard family calendar you may already be using.

    In Apple’s Calendar app, you can create new calendars to share with others right on iPhone.Credit…Apple

    To set up a new calendar in the iOS Calendar app, select Calendars at the bottom of the screen. Choose the Add calendars option, name the new calendar and tap Done. To share it with others, again select Calendars at the bottom of the screen and tap the circled “i” icon next to the one you want to share. Select the Add person option, enter the email addresses of the people who will share the calendar and tap Add.

    While Google Calendar for Android and iOS lets you view and edit shared calendars from the apps or a browser, for now you can only create and share calendars from the browser, not the apps. To create a new calendar on the web, open Google Calendar on the web and, in the Other Calendars section on the left side of the screen, click the “+” icon, then Create New Calendar. Give it a name and click Create Calendar.

    To share it, go to the My Calendars area on the left side of the browser, hover the cursor over the calendar you want, and click the three-dot menu icon. Choose Settings and sharing and scroll down to the “Share with specific people or groups” section to add your people.

    It may take a few steps to get everyone connected to your calendar or project, but once you’ve done that, you’re literally all on the same page.