More and more, biz owners are using online tools such as WordPress for websites, Basecamp for project management, and Google Docs for documents. These tools give you an efficient way to collaborate with other people. I found this great video that helps explain, in simple terms, what Google Docs can do for you.
Simple Video on Understanding Google Docs
As your business grows, you may want to bring on virtual assistants, find Joint Venture partners, and may start using multiple computers. By using online tools such as Google Docs, it frees you up to being tied to a single computer. (which is one of the reasons why I like WordPress so much)
Christina,
Thanks, that’s a great way to collaborate.
Jim
Hi Christina – great video – Google does a great job with simple explanations.
I’ve used Google Docs and other Google services, but I think I like Microsoft’s free and easy shared space in the clouds solution better.
For me and my clients – we find it easier to share our Microsoft docs with Microsoft’s free Small Business Live services. Especially handy is the ability to open or save a document from the clouds right from my Microsoft applications.
I go back and forth between Google and Microsoft – there certainly is a battle being waged. For folks who don’t have Microsoft Office, Google Docs is a great alternative-albeit much more limited as far as using their word, excel, etc. functionality.
Lynn
What I like about Google docs is that you don’t have to worry if the other person has microsoft office.
however I’ve never heard of Microsoft’s free Small Business Live services. I’ve heard of Microsofts Exchange server and I don’t like that solution.
Yes there is a battle with Microsoft and Google. I do like Outlook a lot for my calendaring.
But google docs has really worked well for me!
Nice video, Christina. Perfect timing as I was just wondering how to control my article submission list among multiple assistants. So looks like this will solve it.
And more importantly – how did you get the google ads across the bottom? Is that your setting or theirs?
Jeanette
Google Calendar has changed my life over the past 18 months. I keep 4 of them on one page (personal, business, bills, family – each in its own color!) and set up notifications. 3 day – by email. 1 day – by email. 1 hour by text to my cell. Since the day I started using Google Calendar I have not been late or missed a single appointment.
Without getting into the nitty gritty of my past, let me just say that I wasn’t always that responsible 🙂
Barry
Jeanette,
the google ads on the bottom are their settings. No my commissions. (One thing I don’t like about youtube. If you know how to turn that off, let me know!)
😉 Christina
Very interesting video about the Google Docs, Christina and Stu…
On a totally different subject, Christina: I love your new picture!
Always love,light and laughter;
Leticia : )
http://www.HubersINN.com
http://www.PortTownsendPeeps.com
Looks like you can’t turn off the Adwords ads on the videos. I found this post that seems to echo that.
http://help.youtube.com/group/youtube-howto/browse_thread/thread/0099457436035771?hl=en-GB
But it does seem that you can monetize your own vidoes when published on others’ sites, if I’m reading it correctly. So it’s a setting from the video publisher.
I love the Common Craft videos. Lee LeFever and his wife came up with such a cool way to explain and simplify concepts. In fact I just saw Lee’s Common Craft Twitter video on the Twitter home page the other day. Lee is a fellow Seattleite and I had the pleasure of working with him on a social media ecommerce project several years back before social media was even on the radar. He’s a sharp and creative guy!
Thanks for sharing this video.
I’m not too tech-savvy. So I was wondering: How is Google Docs different from FTP/SmartFTP (which is the way some of my clients and I share documents)?
Cassie,
With Google docs there is not FTP. The document stays on the server and you and your colleagues modify it live on the server. It’s a ‘living’ document. So it does not get out of sync.
When you FTP, then you wind up with different versions, just like you saw in the video.
Much easier with Google docs (although it may not have all the functionality of documents on your desktop)
Hope that helps!
Got it!
Thanks for that clarification, Christine.
Another question: Does Google Docs show “track changes” so that everyone can see what changes are being/have been made?
I can see the advantages to Google Docs. Although, sometimes, there are reasons for keeping different versions.
I cant’ tell you how much I use Google Docs in my business. I cannot live without google docs, and this fun simple video does a great job explaining it