Google Docs and Etherpads: "Realtime Collaborative Text Editing"

For about a year now, I've been using Google Docs for collaborative text editing. The tool allows me to share documents with other people, either for viewing only or for editing collaboratively. Up to ten people can view or edit a document simultaneously. A revision history, color-coded by author, is created automatically so changes can be tracked and restored to earlier versions if necessary. There's an integrated chat, which shows up as an IM window, so that collaborators can discuss what they're doing while they're doing it. The tool also makes it easy to email and post documents online. (For a more detailed description of Google Docs, see the Google Docs Getting Started Guide.)

This past week, I played around with iEtherPad. Although Google shut down the EtherPad.com servers, after acquiring AppleJet Inc. and the EtherPad collaboration product and technology, it released the code as open source. So, etherpad services are still available through the following links:

iEtherpad
PiratePad
Sinc.in
The Etherpad Foundation
TypeWith.me

When I tried out iEtherpad with my Portfolio in Professional Writing class, I discovered that it had the following features: