I have written about the things you can do with Google, the search engine, Gmail and Google Voice. Today I’m going to talk a little about Google Docs. Google Docs is a web based office software that offers an alternative to Microsoft Office, potentially saving you a lot of money.
It’s Free
My favorite thing about Google Docs is that it’s free. In a home setting, it’s often not necessary to spend over $100 on an office suite. If you would like the ability to create the occasional word processing document or spreadsheet without the expense of Microsoft Office or another suite, Google Docs is a great alternative. You can access and edit Office documents as well as create your own, so if you are collaborating with someone who has Office you can still do that. If you are a student and are required to turn in assignments in the form of a Word, Excel or PowerPoint document, you can use Google Docs to create those documents. Google Docs works with a variety of file types including: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, Apple Pages, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, Autodesk AutoCad, SVG, EPS, PS, TTF and XML Paper Specification. Some of the proprietary files are not editable, for that you will have to purchase a specialized software. But you will be able to view files sent to you by others that have created the file using a specialized software.
Cloud Based
Google Docs is cloud based, meaning there’s no software to install. You just access the application through your internet browser. All your documents are saved to the cloud as well, so you can access them anywhere you have internet service. Google offers 1GB of free space and has paid plans if you require more space. I have been using Google’s spreadsheet app to keep my monthly budget since 2008. As I pay bills I update my spreadsheet to indicate payments made each month. Once the year is over I calculate my average payments and start a sheet for the next year. I love this system, because it’s cloud based I can easily access my budget from nearly anywhere. If I’m away from home and suddenly panic because I have a feeling I didn’t pay a bill, I can pull up my spreadsheet on my phone and double-check. Because Google Docs are cloud based, they are also accessible to anyone you grant access. So if you are want to collaborate with a group on something, Google Docs is a great option. You can even leave comments on the side by highlighting text and clicking Ctrl+Alt+M (Cmd+Option+M on Mac).
Like anything that’s internet based, there are a few things to keep in mind when using Google Docs. First of all, consider how comfortable you are with your documents being seen by someone not intended to see them. For example, I’m not concerned with anyone seeing my budget. I do not have any account numbers listed on my spreadsheet. I’m not too concerned about privacy issues with Google Docs, but I would not put my Social Security Number on any documents saved to Google Docs. You also want to consider what would happen if for some reason you could not access your documents. If you are using Google Docs to create time sensitive documents, for example school assignments, I suggest you take the time to also save a copy to your hard drive or a flash drive. It is more likely that you will lose internet access than the site will crash but both are possible scenarios that you should consider. While I prefer Google Docs for everyday use, I suggest if you decide to go this route, you also install the free OpenOffice on your computer to have in case of an internet outage or to use with sensitive documents. While it might not be the best option in every scenario, Google Docs does provide a great free alternative to the more expensive office suites.
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