Over a few months (or years), word documents and spreadsheets tend to pile up by the hundreds. Randomly scattered throughout your hard drive, in various folders, just creating an absolute mess. When you throw in multiple computers, it gets even uglier. Which documents do you keep on which computer? Where did I save that file last? You get the picture. Organizing documents is generally a complete nightmare, even with the great desktop search tools that we have today. \
Google Documents to the rescue
Instead of documents littering the hard drives of your desktop and laptop, imagine a world where all your documents are available online, from any computer. Fortunately, there’s no need to imagine, as that world is here today, right now. Google Documents can save you from the file clutter. Simple log in with your google account, and click the “Upload” link in the menu bar. Upload every document and spreadsheet that you need, and save.
This is an excellent time to purge files that you don’t absolutely need. Surely you have excess files laying around – old version, old drafts of published work, etc. Delete everything that has no use.
Once you’ve finished uploading ( do this from each computer that has documents ), you’re all set. Now, whenever you need to access these files, simply log into Google Documents, and no matter which computer you’re at, you can get to everything. And in typical Google goodness, there’s an easy to use Search bar at the top, to help you find what you’re looking for quickly.
Cut the clutter, and switch today
Getting rid of file clutter is a huge step in the right direction. No more wasted time trying to find the right documents. No more trying to remember which computer you saved it on. Consolidate everything in the cloud, and make your life easier. What are you waiting for? Google Docs is absolutely free, and takes on a few minutes to set up. The time and headaches it will save you from now on is unquestionably worth it.
Related posts:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
So where exactly are the documents stored? On Google’s servers? Why wouldn’t you be worried about security? I would. At least if the files are on my home computer they’re safe – I don’t have to be connected to the internet, etc. Great if you’re ok with that though – in theory it does sound good.
Yup, the docs are stored in The Great World of Google. Sure, there’s always a worry about security – is my data safe, what if someone hacks my account, what if Google dies. And they are valid concerns, to be sure.
However, since i use Gmail as my primary email, I already put a ton of trust in Google to stay alive. Trusting them with my documents is a small leap, when I already trust them with my main form of electronic communication. Strong passwords, and regular backups can help ease your apprehension. Much simpler than doc file everywhere, at least for me.
Am I wrong in thinking that Google’s answer to Word doesn’t have a “track changes” feature? This is indispensable to my work, as an editor and as a college instructor. Maybe I’m missing it somehow? Where would you find this in the program?
I’m more of a casual user of Word / Google Docs than you are. I’m not familiar with the “track changes” feature of Word – it’s quite possible that Google has no equivalent yet.