I am hyped at the recent innovation of "Google's Apps" & Sites. This is great to work with applications and documents directly online. In addition, a private site is possible for projects, collaboration etc.
I am really taken aback at the technology that Google is pushing to work with documents, spreadsheets, presentation documents (such as PowerPoint etc).
Google Docs works with RTF and HTML formatted documents (including other formats). Here is the kicker that takes this technology to the edge...you can work with all your documents in a central repository directly within the Google Sites. This is a great way to collaborate with others, work on projects, and any other documentation. There is also a revisions feature.
Comments are able to be posted and visible to everyone projects or documents. I was astonished on the ease of use of creating documents directly from within the Google Apps or Google Docs site.
Can you believe it? Students who seek a method to work on educational projects or research subjects (amongst other possibilities) have a slick way of doing this using Google technology. They can also invite other students or professors to view or contribute to their projects or documents and provide feedback directly on the site.
In doing all this you can publish your data directly from within the Google Sites and send a pubic link for others to view.
I suspect quite a few features will continue to be added as Google continues to lead cutting edge technology. I also believe that as usual, you will find other competitors mimicking this technology to keep pace.
For more information you can visit the following links:
- Google Apps Overview - http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews/welcome/topicDocs/page16.html
- Google Sites video overview - http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/video/sites_overview_video.html
- Setup a site - http://docs.google.com
