Horcher thinks Dow employees would like eRoom if they'd just give it a chance. To tempt them, Dow plans to embed a link to eRoom in the company e-mail client.

"My feeling is that once we put it on the menu [of Outlook], we will see a lot more interest," Horcher says.

Sidebar: When e-mail isn't enough

All large organizations need more than just e-mail these days, say industry analysts. But there are some activities that require collaborative technologies more than others. Collaborative Strategies consultant David Coleman has identified six types of activities that are ripe for collaboration tools:

-- Creating sales proposals or responding to a request for proposals.