Google Docs

From Lesley Cutts, Marketing Manager of GoodnessDirect

We run an online shop with 5,000 products. Every couple of months we have around 200 new lines which need photos taking, details drafting and proof reading and then mounting onto the website, onto blogs and into our newsletter. We always get in such a muddle with photographers and copy writers covering different products. In fact communication can be so confusing some lines never emerge. [Google Docs] has been a revolution to us. We can write copy on a Google document and get several people to proof it together, saving us hours. The buyers can produce a Google spreadsheet with a list of new lines to go onto the website which all departments can work from real time. So the photographers and content writers can see what needs doing and what each other have done. It is terrific. We are now all singing from the same song sheet!

From Reyner, Chicago resident and Alaska vacationer

I am using a Google spreadsheet to plan a vacation trip to Alaska with three of my friends from college. After graduation, we went to different cities to begin our new exciting chapter of life and are now located all over the continent. I am in Chicago, Ferry in LA, and Eliana in Atlanta and MJ in San Francisco. It is so inefficient to always send the most updated spreadsheet to-and-fro using email, and I tried the "Publish" feature that Excel provides, but others can only view and not edit and save the published spreadsheet. [Google Docs] has all the features I am looking for so I can now communicate, work, edit our spectacular trip to Alaska and have everyone's research for the trip saved, without worrying about having the spreadsheet overlapped by another user who is also working on the file at the same time.

From Frank, ardent member of Red Sox Nation

I am a Red Sox season ticket holder who moved to St. Louis. Although I can't make it to Fenway more than a few times per year any more, I've kept my season tickets and let my family and friends buy them. Historically I created an Excel spreadsheet and e-mailed it to one person at a time, but it was always a hassle waiting for someone to pick their games before being able to send it on to the next person. I'd get calls from people demanding the spreadsheet, and I'd have to say "you're third in line, be patient". Or people would be miffed that they didn't get the spreadsheet earlier (where are all the Yankee games? Why are all the Saturday games taken? How come you sent it to him before me?). With [Google Docs] the logistics are far simpler, now I can just e-mail everyone and let them pick whatever games are available. And instead of the process dragging out for months, I wouldn't be surprised if this year it takes a week.

From Ryan Jones, blogger/writer and software engineer

I use [Google Docs] all the time when collaborating on blog posts with other writers. Being able to work on the same document from different locations and see each other’s changes in real time is great. I also used it when working on parts of my Book – Internet Slang Dictionary. This way I didn’t have to deal with emailing documents to reviewers and editors – they could just go online and not only offer suggestions, but see everybody else’s as well. It took a lot of time out of the editing process. [Google Docs] is also great for tracking my eating habits and counting calories. It’s so much easier to log a meal right after eating it (or in some cases right from the restaurant) than to have to wait until you get home and remember what you ate and how many calories it had.

Thanks for the great work.

From Ken Leebow, Author: 300 Incredible Things to Do on the Internet book series

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy using [Google Docs]. I'm looking forward to the day when all my applications are online. As an author who does a tremendous amount of research on the Internet, during the day, I am at several different computers. By using [Google Docs], no matter where I am, I have a current copy of my books in process. It has increased my productivity because whenever I have an idea or information to place in the book, I just go to the nearest computer.

In addition to always having a current copy online, I can share the book with my editor. Thus we are always working on one copy and it is always current. Thanks for providing this service.

From Andrew Spittle, student blogger and Freshman at Whitman College

I'm a student entering my freshman year of college at Whitman College and use [Google Docs] for nearly everything. I use it to post to my blog, do writing assignments, type notes for reading assignments and many other things. I love it even more than I used to because if I'm somewhere without my MacBook and I need to take some notes on a computer I can easily do it. Great job on the new [Google Docs], it's exactly what I was looking for in the service. Thanks for all the work you do to keep Google products great.

From Heather Truong, J.D., mobile budgeter & Mexico cruiser:

I have been looking for a good finance/budget tracker, so I created one on MS Excel, but I had a hard time figuring out how I would "transport" it from work to home -- if I should just keep emailing myself a new version at the end of each work day, etc. LO AND BEHOLD -- I FIND [Google Docs]!! JUST IN TIME!!! This helps me keep my finances up to date and organized.

