Thing 17: Web-based Apps

I love the concept of Google Docs. Really any kind of web-based application program--especially if it is free. It's wonderful creating a document or presentation or spreadsheet and making it available through the internet so other people can collaborate on it. It's rather like the GRPWRK file that we use, only web-based. A truly great idea.

Actually using Google Docs, however, was not a day at the beach. I tried to create any number of documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoints (er, presentations). And every time I was in the thing itself, it went all flukey on me. I would click on the File or Edit menu to try to do something and the screen would darken and flash some alert message depending on which drop-down menu I was in. It wouldn't let me select anything from the menus, it would just try to do whatever the first selection was for that menu. Lots of wasted minutes just trying to bend the application to my will.

Application-5, Snarky Woman-big fat ZERO!

I tried uploading a document that I already created using Word. Now this was better. Stuff was there for me to tweak. If the menus would ever work right. Which they didn't. And the document wasn't an exact copy of what I had created. Not quite the same fonts, etc.

Sigh.

Also, I like to have lots of options. I want to have a ton of fonts to choose from. Google has less than 10. I want to be able to do all kinds of funky things. Can't.

So here is how I think Google docs can benefit the library and me:

1. Put desk/weekly work schedules on Google docs. Or really any basic form that you might use at work--CLASS forms, vacation requests,whatever. These are pretty basic things and it allows us to access the info easily. We can make quick changes from any computer. Great way to use this.

2. Create a document on Word or whatever first. Get the basics in. Then use Google Docs to have others collaborate. Once the text is good, then take it off the web and make it beautiful. Email out the final doc that has all the bells and whistles that you can't get with Google docs. Yeah you will be doing some emailing, but this part should me minimal.

So Google Docs=great idea, but bad actual application.