#5 Google Docs

Listen to audio here

I hope all of you know about the famous Google search engine, but did you know there is a complete suite of Google products that are available for the everyday user? These products include gmail (an online email application), Google docs and spreadsheets, Google maps, Google calendar and Google talk just to name a few. In the past few years Google has also bought out successful web companies such as YouTube and Picasa to add to their suite of products. Check out the full list of Google products and services.

In the last few years, there have been many reports that Google has become the new microsoft. Even if this is the case, Google is offering web based applications at a minimal cost to the user (usually only exposure to some advertisements) and the new generation is utilising these applications more and more everyday. This week's task will introduce you to some Google applications including Google Maps, Google Docs and Spreadsheets and Google Book Search. Next week you will be able to join these applications together on your new iGoogle homepage.

One major benefit to web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and pdf). And, you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs (Formerly known as Writely) to author and publish posts to your blog.

It's this type of integration with other Web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing. For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool called Google Docs, create a simple document and then post about your discoveries in your blog.

---

#5 Google Docs

1. You will be able to use the Google account you created originally to setup your blog to use Google Docs. (Or use your Gmail account details, if you have them)

2. Explore the site and create a test document or two.

3. Try out Google Docs features and create a blog post about your discoveries.

---

Also...

Other great sites for online file storage including video are Nomadesk and Box.net , or you can also explore Zoho Writer.