Additionally, my friend is organizing a New Year's 2007 cruise to Mexico. She created a spreadsheet for everyone with amounts of payments, when they're due, who is rooming with whom, etc. Unfortunately she had a hard time sending out so many versions of the spreadsheet, and didn't know how she could upload it to a website. AGAIN -- [Google Docs] CAME TO THE RESCUE!!

Thank you to the GOOGLE TEAM for making my life (and everyone else's) so much easier, and more organized. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to all the new services you provide.

From Mark Dawson, Drag Strip Operations Coordinator, Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

[Google Docs] has been a great time-saver for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We have been using it during our weekly events to log worker hours for payroll. Before we used [Google Docs], we had to send our Excel files around by email or saed on a disk as that was the only way to get the file between buildingsz. This process was too slow and unreliable, particularly because the Speedway is very spread out between buildings. Now, as soon as our workers type in their hours, it is instantly saved and available for me anywhere in the world. If I want to sit on a beach in Key West and make sure the Payroll Department gets the time sheets, I can. For this reason I always keep up with Google and what they might come up with next.

From Bryan Massingale, son-in-law par excellence:

The main way I'm using [Google Docs] is to help my mother-in-law. She is not very computer proficient and a few months ago got a new job. One of the requirements was to report monthly status on work she is doing. I ended up creating a spreadsheet for her to track this information. The problem is that I live in NC and she lives in WV. I currently have two ways of working with her, neither of which are easy or efficient.

First, I can remotely login to her machine and do the work directly on her pc, but the connection can get slow and periodically drops. After I'm done making the changes, I email the file to myself so I have a good copy ready to go after she messes it up again. :-) Needless to say, I don't like working that way.

The second way I have worked on the spreadsheet is to have her email it to me, I work on it locally and then email it back. Again, not an efficient process.

When I heard Google was releasing an online spreadsheet program I was very excited. First, because I immeditately knew that I would be able to use it as a solution to the problems stated above and second because I knew Google does things right, or not at all. Now, I have uploaded the spreadsheet, invited her to be a Viewer and we can work on it together. Once I've saved the final changes, she can download and email it to her manager. No emailing back and forth and b/c it's hosted by Google I don't have to worry about it getting lost or having the "wrong version".

Thanks Google!

From Debbie, Mary Anne, Jerri, Rita and their fellow neighborhood volunteers:

We are using [Google Docs] to share info with other volunteers in our neighborhood association in New Orleans.

We have "Block Captains" who each compile data on infrastructure issues related to Hurricane Katrina so that we can accelerate rebuilding our homes and our lives. One person uploads the data into [Google Docs] regarding the issues we find (like leaks and broken catch basins, missing street signs and stop signs). The spreadsheets are then shared with other members of the association, the Water board and the City so they can view the issues and address them.

[Google Docs] makes it easy for us to enter & is the ONLY way for us to share the up-to-date data.

From Anand, Business Development Director for Silicon Oyster Technologies in Chennai, India:

I have been using [Google Docs] for few weeks now and it has been very useful for our hiring team. Being an Offshore Software Development Company and having our managers at different locations, working at different time zones organizing the interview for the candidates is a difficult job for us. Now, we are using [Google Docs] with all the details of the candidate along with interview schedule, and the managers fill in their convenient timing for interview. Thereby we are able to respond to the candidates quickly and the whole team is updated.

Though there are many Applicant Tracking Systems available, [Google Docs] is best and it comes free. Keep up the great work.

From Mark Ojascastro, music lover & concert goer:

This is one ingenius product! For the longest time, a group of us have been using a floating XLS file to tally up concert bills. We would enter the suggested concert, the others would view it, they enter a symbol to show who wants to come to a particular concert. Once a member purchases the ticket he would enter that s/he bought the ticket, and it automatically tallies up the costs. By this, we perfectly know who owes what! No need to exchange cash, just as long as we all take turns buying concert tickets. [It's better understood seen...here's a screen shot of the Google spreadsheet we're using.]

Now that this spreadsheet is online, it saves us work from downloading and saving files, and we keep one current file floating.... this is revolutionary... awesome.

