Google Docs explained in plain English
Calvin August 27th, 2008
Image via CrunchBase, source unknown
As home-based business people SOHO Solos often have to work collaboratively with others on document projects.
While the internet and e-mail have made it easy to share and distribute documents, keeping track of e-mailed documents from multiple authors can soon become quite a headache. Enter Google Docs, a free service from Google that allows you to store and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets and business presentations online. Instead of sending out multiple copies you send out “invitations” for multiple authors to edit a single central copy of your files. Neat!
Rather than try and explain Google Docs to you here, we’ll embed a Google commissioned video from Lee and Sacchi LeFever (who are… *drumroll please*… SOHO Solos themselves 
) over at Common Craft that explains “Google Docs in plain English”:
I’ve used Google Docs for a number of projects and have to say that, while the applications lack some of the “bells and whistle” features of their desktop counterparts, for straightforward documents it works very well.
Adobe offers something similar with its Adobe Buzzword online word processor (no spreadsheets or presentations yet, as far as I can see – but there is a nifty online-meeting application, so you can set up a virtual meeting to talk things through with your collaborators). The Adobe interface is very flash (pun intended ) but for me Google Docs has the edge in terms of basic utilitarian usability.
Check them both out… see which you prefer… and consign your document collaboration nightmares to history.
- Home Working , Networking , Social Media , internet , tools
- Comments(4)
Yes, a pretty handle tool …and it’s free to boot! I realized how valuable Google Docs is from John Reese’s TS2 and I’ve been using Google Docs ever since. Kind of makes me think why I wasn’t using it before.
Thanks for the comment Elizabeth… hope you like the new SOHO Solo West Cork blog.
Google Docs and similar online applications are revolutionising the way people work on collaborative documents, and making what was once complex document management an absolute cinch. They’re a great boon for home-based entrepreneurs who need to work with clients or other independent contractors to get the job done.
I’d urge anyone to check out Google Docs, Adobe Buzzwords and other options like ZOHO… after all, as you mention, it’s free to give it a go, so there’s absolutely nothing to lose
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