Google Apps: The Missing Manual

Chapter 2. Word Processing with Google Docs

Ask people who work with Google Docs what they love about it (besides the price), and two words will crop up pretty fast: “accessibility” and “collaboration.”

In Google Docs—a Microsoft Office–like collection of word processing, spreadsheet, and slideshow presentation tools—your documents are stored on Google’s computers, so you can access them from anywhere with an Internet connection. No more smacking your forehead because the report or spreadsheet you meant to bring home is sitting on your office computer’s hard drive, or worrying about where you might’ve lost that keychain-sized flash drive that holds all your important files. No matter where you are, as long as you can get online, you can edit, format, save, and otherwise work on all the files in your Google Docs account. You can even edit word processed documents offline, and upload them automatically the next time you connect to the Internet.

But what makes Google Docs truly revolutionary is the way it lets you collaborate with others on a single document in real time. No more sitting around twiddling your thumbs, waiting for your turn as a file gets passed from person to person for editing and revisions. With Google Docs, up to 10 people can edit the same document simultaneously, redefining the whole concept of working together.

Note

Because there’s just so darn much you can do with Google Docs, this book devotes three chapters to it. This chapter explains how to get your Google Docs ...