11 Feb
2011
When working in an organization with limited budget and a team that might be spread in different locations it's a great thing to use the new online tools that are available for a small cost or even for free.
One of those tools is Google Docs. Google Docs offers a full online office suite - including a word processor, Excel program , a very competent form builder and a PowerPoint tool. You can incorporate the forms into your website to collect data from website visitors.
Google Docs allows you to upload your Microsoft Office files and convert them to Google Docs format or download your Google Docs and save as Microsoft Office files.
You can create folders and share with other users and even collaborate on a document in real time. When you do you see the changes your team members make in realtime which is a really cool feature.
I was engaged in transferring over a church's large document base to Google Docs and then help that church migrate over to only using Google Docs for document creation. So far the responses have been mostly very positive!
So why not give it a try. All you need is to create free Google accounts and start sharing documents. It's good to plan some kind of folder structure so that you can keep things organized.
Google also offers a calendar which allows you to share your calendar with your co-workers.
Let me know what you think!