1. A method comprising the steps of: accessing an annotation engine resident on a web server, the annotation engine configured to generate a user interface for display to a plurality of users; accessing, via the annotation engine, an electronic record stored on the web server; receiving an indication of a portion of the electronic record corresponding to an annotation; generating, via the annotation engine, a discussion window at a location in the electronic record proximate to the indicated portion; receiving the annotation, the annotation input by one of the plurality of users; updating, via the annotation engine, the discussion window to display a plurality of successive annotations input by one of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of successive annotations time-tagged by the annotation engine relative to its time of input by a respective one of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of successive annotations corresponding to the annotation; associating, via the annotation engine, the electronic record with the plurality of successive annotations and storing the plurality of successive annotations in the electronic record on the web server upon receipt of each of the plurality of successive annotations; customizing the discussion window based on a determination made by one of the plurality of users; and customizing the discussion window by assigning a color code to the discussion window, wherein the assigning of the color code is based on at least one of: a categorization of the discussion window; importance of the discussion window; and a characteristic of the discussion window.
1. A method comprising the steps of: accessing an annotation engine resident on a web server, the annotation engine configured to generate a user interface for display to a plurality of users; accessing, via the annotation engine, an electronic record stored on the web server; receiving an indication of a portion of the electronic record corresponding to an annotation; generating, via the annotation engine, a discussion window at a location in the electronic record proximate to the indicated portion; receiving the annotation, the annotation input by one of the plurality of users; updating, via the annotation engine, the discussion window to display a plurality of successive annotations input by one of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of successive annotations time-tagged by the annotation engine relative to its time of input by a respective one of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of successive annotations corresponding to the annotation; associating, via the annotation engine, the electronic record with the plurality of successive annotations and storing the plurality of successive annotations in the electronic record on the web server upon receipt of each of the plurality of successive annotations; customizing the discussion window based on a determination made by one of the plurality of users; and customizing the discussion window by assigning a color code to the discussion window, wherein the assigning of the color code is based on at least one of: a categorization of the discussion window; importance of the discussion window; and a characteristic of the discussion window. 5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating an alert in response to an input of one of the plurality of successive annotations.