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Well, according to the sales agent...
 You probably had a number of terms thrown at you when you first heard about FirstClass: it's an email system with calendaring and shared contacts; it's a collaborative communications environment with shared workspaces and threaded discussion forums; it's a unified communications tool with Blogs and Web sites and RSS feeds. Add instant messaging, voice services, directory services, archiving services... In fact, according to your sales representative, there's very little that it
can't do. Well, they're in sales. That's what they're supposed to say.
Oddly enough, they're not too far off the mark. FirstClass is an incredibly powerful product suite that has a comprehensive selection of collaboration and communication tools. And yet, because it has so much functionality, you can easily miss out on some of the best ways to use it. Trust us, even veteran FirstClass users often don't realize just how much power they have...
Let's demystify for a moment...
First of all, it's best to think of FirstClass as a service as opposed to a product. Microsoft Word is a product. Adobe Photoshop is a product. They are both targeted, specialized applications designed to produce a specific type of content. FirstClass is a service application suite, designed to manage and integrate the daily operation of a collaborative communications environment. This means that FirstClass is somewhere to be, not just something to do.
A close analogy would be MySpace (or LiveJournal, Second Life, any type of online community). Endusers apply for or are granted an account, establish a unique identity, and interact with other members of the community. They share resources, participate in both synchronous and asynchronous communication, and use the service as a portal to their other environments. FirstClass is the same type of environment, except that it contains a feature set geared towards the professional environment. Instead of friends chatting about the latest movie release, coworkers chat about the agenda for the upcoming staff meeting. Instead of posting links to YouTube, teachers share educational resources and establish a school-wide Helpdesk. Instead of Blogging about boyfriends, students participate in online course
components.
FirstClass is so much more than just an email application. FirstClass is a content management system. FirstClass is an online community. FirstClass is a voicemail application. FirstClass is an Active Directory system. The list goes on. Since the range of available features can be overwhelming, however, it may be best to start with the fact that FirstClass is an access management application -- users have accounts, and FirstClass manages the features and access those users enjoy. Users access their accounts through a Web browser, handheld device, or the dedicated FirstClass client, and are presented with their Desktop, their portal to the FirstClass universe. The range and scope
of that universe is up to you.
FirstClass is designed to go beyond the box. Although there are a wide range of features within FirstClass itself, its true power lies in the ability to reach out to the other applications on your network and bring them under the FirstClass umbrella. FirstClass Application Services has the power to embed reporting and control applications within a user's FirstClass environment that can integrate data and functions of your SIS, student accounts, LDAP, workflow applications, and more. You can have your FirstClass be an active controller or a passive recipient, and even modify the behavior of FirstClass itself based upon your existing database applications.
The power really is yours...
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