Web-based apps: Thing #17

I am largesse.

You are not.

I created the short document above in Google Docs and published it to my blog--easy! In fact, I found Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations all very easy to use. I was able to create new files, save them, save them again as Microsoft products or pdfs, and publish them to my blog and to the web. Importing Microsoft products was equally easy as pie.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my colleague, http://ridiculology.blogspot.com/, had already introduced me to some of these amazing features of Google. I suggested to my son (he's in college) that he use Google docs for some of his collaborative projects. I can also see how my sister and I could use a Google spreadsheet to help us manage our mother's finances.

It's a little harder for me to see how I might use these wonderful collaboration-enhancing products at work, since it's so easy for us to save files in shared locations. And, hey--where's the Ariel Narrow I'm required to use? However, some of our collaboration is between library systems (e.g., CML, Worthington, Southwest), and it might be much easier for us to share files with Google than with, say, emailed versions of files.

Here's the best thing: Google docs might be exactly what some of our customers need. Google might be the perfect place to store resumes and other documents. Just think of it, no more lost files because the session times out!