Let’s just say I’m in Austin, Megan M. is in Nashville and a client contact is in Washington, D.C. We’re all working together to prepare a schedule of online content for the following month, and all the replying and forwarding of the original email is getting pretty messy and difficult to follow. Is there an easier way for the three of us to collaborate?
In a word: Yes. With Google Docs.
Google Docs allows any number of collaborators to all work from one document — and we can all view it at the same time — without emailing it back and forth and wondering who has the latest and greatest version. From text documents to spreadsheets to annual calendars, Google Docs allows us to all stay on the same page.
It’s easy to get going:
- Use your Google account (or set one up) to get started at docs.google.com.
- Upload documents from your own computer or start fresh with basic documents and templates they provide to get you started.
- Organize your documents. You can organize by client, project or deadline. Create as many folders as you want to keep yourself organized.
- Share! Invite coworkers, clients and other collaborators to join you. If they also have a gmail address and Google account, this will be quick and painless.
One of the greatest benefits of using Google Docs is that you can access it anywhere that you have an Internet connections. Rex happens to be sitting in an airport this afternoon, getting ready to catch a flight home, but he can log onto Google Docs to make changes to a project task list or update a simple Word doc. I can open the same document and see the changes in real time as he makes them, even though there are hundreds of miles between us.
At Hammock Inc., we love jumping feet first into all the ways the Internet allows us to connect with friends and clients near and far. Google Docs is a great (free!) tool for doing just that.