Thing #18: Web-based Apps

This is a test document for O What a Geek Thing #18.
Google Docs is a way for people to create and share documents without the need to email. No more worrying if you typed their email address correctly, if they have space in their inbox, or whatever. Google Docs offers a variety of different applications, similar to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, which will all work on whatever computer you are on. After playing around a little, it should be fairly easy for anyone remotely familiar with Microsoft products to be able to use this.

Again, this is similar to a wiki. Users can create documents that others can view or edit. But you can also restrict editing access to specified users. My previous employer did that. Everyone could view the schedules, but only supervisors had the authority granted to go in and edit them if there needed to be changes.

The only thing I worry about a little is: What if the site suddenly quits? Hopefully you backed up all your documents and aren't relying on their server or their staying in business...

I'm more-or-less sold on Google Docs. Now, it's just breaking the habit of going to Microsoft all the time...