I am not at all intuitive when it comes to technology. I am amazing at googling things and then following directions exactly as stated, especially when there are visual aids. So, basically, I can follow instructions. When I discover a new app, toy, etc...that's easy to use and makes my life easier, I get a little bit giddy. It's such a relief to find tools that take some of the stress or extra work out of everyday tasks. In the tech savvy series, I'll be featuring different aspects of technology that have been making me feel like the technology rock star that in all actuality, I am not. As you may have ascertained from the post title, today's feature is on google docs!
I love gmail. I've used google docs in the past to preview things in gmail, but I honestly never saw any point to using it regularly. A few weeks ago during a cowrite, I was enlightened. During cowrites, it's always super annoying to have multiple people trying to work on the same song using different devices. In fact, until last week I was the goober using paper and pen during writing sessions. Apparently this is old school and not hip, not to mention that it isn't super efficient. Instead of mocking my journal-like approach to songwriting, one of my writing partners kindly asked if I use google docs. I sort of mumbled a "yes I guess I've sort of used it?" while he asked for my email address so he could share the file with me.
At that moment, I experienced a technological enlightenment that I have since explained to every person that it even sort-of applies to. Basically, you invite whoever you want to be able to view and edit the document, and they can all edit it at the same time. Everyone else sees their changes in real time. And it saves the changes automatically. And you don't even have to have a gmail account to use it. YOU GUYS, this is AMAZING. I am getting all crazy with the caps lock because it was seriously blowing my mind. So easy! I have been trying to come up with other ways to use it in my daily life, but I seem to have a conspicuous lack of document sharing opportunities. However, I am hoping some of you guys will have a similar enlightenment and that google docs will meet all your document collaborating needs.
There's a chat bar on the side if you need to do some long-distance collaborating, and when people are editing, you see a little colorful block with their name on it that follows their cursor/what they are doing. It's sort of freaky actually. Another cowriter (who I obviously couldn't wait to get on the google docs train) referenced 1984 when we were using it. Side note: google 1984 if you are lost. Literary importance going on there, people.
What do you all think? Is it something that sounds totally lame (aka "you had to be there")? I love it so much, I want to just invite people to documents for the heck of it. Maybe random google docs parties are the new Words with Friends?
Don't forget, you have through Friday to enter the giveaway!
Google is in no way affiliated with this post. I am just easily excited by the magical powers of google docs. Over and out.
Don't forget, you have through Friday to enter the giveaway!
Google is in no way affiliated with this post. I am just easily excited by the magical powers of google docs. Over and out.
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