From Scott Clark, Internet Marketing Consultant, Site Creations:

In my business of search marketing, I send lots of tabular data between myself and clients on a regular basis. In the past, we'd have to attach Excel worksheets or post the information in web page tables, adding overhead and inconvenience. We never had the latest document - and merging information was always a pain. With [Google Docs] my clients and I always know the information will be in the same place for our collaboration. My clients absolutely love the efficency by which I do this part of my job, and I can genuinely say it's given me a competitive advantage.

The key is [Google Docs]' simplicity and accessibility. Anyone can use it. It lets you get the work done whether you're in an airport or a coffee shop without having to haul around a bloated application that takes four minutes to launch. It's nice for collaborative journalistm as well - developing stories or interview questions. Every time I open it, I think of a new use. Well done!

From Amy Kimber, PuzzlePirates Game Maven:

In the game PuzzlePirates I own an Iron working shop, this shop makes cannon balls which the pillaging hordes of pirates can buy to fire at their enemies. As there is a never ending stream of brigands for my fellow players to attack I have to produce enough cannon balls to meet demand - but, at a price that means I make a profit. That is where the spreadsheets come in.

My shop's co-owner lives in a different time zone, so with [Google Docs] he can now update the current market values for balls (and the wood and iron used to make them) when he plays, as I do when I log in. This way our data is never more than 12 hours out of date. This is especially useful when our pirate world is at war - having the information available to share with the other fleet admirals instantly is brilliant - it enable us to make a larger profit to spend on the more important things in a pirate's life like rum and ships.....

From Mick, retired Police officer from Poole in Dorset (UK):

[Google Docs] ease of sharing, provided the answer to my domestic problem.

Our daily shopping list was written on scrap paper in the kitchen. If my wife was able to go shopping during her lunch break at work, but did not have the list it took a phone call to clarify what was on the list. Items could not be added at the last minute, again without a phone call to the other. The solution was a shared spreadsheet designed to print on one sheet of A4. The items are categorised in the same order as the layout at the local supermarket. Each of us can add items at any time without having to contact the other, and each of us can go shopping in confidence that we have the latest list. After printing out the spreadsheet, the cell contents are deleted and the list starts again.

The printouts look very cool as I walk around the shopping aisles, and even better I no longer have to decipher my wife's handwriting!

From Arthur Freydin, Interactive Marketing Manager for Home Decor Products, Inc.

[Google Docs] has been creating waves throughout the Home Decor Incmarketing department. The online format is remarkable as it allows for full collaboration throughout the dept and our online partners.It has saved us from performing the redundant task of emailing our latest keyword updates to our various marketing partners.

The platform really is EXTREMELY versatile and I know that I have only scraped the surface. Can't wait to see the future potential!!!

From Tapan Pandita, college cultural festival organizer:

I'm working for my college cultural fest (Mood Indigo -IIT Bombay) and we had this list of a large no. of possible sponsors with their contact nos. and addresses and email ids and loads of other stuff . And we were supposed to co-ordinate the contacting of all of these sponsors between 5 ppl which was a really tedious task initially. But when i found outabout [Google Docs] it was like a dream come true. Of course google products are always very useful. Like before [Google Docs] we were using gmail chat to mail people stuff and discuss about it. Thanks a lot google for coming up with all this gr8 stufff !!

From Mike Remington, fantasy baseball league member:

I have been in a fantasy baseball league for 12 years now with 15 other friends. Technology has enabled us to dramatically improve administrative efficiency over the years, but we are still lagging in certain areas. The fantasy league web services keep track of many of the things we care about, but due to the complicated nature of our league rules.....there is still a lot of spreadsheet work necessary!

On a weekly basis, our commissioner has to email out a spreadsheet documenting trades, draft picks, free agent pickups, remaining money, salary cap status, etc. It is a fairly basic spreadsheet with regard to functions and formulas; the problem is that most of the people in the league are not nearly as organized as the commissioner. He is constantly being hassled about resending the current spreadsheet, versioning, deleted emails, people trying to do transactions without proper funds, etc. The collaborative spreadsheet [in Google Docs] allows a central place to have this information that is the single source of truth. It also allows for sharing of update privileges when the need arises. The information we deal with is very dynamic, and [Google Docs] will be very helpful moving forward.