Assignment: Google Docs

I have, at long last, figured out how to use Google Docs. Years ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to it so that the members of our writing group could collaborate on projects online (the group never met once in person, but I had a wonderful time talking to all of those incredibly interesting [and busy] people on the phone while I was trying to coordinate our meetings). I opened the link and saw – gasp – something new, something that was going to require EFFORT to learn *shudder*.

I fumbled about for just long enough to get utterly frustrated, without having tried to read the directions, never to return…until now. It is really, really easy to use! Especially if you take the ten-twenty minutes that it takes to read through the getting started guide. Seriously, if I’d taken the time to do that years ago when I received the link, I would have saved myself so much bother over the years as people have attempted to send me Google documents or email attachments have opened in that program. Sometimes being obstinate really comes back around to bite me.

The basic low-down on Google docs for those of you who haven’t checked them out or read another student’s blog about it already: upload existing documents into the program and go from there, or search through their thousands of templates to write your own document, spreadsheet, drawing, or form (I sound like an advertisement!). They have also added “Drawings,” but I didn’t spend much time exploring that since I can’t draw for the life of me, and if I could, I don't know why I'd want someone to collaborate on it with me. Once you’ve got some type of document with which to work, you can invite people to either view or edit it with you (easy privacy control) – up to ten people at a time can be collaborating on a project at the same time, and 200 people are allowed to the same document total.

This is a truly powerful tool. I don't see myself as using it professionally for the main reason of having a shared intranet here on campus that allows us to save onto shared drives in the first place, and the chances of having a collaborative team large enough to warrant Google Docs seems far-fetched. But personally…I’ve been working on free-lance editing, and this is a great way for me to work with an author to keep straight the latest mark-ups without getting lost under emails (very similar to the Common Craft Show’s scenario but I am being serious).

What do I want it to say about me? My documents will be speaking for me. Beyond that, it will also probably say that I spend a lot of time online. :)